Antiques
Valuing antiques before a house clearance: a checklist
House clearance firms are paid to clear, not to value. This checklist covers the items routinely worth thousands that get binned by mistake.
Why this matters
Standard house clearance firms charge £400-£1500 to empty a property. Most do not employ specialist valuers. Anything they don't recognise as obviously valuable goes in the van — and into general auction or the tip. Spending half a day separating the genuinely valuable items first routinely recovers ten times the clearance fee.
The kitchen and dining room
Sterling silver (look for hallmarks — a lion passant means .925). Cutlery sets, candlesticks, salvers, photo frames.
Glass: cut crystal decanters, signed glass (Lalique, Whitefriars).
Cookware: copper pans, large Le Creuset, Aga accessories — secondhand market is strong.
The bedroom and dressing table
Jewellery boxes: even the costume drawer can hide gold chains, sovereigns mounted as pendants, and silver brooches.
Watches: anything mechanical, even broken — Rolex, Omega, Longines, Smiths, Cartier. Quartz watches are usually low value with a few exceptions.
Fountain pens: Parker Duofold, Mont Blanc, Conway Stewart, Onoto.
The study, attic and garage
Coins and banknotes — biscuit tins, drawers, old filing boxes. See our inherited collection guide.
Stamps: Victorian and Edwardian albums occasionally hide significant rarities.
Militaria: medals (especially named WWI/WWII groups), edged weapons, German items.
Toys and trains: Hornby, Dinky, Corgi, Britains lead figures, pre-1980 Lego in original boxes.
The art on the walls
Don't assume oils are valuable and prints aren't. Signed limited-edition prints by listed artists routinely outsell unsigned amateur oils. Photograph everything before clearance and have it reviewed.
Get one specialist visit before the clearance van
An hour with a specialist before clearance day is the cheapest insurance there is. We offer this across South West London and Surrey — see our house clearance page for how it works.
Free Valuation
Have something to sell or value?
Single items or whole collections - any considered. Free, no-obligation valuations. Fast service, same-day offers and immediate payment by cash or bank transfer.