December 2009
CatMaker Supports 360
degree photography
CatMaker Internet catalogue production
software is fully integrated into both Stock and SaleLink versions of
our auction management software for live auctions.
In October 2008 we announced that CatMaker
version 2.0 could support up to ten images per lot at 1024 x 768
resolution plus one video clip per lot. However, a typical video
clip in .wmv format would occupy up to 20Mbytes of Server disc storage -
limiting its usefulness.
A new generation of 'Flash' - based digital
cameras and systems are set to revolutionise the use of video clips for
auction houses. 'Flash' - based 360 degree photography produces
all-round images using the same techniques employed in the BBC IPlayer.
The size of each clip is around 1Mbye - typically 10% of the .wmv
format.
CatMaker Internet catalogues support the
playing of 'Flash' - based 360 degree photography. Click on the
link below to see a sample.
Sample Flash Video Clip
Incorporating a video
clip into an Internet catalogue is simplicity itself - just label the
clip in accordance with Pacts' image labelling standards. The clip
will be identified, incorporated with up to ten .jpg images of the same
lot, hyperlinks and pages created and pages and images (including
the clip) uploaded to the Server computer.
September 2009
Pacts Announce their
On Line Auction Software
Pacts Auction Systems are pleased to
announce the release of their on line auction software. Pacts On
Line allows auctioneers to create and manage their own on line
eBay-style auctions.
Pacts On Line is a sophisticated product
developed over the past three years. It's highly secure and operates via
a network of mirrored web server computers with automated database backup.
Pacts On Line is a substantial body of work. It has an integrated website control panel allowing auctioneers to
change their on line website content entirely independently of us. It
has a wide range of administrator controls allowing the creation and
management of sales and bidders throughout each sale's lifetime.
Pacts On Line has in-built invoicing and
flexible payment methods. Successful bidders can pay on line via an RBS WorldPay secure card payment platform or at auctioneers' retail
point of sale terminals.
Pacts On Line is fully integrated with our
software for live auctions - just one software software package can
create live and on line sales.
Pacts On Line has been designed to
accommodate auctions of all kinds - antiques, collectables, fine art,
industrial, commercial, property.... It has a full implementation of the
European Union's Auctioneer's Margin and the Artist's Resale Right
schemes allowing items to be sold on line with or without the
application of VAT (Sales Tax) or to be sold VAT inclusive or to be sold
under temporary importation rules as needed.
Pacts On Line is multi-currency. Sales can
be created in any of up to nineteen major currencies with automated
currency conversion in-built. Web servers have an automated daily
currency feed from
www.xe.com.
Pacts On Line is configured, supplied,
updated and maintained
under the "Software as a Service" (SaaS) business model. One simple
affordable monthly fee. No up-front charges, licence
fees, development costs....
For more information click on the
On Line Auctions button above.
May 2009
Pacts' Software and
Touch- Screen Technologies
Ever since Apple released their
IPhone mobile telephone in 2008, with
its wonderful tactile interface, there has been a renewed interest in
touch-screen technologies.
Pacts' software has always had a Windows
'Button & Grid' based man-machine interface which we thought would work
well with touch-screens. We can now verify that
this is indeed the case.
A number of customers are using
Hewlett-Packard TouchSmart or similar Tablet PC's to run Pacts' auction
management software in touch-screen mode. And not just as trials. The
system is being used for daily acquisition of auction catalogue data.
Pacts software works perfectly using either
the human finger, or a stylus, and happily reads both hand-written and
spoken descriptions from applications pre-installed on the PC. The
error rate in both cases is very low. It allows valuers to quickly input
auction data on-line which can then be spell-checked in bulk at a later
time.
March 2009
Pacts' Software and
Postcode Recognition
We are often asked if our software can be
used with postcode recognition software. QAS is an example but there are
many others.
Postcode recognition allows auctioneers to
ask for a client's postcode, verify that it's valid, identify the
client's address and then have the address details dropped automatically
into Pacts' client (vendor or buyer) registration form.
