Quinn’s Auction Galleries is probably one of the best antique and estate auction houses inside the Washington, D.C. beltway. This Northern Virginia auction houses holds an auction every Wednesday night with special consignment and catalogue auctions throughout the year.  The auctioneers are not the stereotypical lot with a quick cadence, but they are professional, fair and their staff is very friendly.  Quinn’s Auction Galleries is a place where we occasionally find a bargain we can’t live, their only downside is their buyer’s premium, which is 15%.

We have not been to their Wednesday night auctions at the barn, however we have attended a few of Tillet & Damewood Auctioneers antiques and estate auctions on several occasions.  Tillet and Damewood Auctioneers normally hold their auctions at their barn, but occasionally do on site auctions.  We have usually come away from their auctions with some pretty good bargains and their staff is both knowledgeable and friendly.  They usually begin with box lots and then continue on to other antiques and collectibles. Their buyer’s premium is also 10%.

We have only been to one auction at the Culpeper Auction Center in Culpeper, Virginia, but once was enough.  We found that the auctioneer and staff were very professional and their antique furniture was superb.  However, the type of merchandise that they carry draws a higher caliber of clientele and they don’t mind paying high prices, making it difficult for the average buyer to get a great deal.  It’s no wonder we have seen the proprietor of Culpeper Auction Center buying at other auction houses to resell at his own.

We have attended a couple of Hunt Country Auctions’ antiques and estate auctions at the National Guard Armory in Warrenton, Virginia and have walked away with some pretty good deals.  Hunt Country Auctions is professionally run and the auctioneer is both entertaining and fair.  The times we have attended, they have had an eclectic mixture of decent antique furniture, collectibles and jewelry as well as some box lots.  The other thing we like about their auctions is that their buyer’s premium is only 10%. 

Clark Carr holds his auctions at the Volunteer Fire Hall in the picturesque town of Leesburg, Virginia.  Held once a month, CW Carr Auctions features some of the best looking antiques, reproductions and estate furniture that we have seen in this area. They seem to attract the quality merchandise and because of this, you would normally at other local auction houses.  However, their buyer’s premium is set at 10% which is lower than most other local auction houses.  Clark Carr is very entertaining as an auctioneer and his company, CW Carr Auctions is professionally run and their staff appears to be very knowledgeable.

At Auctions by Hartman in Catlett, Virginia, we found that they had an eclectic mix of merchandise up for auction.  It was very down home country and when we visited them, they seemed to be unorganized and very slow.  We found their prices to be reasonable, but most of the antique furniture needed some type of repair and most other things looked unkempt.  The staff was very friendly and seemed very nice, unfortunately, we ran out of patience before being able to buy anything.  Their buyer’s premium is 10%.