Fellows Auctioneers, established in 1876, is an auction house based in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

Jewellery Quarter The Jewellery Quarter is an area of central Birmingham, UK, in the north-western area of Birmingham City Centre, with a population of around 19,000 people in a area. The Jewellery Quarter is Europe's largest concentration of businesses involv ...

and

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world ...

, London. They specialise in jewellery, watches, antiques, silver, coins and medals. In 2018, they were named the leading UK regional auctioneer by '' Antiques Trade Gazette'' and as one of the top five auction houses in the UK by ''Professional Jeweller''.

History

The company's origin can be traced back to the collapse of an order for bicycles in 1876. When William Henry Fellows, who was based in Digbeth, was left with the unwanted order he decided to sell the bicycles by auction. The company grew during the 1920s by selling items belonging to refugees escaping the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the business sold goods from refugees from the Nazi persecution who were able to smuggle out some of their wealth. Sales in this era also included lost property from the Royal Mail. Fellows moved to the firm's current home, Augusta House in the Jewellery Quarter, in 1990. The company remains a family firm employing approximately 75 people. Fellows holds 100 sales per year, more than half of which are for jewellery. Fellows opened their London office in 2018.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fellows Auctioneers British auction houses Retail companies established in 1876 London auction houses 1876 establishments in England