OK tricky – I was hoping we were talking about a major city. There are a couple of auction houses in Canberra – afraid I know nothing about them. But definitely worth checking out. We have a house in the Highlands – although there are a couple of firms which conduct auctions occasionally, I wouldn’t be going down that path. Of course there are very reputable dealers in both places who could value the collection for them – but to what end? I assume sale is the desired outcome. Hopefully we are talking about items that are pre WW2 or older. Any auction house who regularly deals in antiques / collectables / vintage should be able to value the items for auction – but if your friend decides NOT to go to auction with them, they should be prepared to pay for their time – make enquiries before hand.
I go to auctions most weekends, buy often and sell sometimes through auction houses; in my opinion there is no value in shopping around with auction houses. It is not in an auction house’s advantage to down play a collection’s value – after all, they are hoping to sell it and get the commission. However if your friend is some distance away from auction houses (for example those in Canberra) it may be difficult to persuade someone to come and look at them. Could they be packed up and transported for valuation? There will be some difference in commission charged for sellers but probably not a great deal. I sell ceramics on eBay and it is difficult; I presume these items are in very good condition (display cabinet?) but there is still all the photography, packing and posting – not easy. Almost every auction house has on-line bidding these days, which means that anything truly rare, truly desirable is on view to the world.
Sadly at auction every week I see whole collections of “fine china” – Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Lladro, Royal Crown Derby, Royal Worcester etc - sell for very modest prices. The age bracket who appreciated and collected these items is selling up for various reasons (and also sadly dying) and there is no younger collector base to pick up the baton. Also the advent of the Internet has well and truly demonstrated that rare / limited edition items that were once thought to be VERY limited are actually available to those who want them. Where people once bought from at a premium from antique dealers because “we may never see another one”, they now realise that “never” may be next week. Of course truly unique and valuable pieces will always attract good prices, and particular styles can be “fashionable”, just from a decorator standpoint. I hope it is not the case but your friend may have to take a realistic deep breath over what their collection is worth. I wish them luck.
