Our Story
A Local & Global Service
Centrally located on the UK road network, we are strategically positioned to serve all parts of the country with ease.
Our charming saleroom is nestled in the centre of historic Lichfield, just a short stroll from the Lichfield Garrick theatre, Samuel Johnson’s Birthplace Museum, Erasmus Darwin House, and three-spired medieval cathedral. Our specialist sales are beamed around the world to collectors online, and we’re able to provide in-house quotes for postage & packing – making us an international enterprise.
We’re happy to assess single books or entire libraries for auction, probate or insurance. We enjoy researching and investigating an object’s past, proving its significance, telling its story. We celebrate and share our most important discoveries through press releases to help connect collectors with the things they love.
Monthly Timed Auctions – Entries Always Invited
Jim Spencer – Director, Rare Book Auctions
Jim graduated from the University of Birmingham, Edgbaston with a degree in English Literature, English Language, and Art. He worked as a bookseller at Waterstones before starting his own business dealing in books & prints at Digbeth’s Custard Factory with brother Matty. They had a particular interest in satirical caricatures, and so it’s surreal and thrilling for them to see their brother Chris, aka Cold War Steve, being celebrated as the Hogarth or Gillray of our age. In 2017, Jim pitched the idea of a specialist Library Auction to Hansons Auctioneers & Valuers Ltd. He quickly established the leading book department of the Midlands and was appointed Associate Director in 2019.
Jim enjoys sharing his passion and enthusiasm for books by giving talks and hosting valuation events across the UK. He’s made numerous headlines with his exciting finds and, in a Christmas Day article in 2020, was described by the BBC as “a magnet for rare Harry Potter books”.
The historic city of Lichfield – with its strong literary heritage and transport links – was seen as the perfect location for an auction house dedicated to his specialist library sales, and so Rare Book Auctions was born.
