Strauss & co - 15 March 2010, Cape Town

209  1.12 ‘private treaty’ means the sale of any lot other than by auction sale at a price privately agreed on by the buyer and seller;  1.13 ‘purchase price’ means the hammer price of any lot at a sale thereof, plus the applicable buyer’s premium for that lot, plus all recoverable expenses for which the buyer is liable in respect of that lot;  1.14 ‘recoverable expenses’ includes all fees, taxes (including VAT), charges and expenses incurred by Strauss & Co in relation to any lot that Strauss & Co is entitled to recover from a buyer or seller;  1.15 ‘reserve’ means the confidential minimum hammer price (if any) at which a lot may be sold at an auction as agreed between the seller of that lot and Strauss & Co in writing;  1.16 ‘sale proceeds’ means the amount due by Strauss & Co to the seller of a lot in respect of the sale of that lot, made up of the hammer price of the lot, less the applicable seller’s commission for that lot, less all recoverable expenses for which the seller is liable in respect of that lot and any other amounts due to Strauss & Co by the seller in whatever capacity and howsoever arising;  1.17 ‘sale’ means the sale of any lot at an auction, whether done by private treaty or auction sale, and ‘sell’ and ‘sold’ shall have corresponding meanings;  1.18 ‘ seller’ means the person named as the seller of any lot, being the person that offers the lot for sale;  1.19 ‘seller’s commission’ means the commission payable by the seller to Strauss & Co on the sale of a lot that is calculated on the hammer price of that lot at the relevant current rate; and  1.20 ‘VAT’ means value added tax levied in terms of the Value Added Tax Act, 1991. 2 CONDITIONS MAINLY CONCERNING BUYERS 2.1 The buyer   2.1.1 Any dispute of whatever nature about any bid or about the identity of the buyer (including without limitation any dispute about the validity of any bid, or whether a bid has been made, or any dispute between two or more bidders or between the auctioneer and one or more bidders) shall be determined at the auctioneer’s absolute discretion.   2.1.2 Every bidder shall be deemed to act as principal unless, prior to the commencement of any auction, Strauss & Co provides a written acknowledgement that a particular bidder is acting on behalf of a third party.   2.1.3 All bidders wishing to make bids or offers in respect of any lot must complete a registration form prior to that lot being offered for sale, which registration form will include an acknowledgement by the bidder that he is acquainted with and bound by these general conditions of business. Bidders shall be personally liable for their bids and offers made during any auction and shall be jointly and severally liable with their principals if acting as agent.   2.1.4 Bidders are advised to attend any auction at which a lot is to be sold by auction sale, but Strauss & Co will endeavour to execute absentee written bids and/or telephone bids, provided they are, in Strauss & Co’s absolute discretion, received in sufficient time and in legible form. When bids are placed by telephone before an auction they are accepted at the sender’s risk and must, if so requested by Strauss & Co, be confirmed in writing to Strauss & Co before commencement of the auction. Persons wishing to bid by telephone during the course of an auction must make proper arrangement with Strauss & Co in connection with such telephonic bids at least twenty hours before the commencement of the auction. As telephone bids cannot be entirely free from risk of communication breakdown, Strauss & Co will not be responsible for losses arising from missed bids. Telephone bidding may be recorded and all bidders consent to such recording. 2.2 Examination of lots   2.2.1 It is the responsibility of all prospective buyers to examine and satisfy themselves as to the condition of each lot prior to the auction, and that the lot matches any oral or written description provided by the seller and/or Strauss & Co. All illustrations of a lot in any catalogue are intended merely as guidance for bidders and do not provide definitive information as to colours, patterns or damage to any lot.   2.2.2 Strauss & Co shall not be liable for any error, misstatement or omission in the description of a lot (whether in any catalogue or otherwise), unless Strauss & Co, its employees or agents, engaged in intentional misleading or deceptive conduct.   2.2.3 In bidding for any lot, all bidders confirm that they have not been induced to make any bid or offer by any representation of the seller or Strauss & Co. 2.3 Exclusions and limitations of liability to buyers   2.3.1 If a lot sold to a buyer proves to be a forgery (which will only be the case if an expert appointed by Strauss & Co for such purpose confirms same in writing), the buyer may (as his sole remedy hereunder or at law) return the lot to Strauss & Co within three hundred and sixty five days of the date of the sale of that lot in the same condition in which it was as at the date of sale, together with a written statement by the buyer detailing the defects to the lot, the date of the sale and the number of the lot. Should Strauss & Co be satisfied in its absolute discretion that the lot is a forgery and that the buyer is capable of transferring good and marketable title to the lot to a third party purchaser thereof, free from any encumbrances and other third party claims, the sale of that lot shall be set aside and the hammer price of that lot shall be refunded to the buyer, provided that the buyer