Reference Library – How To Guide

Brompton’s Reference Library is a vast resource of information, containing over 50,000 auction results, thousands of instrument photographs, articles and biographies. This guide aims to illustrate how best to search and filter the information to ensure you find the results.

Login to gain free access to all content

Your access to the Reference Library is completely free, however we do ask you to login to view the auction results.
Login or create an account using the links top right of this page.

Start with a surname

Begin your search by entering a makers Surname into the search box.

Tip: If you’re uncertain of the spelling, enter the first three or four letters to refine your search.

Search Results

If your search returns an exact match you will be taken to a page containing a list of makers with that Surname. From here you can further narrow your search by selecting a specific maker or view an overview of the information attributed to that Surname. If your search term is broad and returns multiple Surname possibilities, you will be prompted to choose a Surname from the list.

Exact Match Example: Search ‘Degani‘
Broad Search Example: Search ‘Stra‘

Maker Pages

Each Maker has a page giving an overview of information attributed to them. Where Makers have a large volume of information, click the ‘View/Filter’ buttons – this will increase your ability to refine and reorder the information.

Tip 1: If you know what you’re looking for, use the ‘Jump To’ icons to quickly navigate to the information you want.
Tip 2: If the Surname is attributed to multiple Makers, use the ‘Navigate Makers’ arrows to navigate between Maker pages.

Example: Search ‘Gagliano’

Refine and reorder information

The Reference Library contains 4 main sections; Auction Results, Photography, Articles and Biographies, all attributed to Instrument Makers. Within each of these sections you have powerful search, filter and reordering functionality that can be found in the top right of the page.

Tip: If you are searching for auction results ‘By’ a specific maker, always search within the ‘Instrument Makers’ area first. Find the Makers page, then click ‘View/Filter auction results’.
Why search by Maker first? To allow you to find very specific information the search box within Auction Results will return results with any mention of a maker name (not just By that maker). Thus searching via the Instrument Makers area will return more specific results if you are searching for instruments ‘By’ a maker.

Example: Search Instrument Makers for ‘Sartory’. Below the Auction Results, click on the ‘View/Filter Button’ to view the full list of auction results. Now repeat this search directly within the Auction Results area – notice how the results differ. You are now seeing results with any mention of that Maker.

Powerful search tools

From within the Auction results area you can use the Search, Filter and Order options (top right) to reorder by price, filter by auction house and many more criteria.  Used in combination, this functionality can yield fruitful rewards.