There’s a group of friends in Joburg with a WhatsApp chat devoted to auctions – mainly to keep everyone apprised of who’s bidding on what and, crucially, to ensure they don’t end up pushing prices up by competing with one another. Michael Varney is one of its members.
“In the post-Covid era, live or in-person auctions have mostly diminished, and in the last couple of years online auction hunting has become a competitive sport of sorts,” says Varney. “Never before have we had a catalogue of old and new furniture and collectable trinkets at our fingertips without having to wade through the ever‑declining number of dusty second‑hand and antique shops.”
One of his main hunting grounds is Russell Kaplan Auctioneers (RKA). No surprise then that we spotted him at the brand’s new Wunderkammer showroom when it opened a couple of weeks ago in Ferndale, Randburg.
The pictures of the event look like something from an elegant gallery opening or a glamorous home filled with fine art and furniture. They also illustrate that this isn’t your typical auction house. The immersive space – on the corner of Republic Road and Oak Avenue – is part gallery, part curated department store and, behind the scenes, a very busy operation.
Items are displayed across this vast, multi‑storey space in a way that feels lived-in. Contemporary paintings and prints hang in a crisp white gallery; books line the shelves of a cosy library; jewellery sparkles in a boutique‑like corner; traditional portraits sit among heavily decorated velvet chairs; and mid‑century furniture is arranged in beautifully styled clusters. A visit offers a jolt of glorious, instant time travel.
The auction house, whose sales are now held completely online, specialises in South African and international fine art, antiques and luxury items. Founder Russell Kaplan began trading in the 1980s at Joburg flea markets while studying design. After years of running shops and stalls, including one on Rockey Street in Yeoville, he hosted his first formal auction in 2002.
From flea markets to 7,000‑lot sales
Since then, RKA has become a fixture on the South African art and antiques scene. The Currency team unashamedly loves an auction, and we’ve long been fans of RKA – following the company across the City of Gold as it’s grown and expanded into larger spaces. There’s nothing better than an auction viewing evening, glass of wine in hand, browsing the pieces until you spot that one item you simply must have (and are prepared to devote a couple of exhilarating minutes to during the online bidding).
We popped in for a walkabout through the impressive new showroom and the remarkable pieces that were on offer in the inaugural auction – joined by Kaplan and Alex Horsler, head of the RKA art department.
That sale ran from July 17-27, with new lots up for bidding each day, ranging from 19th‑century taxidermy to exquisite ceramics watches, designer bags and shoes. “There is growing demand for vintage and unique items that can be creatively incorporated into modern décor,” says Kaplan.
To give you a sense of scale, this recent sale – RKA’s biggest yet – featured an astonishing 7,200 lots and drew thousands of registered buyers.
According to Kaplan and Horsler, this included “a diverse buyer base of regular, older, wealthier buyers, a growing younger market, and a good racial mix”, which they attribute to “having something for everyone”. Kaplan adds that auctions like these are gaining popularity because “there’s definitely a turn back to vintage things – they’re just better quality”.
That said, as a business, RKA has become more selective in what it accepts, focusing on higher‑quality and more valuable pieces. “The way the store is curated shows you things you’d never expect to work together. And yet, strangely, they do,” says Kaplan.
The recent sale also showed some interesting market trends. As Horsler puts it: “Furniture sales were incredibly strong, which suggests a stronger economy where people are buying and furnishing homes – with buyers in the Cape leading the charge.”
They also noticed a strong uptick in hammer prices for elaborate French and European antiques. An 18th‑century Russian card table with elaborate marquetry sold for R160,000. “Silverware was also incredibly strong – in line with the value of precious metals and then some,” Horsler adds.
For anyone sad to have missed this last auction, don’t fret – the Russell Kaplan team is already hard at work on the next one. As Kaplan says: “The last auction ended on a Sunday night. We did the billing on Monday morning, and then on Tuesday we did collections for all the successful buyers. That ran until the end of the week. Then we started doing intakes and collections for the next auction.”
The RKA Spring Wunderkammer Sale is set to take place from September 18-28 2025.
Some tips from Michael Varney if you’re keen to give this world a whirl
- Always view any items you plan to bid on – photos can be deceiving and the voetstoots rule usually applies.
- Remember to include the buyer’s commission in your calculations; this generally sits at about 20% and is over and above the hammer price.
- Set up a WhatsApp group with friends who also bid online so you can share items in advance – you’d be amazed how often friends end up bidding against each other.
- The online platforms allow you to “pre‑bid” or “watch” items. Pre‑bidding usually drives the price up early; if you “watch” an item, you’ll be notified when the lot comes up and can start bidding from a lower base.
- My favourite auction houses for variety, quality and honesty are Russell Kaplan and Westgate Walding.
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The actions at Russell Kaplan Auctioneers are masterpieces – I for one, never knew, for example, that so many people owned Lalique in South Africa. For the same price as a new mass-manufactured item, you can buy excellent quality, superior pieces that no one else will have in their homes. Love auctions!