The process works very well and we recommend
its use. The only downside is an annual postcode database licence fee
ensuring that the product is kept up to date.
February 2009
Pacts is
multi-currency and supports multiple images per lot
Both our SaleLink and Stock auction
management software products are now multi-currency. The software can be
configured for use with any of 19 major currencies.
Both our SaleLink and Stock auction
management products now support multiple images per lot and associated image
resizing and auto-renaming. Each lot can have up to 9 sub-images with
all at 1024 x 786 resolution. All 10 images per lot are visible
on-screen for cataloguers use during sale production.
Image processing is a major part of both
products and includes the ability to email condition reports with each
of the sub-images of each lot automatically attached.
Just another example
of our commitment to a policy of continuous product improvement
December 2008
Pacts
are the primary suppliers of auction software to SOFAA members
The Society of Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers
- SOFAA
The Society was formed in 1975 to provide a professional
body for specialist firms throughout the United Kingdom. The
membership currently includes two of the major London-based
firms as well as a significant number of the leading
provincial specialist auctioneers.
The members seek to provide a comprehensive and specialist
service as auctioneers and valuers of antiques, fine art,
jewellery and other chattels.
The Society aims to provide guidance to its members to
ensure the highest possible standards of practice in all
regards, and encouragement and reassurance to clients that
their best interests will be served at all times.
SOFAA currently has 40
auctioneer member firms excluding Bonhams who have an
in-house IT department.
SOFAA's members use of the
services of the known auction management software providers
is:
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This
result mirrors that of our March 2006 market survey which showed that 50 of the top
100 regional salerooms used our services - our nearest competitor had 25
users. The remaining 25 auction rooms in the top 100 used a mixture of 5 other auction
management systems.
www.sofaa.org
We very much look forward to 2009 where we
shall continue to provide outstanding support for our exceptional range of
products and services.
November 2008
Outstanding Support
Our new web hosting friends claim to provide
outstanding levels of support. They do indeed. We thought, where
else can one get support like that? Of course it's from us.
Outstanding support. That's what we provide
to every one of our valued customers. Whatever the problem, we try our
very best to help. We're always available on the telephone. We can be
contacted by email and always call back to assist. We go the extra mile.
We help even where the problem is someone else's. Over 60 person years
of auction system support experience available at the end of a wire.
Support for a range of auction management software products that runs
more than 15 live auctions per day
throughout the year.
October 2008
CatMaker V2.0
Released
CatMaker is internet catalogue
generation software first released in 2004. Over 50 of our auctioneer
customers use the product. CatMaker can be used directly by clients or
we use it to produce internet catalogues for them. Either way it is a
tremendous product able to produce an unlimited range of catalogue
designs. The new CatMaker has been entirely re-written to incorporate
all we have learnt in the past 4 years. Some of the new features are:
September 2008
Stock/SaleLink
Version 34 Released
We are pleased to announce the latest
release of our popular auction management software for live auctions.
This release contains many new facilities, together with numerous
enhancements.
Principal Enhancements
August 2008
Artist's Resale
Right Scheme (Droit de Suite)
Our products now provide a full
implementation of the Artist's Resale Right scheme. Lots subject to the
scheme can be flagged at cataloguing time. Both internet and printed
catalogues now alert bidders to the royalty payable. Point of sale
invoices indicate the relevant lots, allowing the operator to calculate
the charge according to the hammer price and Euro exchange rate that
day. A full explanation of the scheme is provided below:
"Following the UK’s implementation of the
EU Artist’s Resale Right directive in February 2006, living artists are
entitled to receive a resale royalty each time their art work is sold in
the UK by an art market professional, subject to certain conditions. This payment is calculated on qualifying works of art which are sold for
a hammer price more than the UK sterling equivalent of 1000 Euro (EUR). The UK sterling equivalent will fluctuate in line with prevailing
exchange rates.
