OUR STAFF

The founders of the company both have a long history in the field of collecting. Brett Hammond began as a childhood coin and stamp collector, progressing to trade fairs and specialist auctions where he acquired a wide knowledge of many subject areas.

CEO Brett Hammond FRSA

   More than thirty years ago, as a regular visitor to London's collectors' markets, Brett Hammond formed an interesting collection of ancient British coins and antiquities. He soon progressed to dealing, taking stalls and tables at various venues where he gained a reputation for the variety of his stock, and for his willingness to share his widening knowledge of Celtic, Romano-British, Anglo-Saxon and Viking material. Following a period in the USA in which he witnessed the enthusiasm of collectors for a diverse range of periods and cultures, Brett decided to expand the range of material on offer. He launched TimeLine Originals in the 1990s, seizing the opportunity afforded by rapid progress in digital photography, internet sales and email to create a twenty-four-hour shopping opportunity for clients worldwide.

    By late 2009, the decision was taken to launch TimeLine Auctions with Brett as CEO, in order to expand the opportunities for clients to buy and sell coins and artefacts of all periods and cultures. The first sale took place in March 2010, preceded by online viewing and a high-quality sales catalogue. Subsequent sales have built steadily on the early successes of the venture.

   For the past ten years Brett has been one of the professional UK Treasure valuers who value treasure items found in the UK on behalf of the British Museum and the Treasure Valuation Committee.

  Brett continues to contribute editorial features and articles to a number of periodicals, British and international. He currently has over 120 published articles to his name. He co-authored Wayland's Work and is presently working on The Celtic Iron Age, the fourth volume in his popular British Artefacts series. He has also recently published Benets Third Edition, Benets Roman, and Benets Medieval, his acclaimed illustrated valuation sourcebooks for artefacts found in the United Kingdom. He is the Chairman of the Association of International Antiquities Dealers (AIAD) www.aiad.org.uk. On Brett’s instigation, TimeLine acquired the award-winning Wildwinds.com coin site, a fully-sourced reference website, in order to maintain its status as a free resource for numismatists. Brett is also a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and a member of the Institute of Directors.

DOA Tanja Maijala

    With her knowledge of ancient and modern jewellery and her skills in English, Swedish and her native Finnish, Tanja was engaged to assist with the expansion of the TimeLine brand into the Scandinavian market. Her initial interest in Viking Age artefacts has broadened to the study of a greater range of antiquities, with emphasis on jewellery and decorative items in precious metals.

   TLA’s consignment receiving desk; and subsequent meetings of the Expert Vetting Team, have also drawn Tanja into much greater involvement with organizing and smoothing the work flows of these crucial aspects of every auction. Her roles in assisting with internet sales and customer relations have also expanded. She regularly assists Brett Hammond in the production of articles and books, proofreading the copy; sourcing images, and helping with matters relating to layout and style. She co-ordinates the creation of final artwork and the fine-tuning of texts prior to publication.

COO Aaron Hammond

  In one respect, Aaron has a claim to the status of longest serving employee, because while still a junior schoolboy he joined his father at busy London shows and cut his teeth as a general assistant, applying himself to whatever came up in the course of each exhibition. Enthusiasm paid off with a TimeLine Auctions business apprenticeship offer at seventeen, an opportunity Aaron grasped with both hands. The years spent handling and examining auction lots had already sparked his interest in documenting his own artefact and coin collection. With encouragement from the CEO he joined a small group within the company working on classification of ancient material for TLA catalogues. The outcome of diligent application on that project over three years has resulted in the compiling of Benets Artefacts: Stone Age, Bronze Age and Celtic, 4th Edition, with Aaron Hammond credited as author. A fourth volume of the popular British Artefacts series has also benefited much from his input; and he has additionally published a new book – Discovering Jewellery, A Collector's and Investor's Guide – with Greenlight. Aaron is also currently supplying a series of features to Treasure Hunting magazine. Titles of the features so far published include Coin Jewellery, Pilgrimage Relics, and Ancient Ceramic Oil Lamps.

   After gaining valuable project management experience; and a thorough knowledge of sourcing material and selling it to global clientele via TimeLine Auction’s online services; and of generating well-researched valuations and descriptions for clients and for use in our catalogues, Aaron has recently earned promotion to Chief Operating Officer, reporting directly to our CEO. He now deals primarily with our top clientele, both buyers and sellers, and currently travels throughout Britain and Europe, attending exhibitions, meeting vendors; professionally assessing, valuing, and arranging material for forthcoming auctions. His outgoing, pleasant demeanour and thorough professionalism have enhanced his and our reputation.

CTO Damir Radic

  Damir has extensive experience in management, branding, advertising and marketing. A founding member of TimeLine Auctions, he is responsible for the technological operation of the company, together with the creation and maintenance of the company website and operating systems. An innovator in his field, Damir is responsible for the development of new software and technologies and their application to business models, including bidding platform development. He has recently introduced additional bidding platforms to assist TimeLine's clients in sales participation, and is responsible for our web design and development. He contributes creatively to the company's photography department, while also designing and coordinating the production of our printed catalogues.  

Beyond IT, photography, and emergent technologies, Damir has a passion for vintage sports cars and motorcycles.  His attention to, and appreciation of, fine detail is also reflected in his interest in the field of horology, where he has a keen interest in classic watches.