He has stuff. You have collections. I have treasures.
These are sometimes the comparisons that come to mind when people talk about the things they accumulate in the course of busy lives.
What those things are called doesn”™t really matter, until it comes time to sell, bequeath, donate, give away or (maybe) discard them. The process of transitioning material possessions to their next owners has a fancy name in museum-speak ”“ deaccessioning. For the rest of us, it means deciding what”™s what and who gets it.
People often dread this process, because it can be time-consuming, emotionally difficult and physically challenging. But it doesn”™t have to be that way. Moving possessions, even much-loved ones, to new homes can be liberating, educational and even financially rewarding.
The first step to a smooth process is to find out what you have and what it”™s worth. This is best accomplished with the help of experts who are both objective and market-savvy. That support is most readily achieved with the assistance of a full-service auction house with an international presence.
Sold for $10,000 at Bonhams Skinner.
One such resource close at hand is Bonhams Skinner. Part of the global Bonhams network, Bonhams Skinner, the New England auction house, has representatives throughout the area as well as a robust online presence. This auction house is large enough to tap into the broadest possible market while offering a high level of personalized attention.
As Bonhams Skinner”™s regional manager Northeast, I”™ve found that often exceptional items are hiding in plain sight in houses that weren”™t homes of “collectors.”
People are sometimes surprised to learn that the value of an object doesn”™t necessarily depend on its age or its rarity. The souvenir rock from a long-ago Grand Canyon adventure is more than antique; it”™s ancient. That handwritten booklet of great-great-great grandfather William”™s sermons is unique. To the owner, their personal associations are priceless. Neither one of these has much monetary value, because there isn”™t any demand for either item.
At the other end of the value spectrum may be a small painting by an obscure artist, hung in a seldom-used bedroom, or an ordinary-looking porcelain dish most recently used for feeding the cat. An experienced appraiser on a house call is especially attuned to spot outliers, unrecognized items that in the international market could achieve a previously undreamt-of price.
The moral here: Know before you let go. If you”™re considering getting rid of his stuff, their collections or your treasures, consult an expert. Because you never know. But Bonhams Skinner does.
For more, contact Katie at Katie.Whittle@bonhamsskinner.com or 212-787-1114.