The actual qualifying threshold
will be calculated by the Artist’s Resale Right Service Hub based on
the European Central Bank reference rate published at 2.15pm on the day
of the sale, and can be found on
www.dacs.org.uk.
The royalty charge will apply if the
hammer price is more than the UK sterling equivalent of EUR 1000. The
royalty charge will normally be added to buyer invoices, and must be
paid before items can be cleared. Some auctioneers will choose though to
split the charge between the buyer and the vendor. Some auctioneers may
pass the entire charge to the vendor. Please check with the auctioneer
as to which scheme they are running. All royalty charges are paid to the
Design and Artists Copyright Society (“DACS”) by the auctioneers, and no
handling costs or additional fees with respect to these changes will be
retained by the auctioneer".
Artist's Resale Right is a percentage of
the hammer price calculated as follows:
|
Portion of the hammer
price (Euro’s EUR) |
Royalty rate |
|
0 to 50,000 |
4% |
|
50,000.01 to 200,000
|
3% |
|
200,000.01 to 350,000 |
1% |
|
350,000.01 to 500,000 |
0.5% |
|
Exceeding 500,000 |
0.25% |
VAT is not payable on this royalty
charge.
May 2008
Mailing
System Version 2.0 Released
Both our SaleLink and Stock product lines
now offer a sophisticated and fully integrated mailing system. Mailing
allows auctioneers to keep in touch with their clients - principally by
email but also via printed documents. Mailing is supplied to new
clients as a matter of course but all existing clients are receiving the
product as part of our policy of always keeping client systems up to
date.
Mailing allows auctioneers to record their
clients interests as both categories and
phrases. For example, clients interested in say "Doulton Burslem"
or "Nankin cup and saucer" or "Nankin cup &
saucer" would automatically be informed by email of any samples in
a forthcoming sale.
February 2008
The Sotheby
Connection
We are pleased to have been suppliers to
Sotheby's Arms and Armour department since 2005. The department is run
as an independent firm, Thomas Del Mar Limited, in association with
Sotheby's.
In fact, we have a history of working for
Sotheby's which goes back to 1988 - We provided the auction management
software for Sotheby Chester. We provided the point of sale software at
Sotheby Billingshurst prior to the introduction of Sotheby's own STARS
system. We ran the sale day operations for Sotheby's
country house sales, including the infamous West Green sale in 1990,
from 1988 to 1994.
Now another ex-Sotheby team are
customers - Summers Place Auctions who were Sotheby's Garden Statuary
Department. We are pleased to have them on board. Summers Place Auctions
run our Stock system. Stock software links directly to the website to
provide catalogue and sale results data.
www.summersplaceauctions.com
December 2007
Arms and Armour World
Auction Record
Our connection with Sotheby's goes back over
18 years and we are pleased to have been suppliers to Sotheby's Arms and
Armour department since 2005. The department is run as an independent
firm, Thomas Del Mar Limited in association with Sotheby's.
We supply auction management software,
training, support and website services and our congratulations go to Tom
Del Mar for his world record sale.
www.thomasdelmar.com
August 2007
Import and Export
Sales via Excel Spreadsheet
Customers wanting to build Pacts auction
sales via spreadsheet-type technologies can now do so. Spreadsheets
allow the off-line collection of auction data from a wide variety of
sources and devices including barcode scanners and tablet pc's. The
latter can utilise voice and handwriting recognition.
Excel spreadsheets are also used to send
auction data to the eBay Live Internet Auctions service.
May 2007
Internet Live Bidding
Our auction management software now supports
all three of the most popular Internet live bidding platforms. Our
software is the only product to have been tested to work with all three.
November 2006
Extract from the
Spink Website
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Spink
Live by
Launched on the 11th July 2006,
Spink is pleased to offer our bespoke bidding service, Spink
Live. This enables you not only to bid real time but to leave
an absentee bid in any of our forthcoming auctions; whilst
online you can also see and hear the auctioneer through our
remarkably user friendly and efficient software.
