I often have the sad task of emptying people’s homes following a bereavement and every object has a story to tell.
It is a difficult job and I often become emotional. These articles form a part of people’s lives and need treating with respect. I recently bought some medals from the First World War and found the recipient had been killed in action. The medals were accompanied by letters sent home to the soldier’s family and were very sad to read.
When clearing out homes, I advise people to wait a little while and consider things properly before rushing in and selling the whole house contents. There are plenty of rogues who will take advantage of vulnerable people and offer next to nothing.
I will always call out and give written valuations free of charge and without obligation, whether this be for a single item or a complete home. I am often posed the question by customers – will their item realise more by going to auction?
There are many downsides of taking your items to auction, not least the commission you pay, plus VAT which works out at around 20%. What most people don’t realise is that there is normally a buyer’s premium too for about 20%. Obviously if the buyer reduces their bid to take this into account, that means the seller only receives approximately 60% of the price achieved. It is always a gamble selling at auction. I personally don’t buy from auctions as I begrudge paying the exorbitant fees.
You are always better off selling to a reputable dealer. I will qualify this though by saying very valuable items are sometimes too specialist for small antique shops such as mine and do require sending to a specialist auction, but I would always give advice about this if that were the case.
We are always looking for any old coins, medals, toys, jewellery, rustic garden items, old galvanized buckets, advertising items, railway memorabilia, miner’s lamps – in fact anything old, quirky or unusual! Even after all these years in the business, it is still hard to figure out sometimes what sells and what doesn’t. I sometimes buy things that I think will sell straight away but then still have them a year later, and sometimes I buy an item that I think won’t sell easily and the next day it’s gone. Such is the nature of the business. I always say though that every item in the shop will have a home – it is just waiting for the right person to see it!
If you do have any antiques or collectables that you no longer want, or belonged to a loved one who is no longer with you, then please feel free to pop into the shop or give us a call.
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