Twenty-Three Countries, Five Continents, and a Reputation That Travels

Here are some numbers worth sitting with for a second: In the last two years Gray's has sold to collectors in 23 countries across five continents. Not just shipped a catalogue to; sold to. Winning bidders, wire transfers, crates leaving Northeast Ohio bound for cities many of us would struggle to find on a map without squinting.

Plenty of auction houses claim a "global reach" somewhere in their marketing, right next to the stock photo of a gavel. Fewer can actually point to specific pieces, cities, and buyers who put money down from the other side of the planet. So instead of just telling you Gray's reach is global, this is evidence of Gray’s own world tour. Here are some of our most impressive bangers.

Europe: Where Pieces Found (and Even Returned) Home

A Picasso "Visage" plate, made in 1960 at Madoura Pottery and numbered 50 of 100, went home to a buyer in Paris, which feels almost too fitting to be real. Picasso spent years at Madoura reinventing himself as a ceramicist in his sixties, and somewhere in France, one of those pieces is now sitting in a home its maker would have happily enjoyed a baguette inside.

A Bridget Riley silkscreen titled "Elapse" made its way to a collector in London. Riley more or less invented Op Art's dizzying black-and-white language, and it's hard to imagine a more appropriate city for one of her prints to land in.

A 1685 double-hemisphere world map by Joachim Bormeester sold to a buyer in Bucharest, Romania, in an intriguing full-circle moment: a 17th-century attempt to chart the entire known world, sold three centuries later to someone living comfortably inside a corner the mapmaker probably only got approximately right.

And in Zollikon, a quiet, wealthy suburb of Zurich, a pair of Pomellato earrings in 18 karat gold, coral, turquoise, and diamonds found a buyer with, evidently, excellent taste to go with their view of the lake.

The Middle East: Silks and Timepieces 

A Palestinian wool taqsireh with silk embroidery, dating to the early 20th century, sold to a collector in Jerusalem. Pieces like this rarely leave the region, so finding its place there feels like a journey back home.

And in Dubai, a 19th-century American bronze perpetual lighted bank calendar, an oddly charming novelty item that's part calendar, part conversation piece, found a home in one of the most futuristic skylines on Earth. Somewhere in Dubai, a 130-year-old American desk gadget outclasses everything electronic in the room.

Asia: Three Cities, Three Obsessions

A Qing Dynasty silk robe embroidered in the so-called "Forbidden Stitch," a technique reportedly so demanding on the eyes it was restricted to court embroiderers, sold to a buyer in the Ningbo/Beijing area. Let’s just hope their dinner guests are ready when they lay eyes upon it.

In Hong Kong's Mid-Levels, a set of Leitão & Irmão silver tea caddies, made in Portugal between 1887 and 1937, found a buyer who appreciated old-world silver craftsmanship and took them about as far from Lisbon as they could go.

A 19th-century Chinese lacquered tabouret sold to a collector in Mumbai, a small table that started its life in one ancient trading culture and ended up furnishing a home in another, by way of an auction house in Ohio. It’s exactly the kind of detour that makes auctions so interesting.

Oceania: Distance Doesn’t Matter

Down under in Kepnock, Queensland, a signed 1985 monotype by Bruce Weinberg found a buyer who clearly wouldn't let geography get between them and what they wanted.

Central America: For the Film Fanatic

One Kodascope Model B 16mm film projector, a genuine piece of early American cinema history, found its way to Mexico City. It’s now presumably in the hands of someone who appreciates film history in its most literal, mechanical form.

Why This Actually Matters

None of this happens by accident, and it isn't really about frequent-flyer miles. It's about what a global buyer pool does to a final hammer price. A piece that only reaches local interest sells for what one room is willing to pay. A piece that gets noticed in Paris, Dubai, Mexico City, and Queensland in one auction sells for what the single most motivated buyer on Earth is willing to pay. That's how competitive bidding actually works: the wider the pool, the higher the ceiling.

So, that’s the case for consignors weighing where to sell a genuinely good piece. It isn't sentimental; it's math. And these pieces were sold through the same online bidding process available to anyone with an internet connection. Every one was professionally packed and shipped to its buyer afterward, whether it had to travel two miles or across two oceans. If you're sitting on something you suspect belongs on a similar list, we'd like to hear about it. Contact Gray’s Auctioneers today to learn about our free valuations.

FAQs

Does Gray's Auctioneers really sell to buyers outside the United States?

Yes, in the last two years, Gray's has sold to collectors in 23 countries across five continents, spanning fine art, jewelry, textiles, and antiques. Over the course of our twenty years in business we have sold art, furniture and decor to buyers in over 80 countries across the globe.

How do international buyers bid on and receive items from a Gray's auction?

International buyers bid through the same online platform as domestic buyers, and Gray's professionally packs and ships winning lots to the buyer's location after the sale.

Does selling to a global buyer pool actually result in a better price at auction?

A wider pool of interested bidders means more competition for a given piece, and competitive bidding tends to push the final price higher than a purely local audience would.