Since its launch, Spink Live has
so far revolutionized the way in which people bid at auction. Spink is thrilled to offer this new platform for our clients so
that they may enjoy adding to their collection from the comfort
of their homes or anywhere else on the globe they may be.
Spink
Press Office London October 2006 |
October 2006
Record Prices for
Mullock Madeley
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At their
4th October 2006 sale, Mullock Madeley realised record prices for rare
sporting memorabilia:
A
1958 Red Star Belgrade v Manchester United Menu signed by the Busby
Babes sold for £12,000.
A 1970 England World Cup Shirt No.6
worn by Bobby Moore sold for £9,000.
The successful
buyers fought a long hard battle with their peers in the
saleroom, on the telephone and on the internet via BidLive.
Prices
exclude Buyers Premium and VAT.
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July 2006
Spink Choose
BidLive
|
Since their
foundation in 1666, London auctioneers Spink have become
synonymous with tradition,
experience and
integrity. Holders of
three Royal Warrants and several records for prices achieved at
auction, Spink offer an unparalleled range of services to anyone
wishing to start, add to or dispose of a collection of stamps,
coins, medals & banknotes. |
Spink have chosen BidLive as the supplier of
their new internet bidding service (Webcast). Bidlive was selected after
Spink had evaluated a number of other systems - a process involving
simultaneous trials of competing products.
The inaugural sale was held on the 11th July
2006 - Spink were the first London saleroom to introduce a Webcast
service for their clients.
June 2006
First UK Webcast with
Video and Audio
On the 29th
June 2006, Mullock Madeley held the first
UK auction using the BidLive internet bidding system.
BidLive is a unique system – the only system where bidders can register
and then both see and hear
the auction. They can bid in real-time in competition with those present
at the auction.
The
BidLive system was a stunning technical tour-de-force. The auctioneers
were selling at 150 lots per hour – the system had no difficulty keeping
up. BidLive provided sub-second responses to internet bidders
throughout a long day.
There were over 90 registered bidders at the sale end – an excellent
response given the specialist nature of the sale. It was clear that
internet bidding was driving up lot prices – in the end nearly 10% of
the auction was sold to internet bidders.
The sale was created and conducted entirely by
Mullock Madeley staff. We provided support on the day but
did not operate the system – Mullock Madeley did a fine job.
Click
here for a Mullock Madeley Press Release
March 2006
Top 100 Regional
Salerooms
Market Survey
A recent (2006) independent survey has
identified what we think are the top 100 salerooms operating outside
London. The survey highlights the fact that all regional salerooms are
very small businesses, with those at the lower reaches of the top 100
having turnovers around the £1 million mark and just a dozen at the
top end turning over more than £3 million. At the lower end, if average
commission is 20% then small salerooms operate on commission incomes of
less than £200,000 per annum. The top 100 regional firms collectively
turnover about £200 million per annum.
Compare this with Sotheby's and Christies UK
sales of approx. £1500 million each and then more than a ten-fold reduction to
Bonham's sales of about £90 million and then another ten-fold reduction
to the biggest regional (Woolley and Wallis 2005) of about £9 million.
All 450 or so regional saleroom collectively
turnover about £500 million per annum - collectively approximately one
third of Sotheby's annual sales.
Our survey showed that 50 of the top
100 regional salerooms use our services - our nearest competitor has 25
users. The remaining 25 auction rooms in the top 100 use a mixture of 5 other auction
management systems.
October 2005
Saleroom Television
Display
This feature is part of
the standard product. It is not
an add-on module at additional cost.
Many auctioneer clients are making good use
our television display feature. As each lot comes up for sale, an image
and sale details are projected around the premises via a television
network. When selling is not taking place, the system projects a
continuous slide-show, pausing for five seconds between each lot. As an
alternative, a static message can be displayed.
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