We provide formal written valuations for probate, insurance, and family-division purposes — and informal "have a look" appraisals for the merely curious.
Book a Valuation
The amount it would cost to replace each piece at retail — typically higher than auction or trade values.
Required by most insurers for items over £1,500. Updated every three years.
Fair-market value as of the date of death, suitable for submission to HMRC.
We work directly with executors and solicitors. Discreet, prompt, and signed by hand.
Equal-value distribution across heirs. The valuation that no one entirely loves but everyone can accept.
We do our best to be the bearer of fair news, not unwelcome news.
A "what is this, roughly?" conversation, in the shop or by post. No paperwork.
Free for items you may wish to sell to us. £20 per visit otherwise — donated to the Dunkeld Cathedral fund.
Formal written valuations are charged at £75 per hour, with most single-piece appraisals taking under two hours. Whole-collection probate work is usually a flat-fee arrangement, agreed in writing before we start.
We are deliberately not paid a percentage of the assessed value. That way, the valuation is the same whether we end up buying the collection ourselves or not.
"Honest, methodical, and gentle with my mother's things. I cannot recommend Iain highly enough."— Helen B., Edinburgh