Lawsons

Biography

James R. Lawson Senior established himself as the leading auctioneer in Sydney during the 1870s when Sydney was a bustling market town, thronging with new immigrants full of pioneering opportunities in a new world city. Communications between Sydney and Melbourne were strengthened with the installation of the telephone link in 1884. In those days everything from groceries such as tea and salt, through to sailing ships were sold by public auction often on the wharfs. James R. Lawson was well known in his day as the leading auctioneer in Sydney and he also had a reputation as a great raconteur and the best dressed auctioneer in town.

Into the c20th century the family-owned company of Lawsons sold many of the finest collections at Sydney's gracious homes including on site auctions at Toft Monks and Notable collections sold include the Burdekin House sale in 1922, the Norman Sheuruck collection in 1963, the Sim Rubensohn collection at Kelvin Lodge in 1973 and the Lloyd Jones collection at Rosemont Woollahra in 1981.

RECENT YEARS In September 2001, the Menzies Group of Companies acquired the historic Sydney auction house. The company with over 140 years of unbroken auction history handling a wide range of property from domestic and general chattels through to the upper end of the market for Australian and International Art, Antique Furniture, Fine Wine, Jewellery, Decorative Arts and prestigious Home Contents Auctions and Single Vendor Collections.

Into the 21st century Lawsons goes from strength to strength with traditional sales handling 'The Collection of Amanda Finley and Sir Peter and Lady Finley' in Point Piper in April 2003, 'The Estate of the late Dr. Geoffrey Davis' at the Abbey, Annandale in 2009, 'The Estate of the late, the Honourable Roderick Pitt Meagher, A.O. Q.C' in Darling Point in 2011 and The Vizard Foundation Collection of Important Australian Silver and Gold in April 2012 achieving record prices for a colonial gold trophy cup and early goldfields jewellery and the Fairfax collection of Important Tribal art and Books in Nov 2019.

As leaders in the development and adaptation of new technology and creative use of the online sales platform, Lawsons continues to be entrusted to handle a large volume of estates and many single vendor collections in both live and timed formats, notably in recent years for Baz Luhrmann, Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Roxy Jacenko, Kamahl, Alan Jones to name but a few.

The auction landscape is ever changing however With over 140 Years under our Belt, the pioneering spirit remains the same in our approach to both substance and style.