Vichy Enchères is a French public auction house founded in 1983 by Guy Laurent and now led by auctioneer Etienne Laurent. Based in Vichy, in the Allier department, it has over forty years become the world reference in the bow market, while maintaining its broader activity in works of art. This page presents its history, experts, guarantees and organisation.
Furniture, jewellery, paintings, silverware, curiosity and collectibles… The auctioneer is a generalist of work of art. However, when he started his career, Mr. Guy Laurent had intuition and the desire to innovate by offering an activity not common on the art market, that would open new and wider horizons for his company.
Guy Laurent, a music lover himself and collector, thinks that musical instruments in all their diversity can become this new innovative vector. His conviction lies on two realities: one is that music is an international language, the second that France represents a considerable and attractive source in the field of instruments.
An enlightened intuition: Vichy Enchères quickly succeeds in establishing itself on the market for musical instruments. The auction house is today the leader in bows auctions. Many world records were beaten like, in 2017: a violin bow by François-Xavier Tourte was sold for € 576,000, becoming the most expensive bow in the world.
A particularity conferring auctioneer Etienne Laurent – at the head of Vichy Enchères today – an excellent knowledge of the present ‘cosmopolitan’ market.
Our experts are first of all independent professionals putting their competence to the service of Vichy Enchères: the most trustable way of guaranteeing the equity of prices and the quality of the expertise.
To support our experts in their research, Vichy Enchères has an endoscope. Initially used for high precision surgery, this endoscope allows to film instruments from inside and thus record information useful for their identification.
A significant specificity of the French public auction system is the buyer’s guarantee of its purchase. In fact, each lot sold is accompanied by a slip guaranteeing the authenticity of the item for a period of five years. Finally, a certificate of authenticity prepared by the experts themselves is issued for the most important instruments.
Each sale is promoted by targeted communication: emailings, press releases and editorial articles, released to specialized newspapers and magazines throughout the world.
Each year, more than a dozen auctions are dedicated to the “music” specialty and more than 4,000 instruments find a buyer. Our buyers don’t hesitate to make the necessary trip to appreciate the instruments, certain to find in Vichy the instruments they are looking for.
The personal involvement of each member of our team at Vichy Enchères is with no doubt a fundamental asset, allowing sellers and buyers to witness the sales taking place with a reciprocal spirit of trust: availability, person to person contact, discreet advice and efficiency in meeting the clientele, whether near Vichy or at the other end of the world.
National and international laws are becoming more complex and require a perfect knowledge of the procedures to be carried out before and after the sale. So we take care of the administrative procedures and we support you in the management of flat-rate capital gains taxes.
We receive your instruments with the care that their quality requires. Their storage and their exhibition are carried out under optimal security conditions in our stores, saleroom or showcases.
Tailor-made support and high-end logistics are among our priorities: we are extremely careful with a secured and adapted packaging, shipment and transport. We support you through all the administrative procedures.
We also have a deposit office in Paris to make it easier for you to collect your purchases.
Vichy Enchères welcomes you to its auction room in Vichy, less than three hours from Paris and one hour from Clermont-Ferrand. A drop-off and collection point in Paris, the Rougemont warehouse, also allows buyers to pick up their purchases without travelling to the Auvergne. Our experts also make home visits anywhere in France for significant collections and estates.
Vichy Enchères
16 avenue de Lyon, 03200 Vichy, France
Phone: +33 (0)4 70 30 11 20
Email: expertise@vichy-encheres.com
Etienne Laurent, auctioneer, currently heads the auction house. It was founded in 1983 by Guy Laurent, who initiated its specialisation in musical instruments. You can view the presentation of our team.
An estimate establishes the probable market value of an item with a view to a sale. It is free of charge at Vichy Enchères. An appraisal is an in-depth study carried out by a specialist independent expert, aimed at establishing the authenticity and attribution of an instrument.
They are independent professionals, recognised in their field, who place their expertise at the service of the auction house. Their independence ensures there is no conflict of interest between the valuation and the sale.
It is the document given to the buyer after the hammer falls. It attests to the authenticity of the instrument for five years. The most significant pieces additionally receive a certificate of authenticity issued directly by the sale’s expert.
This device, derived from high-precision surgery, allows the interior of an instrument to be filmed without opening it. It reveals details that are otherwise invisible, often crucial for authentication and attribution.
This is the licence granted to Vichy Enchères to conduct voluntary sales of movable property at public auction in France. It certifies that the house is authorised and subject to oversight by the sector’s regulatory authority.
Yes. The house remains a generalist and organises sales of paintings, furniture, silverware, jewellery, historical memorabilia and collectibles, alongside its musical speciality.
This position stems from a specialisation begun in 1983, the collaboration of recognised independent experts, and a series of international records, including that of the most expensive bow ever sold at auction, a François-Xavier Tourte hammered down at €576,000 in 2017. All auction results are available in our sale results.
