1. Are all the items shown on-line available for sale?
Yes. The website is updated daily - so every item shown is available.
2. Can I know the price of a particular item or items?
Yes, please use the contact form provided (there is a link to this on each item's webpage), or send an e-mail to mb@michaelbackmanltd.com with your
request. It's no trouble to supply information about prices.
3. Can I have a condition report on an item?
Yes. Please send an e-mail to mb@michaelbackmanltd.com specifying the inventory number(s) and requesting a condition report.
4. Can you deliver items?
Our customers are from around the world. Principally we sell to collectors and museums in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, China,
Singapore & Malaysia.
Typically we use private couriers to send items to our customers. This means that a tracking number will be available and the item will reach most destinations
within a week.
US antiques declarations forms always are completed in respect of antiques shipments going to our clients in the United States so that our US customers will
not be liable for US customs duty under US law.
All items are sent with full insurance.
5. How do I pay for items?
We accept credit cards (MasterCard & Visa) but not American Express.
Bank transfers are another option, particularly for larger sums.
We do not accept Paypal.
Being in the UK, we must charge in pounds sterling. We are happy to quote a US dollar equivalent or any other currency equivalent, but ultimately the amount
charged will be in pounds sterling.
6. Do you guarantee your items?
Yes. A full refund will be given if an object is not as described. Our reputation is very important so we take great care when we research our items. We operate
from gallery premises in the heart of central London, and we have sold in the last 12 months to museums worldwide including in the United States, England,
France and Australia. We have a website but our business is much more than that.
7. Is the Gallery open on weekends?
The Gallery is open on weekends and evenings by appointment only.
8. How can I keep track of the new items that you have in stock?
We acquire many new items each month. Once these items are researched and photographed they are added to our website once a month. We send out an
alert to our clients the same day that the month's new items are added to the website. If you wish to receive these alerts then please click here. (Your details
will never be disclosed to third parties.) These alerts or newsletters are sent out worldwide to our clients in dozens if different countries.
9. From where do you acquire your stock?
Most new clients are surprised to discover that almost none of our stock is sourced from Asia. Almost all of it comes from the UK and some of it from Europe
and the US. There are several reasons for this. One reason is that increasingly there is little in India, China, Southeast Asia and elsewhere in Asia to buy. And
when it does appear, the provenance might be questionable. So too might be the authenticity. Another problem is that items might be authentic but they have
been significantly modified. Our priority is to find items that are genuine. Fortunately, due to the colonial era, we have found that the best place to acquire
Asian and Islamic antiques is from private sources in the UK rather than Asia. Items acquired this way often can be traced back to families who had forebears
who served in the colonial administrations or similar in say Asia and the Middle East. Often the items have been well cared for and away from excessive
humidity. It is for this reason that not only do private collectors in India, China and Southeast Asia buy from us but also antiques dealers. For example,
increasingly we sell Indian antiques to dealers based in India who have found that the source of Indian antiques is drying up locally and that the UK is a
reliable source of genuine Indian antiques.