London Sets the Pace
The big London houses, Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Phillips, and Bonhams, increasingly dominated headlines and market share. They introduced glossy catalogues, international advertising campaigns, and innovations like the buyer’s premium, first adopted by Sotheby’s in the 1970s. Their salerooms became global stages, attracting consignments that once might have been handled locally in Scotland.
For dealers and collectors, London’s growing dominance was hard to ignore. By the 1990s, even Scottish estates and collections were often being sent south, where sellers hoped to achieve higher prices under the glare of international attention.
A Distinctly Scottish Approach
Lyon & Turnbull chose another path. While competitors modernised, the firm held fast to its traditions: handwritten ledgers, straightforward catalogues, and a reliance on trusted relationships built up over generations.
For many loyal clients, this traditional approach was precisely the appeal: a saleroom that felt personal, grounded, and distinctly Scottish, even as the wider industry became more commercialised.
Auctioneers as Characters
What also set Lyon & Turnbull apart in this era were its auctioneers, remembered as much for their showmanship as for their salesmanship.
- Ord Kennedy Reid was known for his wit and charm, qualities that enlivened even the most routine sales.
- William Plews, who joined in the 1970s, became legendary for his humour, famously offering coffins to the crowd and inviting bidders to “try them out for size”.
These stories gave George Street its character, a place where auctions were not only about prices achieved, but also about community, entertainment, and human connection.
The Pressure to Compete
Yet the pressures of the wider market were real. Glossy catalogues and global marketing began to raise buyer expectations. Consignors who might once have been content with a local sale now looked to London for international reach. Competing for major consignments grew harder, and the traditional model that had served so well for over a century started to feel tested.
Even so, Lyon & Turnbull maintained its reputation for fairness, professionalism, and variety. Week after week, the George Street rooms still filled with dealers, collectors, and locals seeking everything from Georgian furniture to practical second-hand goods. The salerooms remained busy and respected, even if the wider auction world was shifting.
Though competition was fierce and practices were changing, the values of integrity and community carried the salerooms through. And as the century drew to a close, these very qualities laid the foundation for renewal, ensuring that Scotland’s oldest auction house would continue its story into a new era.
