Anyone know about selling things to “Bargain Hunt” type antiques dealers?

[HotCrossBunplease]

I’ve got an oil painting that I bought about 10 years ago, it was painted by an artist local to the area I was visiting who had had a minor amount of commercial critical success in the 1960s. She had just died and they were selling pieces from her studio. I paid about £450 quid for it. It’s a large modern art style piece.

I’ve gone off it and don’t really have anywhere to hang it in my current house so I’d like to sell it. I’m not expecting it to have gone up in value, but would hope to get a couple of hundred quid for it, especially if I sold it in the area where I bought it (Cambridgeshire).

Does anyone know how I’d go about selling it? I’m thinking it might be of interest to the sorts of dealers that you see with stalls at antique fairs on shows like Bargain Hunt/antiques road trip type thing, but I don’t really know how to start. I’ve tried googling but I’m only getting dealers who do valuable fine art and “proper” antiques. I can’t see any obvious secondary market for this artist, she’s not hugely well known, so I doubt anyone is collecting her stuff and would be looking on eBay for her name. But it could catch the eye of someone browsing in a shop/fair in the area.

I am actually more keen for it to go to someone who would appreciate it than to make any money.

Try a local auction house

Is there an auction house in the artist’s local area? Local interest may increase the value.

As I said in the OP, googling “auction house” in Cambridge is only bringing up high end places.

They probably would be interested but you’d be far better taking it to a local auction house. That way you’d get a proper valuation, free if you’re selling, & those dealers would be bidding against each other. That way you’d get a better price, even with the commission you’d pay, than just accepting what one would offer you with no competition. You could set a reserve at the lowest price you’d be willing to accept for it so they don’t get it for less.
Also , as you’d like it to go to someone who likes it, a privet buyer would probably outbid a dealer at auction as they’re always thinking of the profit they could make on resale.
Most of the pictures I own I’ve bought at local auction houses. Just look for ordinary sale rooms their are loads of them

Found these near Cambridge

Willingham auctions
4.4 *** (204) @
Auction house • 25 High St • 2

Cheffins
Auction house • 1-2 Clifton Rd • 2

Hyperion Auctions
4.0 *** (69) 0
Auction house • Station Rd • &

Biddys Auction
4.2 *** (6) O
Auction house • 64-66 Canterbury St

Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers | Stansted
4.2 *** (106) 0

GES and Sons Limited, Cambridge Rd

Rowleys
4.4 *** (16) 0
Auction house • 8 Downham Rd •

Cambridgeshire Philatelic Auctions
5.0 *** (2) •
Auction house • William House Forehill, 27 Fore Hill•&

Thanks. That was kind of you to search. I’d looked at a lot of those- Biddys looks like total house clearance junk. Willinghams don’t do art, Cheffins and Sworders super posh, the last one is stamps isn’t it? Hyperion and Rowleys might be worth looking at though, cheers, hadn’t seen those come up before.

"High end places" will still take original art or, if they won't are happy to suggest places that will.

No offence to them, but none of the auction houses you name look "super posh" to me. They're decent local auction houses, but no different from hundreds of others around the country.

There's an auction house called Peacocks in Bedford, which is only a 40 minute drive from Cambridge. They may be worth a try, as they do a wide range of sales.

If you send me the name of the Artist I would be happy to advise you on its current market value. Regards Biddy

any antique shops nearby?

Her name is Joan Day.