Claire Tole-Moir
Claire Tole-Moir is Head of the Popular Culture & Science department. Based in London, she manages specialist sales for Popular Culture, Film and Music memorabilia, Instruments of Science and Technology, and other one-of-a-kind collectables with important association.
With over a decade of experience in the auction industry, Claire has been instrumental in steering the department to new heights and has enhanced Bonhams' reputation as a market leader in both categories. Claire's visionary approach ensures that each auction is not just a sale, but a celebration of cultural history.
A Specialist in iconic memorabilia, Claire enjoys working on bespoke projects and collaborations with museums, musicians, film studios, major charities and other notable personalities. Highlights include working with Kate Moss, Chris Levine and Coldplay for Oxfam, Robert Smith of The Cure and Gorillaz for EarthPercent, Annie Lennox for The Circle, Radiohead for In Place of War, Status Quo, New Order, Captain Sensible of The Damned, and The Big Issue – to name a few. In 2020, Claire hosted The BAFTA at Bonhams sale raising £100,000 for the charity during the Covid pandemic. Most recently, she was involved in the successful sale of Netflix's series The Crown which totalled £1.7 million and benefited the National Film & Television School.
Claire has handled important celebrity guitars from music legends such as George Harrison, Jeff Beck, Ian Curtis, Francis Rossi, and Eddie Van Halen, and worked on renowned single-owner collections, bringing pieces from private celebrity archives to the public eye, such as: The Gary Moore Collection, The Ian Macmillan 'Abbey Road' Archive, The K.K. Downing/Judas Priest Collection, Live In Session: The John Peel Archive, Man of The World: The Peter Green Collection, and Rowland Emett's 'Cloud Cuckoo Valley' masterpiece – which she sold to the National Railway Museum for a six-figure sum.
Since 2017, Claire has worked closely with the Pop Culture team in the USA, providing her with knowledge of the international market. USA highlights include the Abbey Road Studios/Pink Floyd recording console sold for $1.8 million, and the unforgettable Robby the Robot from MGM's 'Forbidden Planet', which sold for $5.3 million – which was the world record for a piece of film memorabilia at auction from 2017-2024.
Outside of Bonhams, Claire is part of the expert team on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow. Before joining Bonhams in 2014, Claire worked for the important collector, the Late Lord Ballyedmond. She graduated with a BA in Art History from the University of Nottingham in 2012.
