We give honest values to help you decide what to do with them.
You can of course sell in auction but bear in mind that the auction house does take a commission, which is usually a percentage of the hammer price agreed before sale. Usually 20-30%.
What kind of antique valuation should I get?
The kind of valuation you receive will depend on your purpose – whether it’s for insurance, probate or to sell – and the results will differ accordingly.
Auction valuations give an indication of the price the objects would expect to achieve when sold under the hammer.
A probate valuation is similar to an auction estimate but, whereas auction estimates may tend to be slightly lower in order to attract more buyers, probate valuations on a deceased’s chattels tend to reflect an average price that similar items repeatedly fetch at auction.
Insurance valuations give you more of an idea of what you might expect to pay in the current retail market if you were to replace the item.
Whatever your reason for a valuation, the most important considerations for achieving accurate and reliable information are enlisting a respected specialist and making sure you are able to offer as much information as possible. Valuations go hand in hand with research so the more clues you give to the history of the object, the more in-depth and relevant research the valuer can do for you!
Antique values change over time so consider getting your antiques valued every few years to see how the market is fluctuating – especially important if you’re looking to find an optimal time to sell.
