Can it really be two years since we first went into national lockdown in March 2020, and life as we knew it came to a halt? No brunches out at local antiques centres, no trips to museums and galleries with friends, no browsing country fairs for flotsam and jetsam. No auctions either. ‘Auctions were classed as retail, so all sales stopped,’ recalls Clare Durham, Associate Director of Woolley & Wallis, based in Salisbury. ‘Here, all bar two senior staff were put on furlough.’
In June 2020, with the phased reopening of society, auctions resumed across the country, but activity was limited by social distancing measures. ‘Because of this, a lot of auction houses went online only, and when postponed sales finally took place there was a pent-up demand for things like silver, jewellery.
