An expert’s guide to buying tables at auction

Large numbers of tables of all shapes, sizes and styles are offered every week at auctions on thesaleroom.com.

A Georgian style console table with a mahogany top on a white painted stand that sold for £150 at Sworders in January 2020.

By searching for tables on this website, you’ll be able to find the perfect piece for your home with plenty of antique, vintage and modern examples available to suit all budgets.

Antique or vintage tables are often much stronger and better quality than newly manufactured flat-pack pieces. They are also much better for the environment, as they have not taken up new resources during production nor do they require new packaging.

Placing a bid at an auction is fun, and if you’re new to auctions you can read our guide on how to buy at auction.

What to look for

When looking for a table on thesaleroom.com, you may decide to focus on a particular size or style. If you’re searching for a dining table, for example, you can find pieces suitable for large families or lots of guests or sleeker and smaller examples more suited to a smaller property.

Look through the descriptions of individual lots where the dimensions will be noted so that you can get the right size for your space.

You can also choose to search by the form or function of the piece. Popular table types include dining tables, side tables, extending tables, refectory tables, pedestal tables, trestle tables, drum tables, drop-leaf tables, console tables, tea tables, games tables and nests of tables.

You can also search for a certain type of wood, whether walnut, oak, mahogany, elm, rosewood, teak, ash or pine. These woods have different qualities such as hardness, texture and colour, and you can expand the images provided by the auction house to give you a closer view of how it looks.

Some bidders may focus on a particular period or maker, such as 19th century French refectory tables, nests of tables by Gillows of Lancaster and London, one of the primary cabinetmakers of the 19th century, or modernist Scandinavian designs by the likes of Hans Wegner or Arne Jacobsen.

Woolley & Wallis hammered down this Charles II oak refectory table dated 1673 complete with cleated ends and a carved frieze including the initials FP for £3000 in January of 2022.

Some tables appearing at auction will be in the style of these periods or makers but actually produced at a later date. They’re typically described in the auction house’s catalogue as ‘Regency style’ for example or ‘after’ a particular maker.

Condition

As with all pieces of furniture, condition plays a key role in determining value when it comes to tables. Understandably, people will pay more for pieces with their original features and without defects. The patina is also important – this means the quality of the surface of the wood in terms of its feel and hue.

Look for signs of wear and tear in the images of the lot and in the catalogue descriptions. You can also ask an auction house for a condition report if you’d like further information.

However, don’t be put off if a piece has some wear and tear. Furniture restorers can be found around the country and sometimes a few marks or stains can enhance the character of the piece.