Vichy Enchères is a French public auction house founded in 1983, specialising in antique musical instruments and works of art. Based in Vichy, in the Auvergne region, it holds more than ten music-dedicated sales each year and sells over 4,000 instruments to buyers from around the world. Its sales cover string quartet instruments, bows, plucked strings, woodwind and brass instruments, as well as paintings, furniture and collectibles.
Guy Laurent’s insight in 1983 was to steer a general auction house towards a then largely untapped segment of the art market: musical instruments. Forty years on, Vichy Enchères holds the top position worldwide in the bow speciality and holds several international records, including that of the most expensive bow ever sold at auction, a François-Xavier Tourte hammered down at €576,000 in 2017. Under the direction of Etienne Laurent, auctioneer, the house today serves a clientele of professional musicians, luthiers, dealers, collectors and institutions spread across every continent.
Would you like to know the value of a violin, a bow, an antique guitar or a set of art objects? Vichy Enchères carries out pre-sale appraisals, simply by sending photographs via our online form, during our appraisal days, or through a home visit for significant collections. Each file is examined by a specialist independent expert, ensuring the reliability of both the estimate and the price achieved in the room.
To assist its research, the house uses an endoscope, a tool derived from precision surgery, that can film the interior of an instrument and identify the key indicators needed for authentication.
Attend a sale in Vichy, leave an absentee bid, bid by telephone or follow the session live on the internet: several options are available to take part in our sales, wherever you are. Each sale gives rise to an illustrated catalogue, public exhibitions and a press campaign reaching specialist media worldwide.
The French public auction system protects the buyer: every sold lot is accompanied by a certificate guaranteeing the authenticity of the instrument for five years, supplemented, for the most significant pieces, by a certificate of authenticity issued by the expert.
Vichy Enchères is an auction house specialising in antique musical instruments: violins, violas, cellos, double basses, bows, guitars, harpsichords, woodwind and brass instruments. It also organises sales of works of art, furniture, paintings and collectibles.
The auction house is based in Vichy, in the Allier department (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), and has a drop-off and collection point in Paris for the pick-up of purchases.
Simply send photographs of the instrument (front, back, top, scroll and label) via the online appraisal form. A specialist independent expert will review the file and provide an estimated price range with a view to an auction sale.
Yes, the pre-sale appraisal is free of charge, confidential, and without obligation.
You can bid in the room during the sale session, leave a written absentee bid, request a telephone line, or bid live online. Prior registration is required for remote bidding.
Every sold lot is accompanied by a certificate attesting to the authenticity of the instrument for a period of five years. The most significant pieces are covered by a certificate of authenticity issued by the sale’s expert.
Yes. The auction house handles all customs formalities and the obtainment of the necessary certificates (export certificate, CITES, CIC), as well as secure packaging and shipping to all countries.
More than ten sales a year are dedicated to music, during which over 4,000 instruments are sold.
