Our History

Welcome to Ivey-Selkirk

Since 1830, Ivey-Selkirk Auctioneers has been a Saint Louis tradition with the personal attention that you expect from a family-owned company. With six internationally recognized auctions annually and locally advertised auctions monthly, Ivey-Selkirk offers traditional 18th & 19th century fine art and antiques, 20th century Moderne Design works, fine jewelry, automobiles, decorative arts, and collectibles. Our professional staff provides complimentary verbal appraisals for auction sale purposes and will prepare formal written appraisals for fair-market evaluations and estate tax purposes. We offer entire estate collections as well as single item consignments. What have you that we may sell?

A growing company with a proud past, Ivey-Selkirk Auctioneers has remained a welcome part of its local community since the Selkirk family opened its doors in the early 19th century. Formerly in the fashionable Gas-Light Square district, Ben J. Selkirk & Sons offered weekly gallery dispersals of residential contents. Through the family's six generations, Selkirk's became the region's largest auction house and began developing an international name for itself. In 1998, Bruce Selkirk retired from the industry and sold the business to the London-based auction firm, Phillips. Phillips merged with de Pury & Luxembourg the following year and decided to search for local ownership of the Saint Louis saleroom. In 2001, Selkirk's favorably became a locally owned auction house, again, as Ivey-Selkirk Auctioneers.

Our President and owner, Malcolm F. Ivey, has twenty years of experience in the auction industry and his involvement with Selkirk's has come full-circle. Formerly the Vice-President of Selkirk's, Ivey left the business in 1985 and pursued a career in the banking industry, administering personal trusts. He returned fifteen years later for Phillips as managing director of their newly acquired Saint Louis saleroom. Ivey seized the opportunity to purchase the company in 2002, and has since returned it to its roots as a family-owned and operated auction firm, grounded in its personal attention, and focused on the future.

As the second oldest auction house in the United States, Ivey-Selkirk has established a reputation for its international exposure with mid-western sensibilities. With the availability of the internet, clients and collectors the world over can easily participate in any of our auctions. No longer are we confined by geographical constraints or lack of accessibility. With one location the world is at our doorstep. When choosing the right place for consignments or buying, choose the personal, professional family at Ivey-Selkirk Auctioneers.

We hope to see you at Auction!