The patriarch of Briggs Auction parlayed a furniture delivery service in the 1920s in West Philadelphia, to a full-service Estate auction in the suburbs in 1932 where it remains today. He started by offering two auctions each week: livestock on Tuesdays and other household merchandise on Fridays.

In the 1960s, Robert J. Briggs took over the business from his father. The Tuesday livestock auctions were abandoned, and together with his wife Gail, he expanded the auction facilities to their current size of over 10,000 square feet. With “Bob” and Gail the heart of the operation, they turned the Friday evening auctions into a successful and growing operation with a devoted customer base.

Our third generation began in the late 1990s as Janice, John and Bill expanded and streamlined the live auction experience, making each Friday night at Briggs Auction an event, with two auction rings and more than 1000 lots of Estate merchandise sold every week. In 2019, they transitioned the business to online bidding to better serve both their bidders and consignors.

Stephen R. Turner, great-grandson of William J. Briggs, took over the business at the end of 2020 along with his wife, Stephanie Germana. They are dedicated to strengthening and maintaining the rich tradition begun nearly 100 years ago, by offering high-quality merchandise to our customers, personalized service to our consignors, continuously attracting new bidders, and staying current with contemporary trends and aesthetics.