The specialist collector's auctioneer rises

WHEN it comes to auctions, Christie's and Sotheby's are the big names - at least until one tries to buy that rare single malt whisky, vintage Aston Martin or Leica camera.

Specialist collectors are likely to put Bonhams at the top of their watch list. The London-based auctioneer, which opened its Singapore office in February amid a burgeoning Asian collectors' market, is setting the pace in the specialists' market, said its Singapore director Bernadette Rankine.

She said: "Last year, Bonhams achieved a host of new world records, with a series of art records in London, Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Sydney, San Francisco and Los Angeles. World records were achieved for old-master paintings, jewellery, Russian art, Indian and Islamic art, Chinese art, contemporary African art and collectors' cars."