Bonhams
A London auction house holding more than 450 sales a year in over 60 categories, from fine art and jewelry to collector cars and motorcycles. What it sells, how buying works there and what it costs, with a straight link to the house.
- Founded
- 1793
- Based in
- London
- Buyer's premium
- 30%
- Sales a year
- 450+
Go to Bonhams →How buying worksFees
About Bonhams
Bonhams was founded in London in 1793 by print dealer Thomas Dodd and book specialist Walter Bonham. It grew by buying other houses, including Skinner in Massachusetts, Bukowskis in Sweden, Bruun Rasmussen in Denmark and Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris, all in 2022, and it was bought by Pemberton Asset Management in October 2025.
It is best known among car collectors: a Ferrari 250 GTO sold there for $38.1 million in 2014. Alongside cars and motorcycles it sells fine art, Asian art, jewelry, watches, wine and whisky, and coins and medals, with salerooms in London, Edinburgh, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Boston area, Paris, Hong Kong and Sydney.
What Bonhams sells
How buying works at Bonhams
- Get approved to bidMake an account with your name, address, date of birth and a card that Bonhams verifies with a small refunded charge. Without a card, its client team can review photo ID instead.
- Choose how to bidBid online on bonhams.com, in the Bonhams app, by telephone with a staff member bidding for you, with an absentee bid, or in person.
- Add the costsThe buyer's premium is added to the hammer price, then any taxes. Cars, wine, whisky, coins and medals have their own rates.
- PayIn the US, payment is due within 5 business days. Bank transfer is preferred; checks, cards up to $25,000 and small cash amounts are accepted. Pay from an account in your name.
- CollectPurchases above a set amount need photo ID before release. Ask the sale's specialists about shipping before you bid on large pieces.
What it costs
Bonhams's buyer's premium for sales from October 1, 2026, by part of the hammer price:
| Hammer price | Buyer's premium |
|---|---|
| US: up to $35,000 | 30% |
| US: $35,000 to $750,000 | 28% |
| US: $750,000 to $1.5M | 25% |
| US: $1.5M to $7.5M | 21% |
| US: over $7.5M | 14% |
| UK: up to £25,000 / to £500,000 / to £1M / to £5M / above | 30% / 28% / 25% / 21% / 14% |
| Motor cars, UK: first £500,000 / above | 15% / 12% (plus VAT on the premium) |
| Automobilia, UK | From 28% on the first £40,000 |
| Wine and whisky, UK (reported) | 24% |
| Bidding through LiveAuctioneers or another platform | +4% of hammer (plus VAT) |
| Before October 2026, UK | 28% to £40,000, 27% to £800,000, 21% to £4.5M, 14.5% above |
Wine and whisky, coins and medals, cars and motorcycles (and US arms and armour) keep their own schedules. A $10,000 lot costs $13,000 before tax.
Paying, pickup and storage
| When to pay, US | Within 5 business days |
| Payment, US | Bank transfer preferred; checks; cash up to $5,000; cards up to $25,000 |
| Who pays | From an account in the buyer's name |
| Getting approved | A card checked by a small refunded charge, or photo ID reviewed by the client team |
| Release | Photo ID needed above a set amount |
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UX Search is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Bonhams. Bidding, payment and delivery all happen on the house's own site under its own terms. Information checked October 21, 2026 from Bonhams how-to-buy pages and USA Art News, September 2026 (buyer's premium) and Antiques Trade Gazette (ownership); fees and rules can change, so confirm them on the sale page.