Bid with us directly on auroraathena.com: before the sale with a maximum bid, or live with the auctioneer. It is the simplest way in — and the cheapest.
Save 5% on every lot by bidding with us
Pre-auction maximum bids on the lot pages and live bidding in our console. Includes IVA.
Bidspirit, Invaluable, LiveAuctioneers and Drouot charge us for every sale, and that cost is passed on. Includes IVA.
Three steps to your first bid
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01
Create your account
Register on auroraathena.com with your name, address and e-mail, and confirm the e-mail with the 6-digit code we send you. Before each sale we approve new bidders — usually within a day — and e-mail you once you are cleared to bid.
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02
Leave your maximum bids before the sale
Open any lot in the catalogue and press Place bid. Tell us the most you are willing to pay; we bid on your behalf, one increment at a time, only as far as needed. You are told when you are outbid, and you can raise or withdraw a bid from your account until the lot comes up.
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03
Join the live auction
Fifteen minutes before the sale, a Join the live auction button appears on the catalogue page and in your account. Follow the auctioneer lot by lot and bid with one click; your maximum bids from before the sale keep working alongside you.
Want a nudge? Turn on the SMS reminder on the catalogue page and we text you when the room opens.
Also available on third-party platforms
30% buyer’s premium thereOur sales are also listed on the platforms below. Registration and approval there are separate from your auroraathena.com account, and their premium applies.
Bidspirit
Invaluable
LiveAuctioneers
Drouot
Before you bid
Approval
Every new bidder is approved by the house before the sale. Maximum bids you leave while your account is pending are held and take effect the moment you are approved — so register early, ideally the day before.
Maximum bids
Your maximum is never shown to anyone. We bid one increment at a time, only as far as needed to stay ahead; if two bidders leave the same maximum, the earlier one wins. Raise or withdraw from your account until the lot is on the block.
Condition reports
We encourage all bidders to inquire about the condition of lots prior to placing a bid. To ensure a thorough response, please submit your requests for condition reports at least 48 hours before the auction. You may reach us via email at bid@auroraathena.com.
Please note that a condition report is offered as an opinion and should not be considered a definitive statement of fact. Aurora & Athena accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that a lot is in perfect condition or entirely free from wear and the effects of normal aging. All items are sold as-is.
Terms
By placing a bid with us, you acknowledge and accept our terms and conditions.
Bidding increments
The steps the auctioneer, and your maximum bids, move in.
| Current bid | Increment |
|---|---|
| From €1 to €100 | €10 |
| From €100 to €500 | €25 |
| From €500 to €1,000 | €50 |
| From €1,000 to €2,000 | €100 |
| From €2,000 to €5,000 | €250 |
| From €5,000 to €10,000 | €500 |
| From €10,000 to €20,000 | €1.000 |
| From €20,000 to €50,000 | €2,500 |
| From €50,000 to €100,000 | €5,000 |
| From €100,000 to €200,000 | €10,000 |
| From €200,000 | €25,000 |
You won — what’s next?
Congratulations. Right after the sale you receive an e-mail with a link to your purchase page, also under Purchases in your account. It shows exactly what we need from you, step by step, and saves as you go. Most buyers finish in about five minutes; a verified buyer has nothing left but the payment.
- 1The letter
Within a day of the sale: receipt attached, link to your purchase page.
- 2Your steps
Identity and a few confirmations; more only for companies, representatives and large amounts.
- 3Our review
Usually within one working day. Then the pro forma invoice with bank details, on the page and by e-mail.
- 4Payment and delivery
Bank transfer from your own account; within two working days we arrange collection in Barcelona or a shipping quote.
Sign in or create an account to do the checks before the sale; then a win means only the payment.
Which documents, and when
- Your identity: a short video check with our identification partner on your phone, about three minutes, done once for all future purchases.
- Three confirmations: not a politically exposed person, not under sanctions, and you will pay from a bank account in your own name.
- From €10,000: four short answers — occupation, purpose of the purchase, source of the funds, address.
- From €50,000: one document showing the source of the funds, such as a bank statement, a payslip or a sale contract.
- Your own identity check, as above.
- The company's name, country and registration number, and your role in it.
- Its owners of 25 % or more: name, date of birth, country and share, with a passport copy of each. Not needed if you own the company yourself.
- A register extract or certificate showing the company, its number and address.
- An authorisation letter from a director, unless you are a director in the register.
- From €10,000 the four answers; from €50,000 a supporting document. Payment from the company's account.
All of this can be saved once under Verification in your account and reused for every purchase by that company.
- Your own identity check.
- The buyer's name, country, address and e-mail. They receive their own three-minute identity check by e-mail; you can also pass them the link.
- A short signed note from the buyer naming you and the sale. A photo or scan is fine.
- Payment comes from the buyer's own account, never from yours.
EU rules make additional checks mandatory whatever the amount: the identity check is a recorded video session, a proof of address, the four answers, a supporting document from €10,000, and approval by our compliance officer. Card payments are not available; we pay attention to this being explained clearly, it says nothing about you personally.
By bank transfer from an account in your own name, quoting the pro forma number: your own transfer completes the identification, so nothing else is needed. Card payments are possible up to €10,000 on request from the purchase page. A payment from someone else's account means an explanation and an extra check, so please avoid it.
Everything is stored encrypted, seen only by the staff handling your purchase, and kept for the period Spanish anti-money-laundering law requires (ten years). Details in our privacy policy.