About Mallams Est. 1788
Since 1788 Mallams has been holding specialist, fine art and more general sales. Today our specialist and general valuers offer expert advice in many fields, including Paintings and Sculpture, Ceramics and Glass, Modern and Post-War Art, 20th-Century Design, Silver and Jewellery, Furniture and Garden Statuary, Chinese, Japanese and Islamic Art, Clocks and Barometers, Books and Manuscripts, Collectables, and Rare Unica.
Mallams has been a well-established part of Oxford business life since its foundation by Richard Mallam in St Aldate’s in 1788. His son, Thomas (1786-1850) was also an auctioneer, as well as a tobacconist and timber merchant, and the family lived in what is now the official accommodation of the principal of St Hugh’s College.
A pencil drawing by William Alfred Delamotte (1775-1863) depicting Mallams Auctioneers at 126 High Street back when Thomas Mallam practised from 1832 as both auctioneer and solicitor.
Mallams Auctioneers is the oldest firm of auctioneers in Oxford. Two-hundred-and-twenty-five years ago, in 1788, Richard Mallam (1756 – 1837) started a small auctioneering business from his house in Gloucester Green, Oxford. His son Thomas Mallam (1786 – 1850) then traded as an auctioneer at…
….still under the Mallam name. Thomas Mallam became Mayor of Oxford in 1839 and again in 1846 before his death in 1850. One of his sons (Thomas Mallam junior) founded a firm of solicitors in this building while another of his sons (James Richard Mallam) continued the auctioneering side of the business. The solicitors still reside at 126 High Street, under the name of Herbert Mallam Gower, while Mallams Auctioneers moved to St. Michael’s Street – our current address – circa 1950.
The present auction room on St Michael’s Street was once a pre-fabricated hut in what was then the garden of 24a St. Michael’s Street. It opened on this new site as ‘Mallam, Payne and Dorn’ but was later simplified to ‘Mallams’. In 1986 a new saleroom and offices designed by Barnett, Briscoe and Gotch were opened on the same site in a building called ‘Bocardo House’ where Mallams is still found today – the only auction house right in the heart of one of the world’s finest cities.
Mallams Auctioneers is very proud of the company’s long and distinguished history, and continues to be one of the leading auction houses outside London.
Mallams’ valuation experts can help when specialised valuation reports are required for insurance, taxation or probate purposes. Our valuation reports are clear, accurate, and compliant with current legislation and best practice; prepared uniquely for each client; thoroughly researched using academic and market data; bound, and illustrated where required, and available in digital format if requested.
Mallams has a long experience of working with solicitors, executors and families. We hope we always take a sensitive and responsive approach to each case, in order to make the process of administering an estate less stressful. The key benefits and features of the service include the following:
– a formal valuation report, for capital gains tax and inheritance tax purposes, compliant with relevant legislation and HMRC guidelines. These can also be adapted to provide insurance valuations to beneficiaries.
– reimbursement of fees in the event of sales through Mallams.
Having exacting valuations done by our valuers will save time and money in the unfortunate event of making a claim. For a competitive and inclusive fee, our specialists will prepare exacting reports that will satisfy both policyholders and insurance companies when insuring against theft, loss and damage.
Our insurance valuations can be tailored to cover single items or large collections, and everything in between. Providing reference and identification documentation, Mallams can assist with householder insurance valuations or those of museums, institutions and business corporations.
Mallams Newsletter
Mallams have a Part-time vacancy for a Logistics Coordinator based at their Abingdon Saleroom.
The ideal candidate will be responsible for the day to day control of stock both in the Abingdon Sale Room and storage facility. This involves the management of stock before sales and removal of stock post sales. You will also be required to deliver and collect lots between sale rooms and client addresses in a company van. This role will involve a lot of heavy lifting.
If you would like to join the Mallams team, then please contact Catherine Leach with a covering letter and a copy of your curriculum vitae:
