In Scotland a special procedure is followed in an estate is under £30,000 gross. The legal term for this size of estate is a small estate. For estates that exceed this value this involves, in intestate cases, a petition to the court for appointment of an ‘executor dative’. Presentation (inventory of estate and petition) is rarely made by personal application; instead it is presented by a solicitor or a licensed executing practitioner. Read more [...]

The composition of brass, on average, is 65 percent copper, 30 percent zinc, and 5 percent other minerals. Like any other material, when brass is exposed to air it develops a surface patina or tarnish. When first made, furniture brasses are polished bright and then shellacked. This is how bronze-fitted furniture is intended to look. Originally this shellac-based finish, used for all brasses, kept the brass appearing polished. Read more [...]

There are many different types of antiques and one very popular form of antiques for collecting is sculpture. Sculptures are defined in many different ways and can be made from a huge variety of properties including marble, wood, metal, precious metal and ivory to name just a few. The fascination for sculpture and statues began in ancient Egypt where the Egyptians were famous for elaborate carvings and mouldings usually consisting of metals such as Gold and with precious stones and jewellery embedded into them. Read more [...]

Most people might be aware that sellers usually have to pay a premium to an auctioneer when they put items up for sale. Inexperienced buyers may not know that many, probably most, auctioneers charge a buyer’s premium as well, which can be as high as 25 percent. That’s an additional charge on top of the hammer price, which is the amount that an item is sold for during the actual auction. And that’s not all. Some auctioneers in the UK add VAT at 20 percent not just to the hammer price, but to the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium. Read more [...]

Perhaps you’ve inherited an antique that you think may be valuable, or you may have seen something at an antiques market, but you’re not sure if the asking price is right. How do you go about determining what the true value of an antique object is? In fact there’s no easy answer, since valuing an antique is not an exact science. But there are a few points to bear in mind. Read more [...]

Appraising antiques tends to be an art rather than a science. However, there’s no doubt there are facts about dates, provenance and condition of an object that can be pinned down. What’s difficult about appraising the value of an antique is predicting the behaviour of the market. Today’s high value object can become tomorrow’s bargain bin item, and vice versa. On the whole, unless you’re a very keen and experienced amateur who’s prepared to put in the research, appraising antiques is best left to the professionals. Read more [...]

Weathervanes, or weathercocks as they’re often called, date back to Roman times, and perhaps earlier. It was during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that weathervanes started to become more highly decorated with a wide range of forms used including ships, horses and peacocks. Read more [...]

When it comes to cleaning antique jewellery, whether it’s a piece made in gold or silver, or an item set with precious stones, the first piece of advice is to proceed with extreme caution. Definitely don’t use any materials or creams which contain an abrasive. Read more [...]

The following antique vintage photograph was acquired during a house clearance & unwanted by the families or owners of the properties cleared. RMS Queen Mary Facts/History The RMS Queen Mary, a colossal ship that was bigger, faster and more powerful than the Titanic. The construction Read more [...]

An antique rug or carpet can make a beautiful addition to your home when placed on a wooden floor; some people have made businesses out of collecting, buying and selling antique rugs with Persian and oriental some of the most popular rugs and carpets among collectors of antiques today. However when it comes to getting in the antique rug collecting business then buying and acquiring your first pieces can be a little stressful not to mention costly, here are some hints on what to look for when making those purchases. Read more [...]