01/07/2026 General News
One of the most upsetting aspects of bereavement can be the task of sorting through the belongings of the person who has passed away, writes Tim Blyth.
Sadly, alongside the emotional toll this can take, there is also a practical and legal issue at play, especially for the executor who has been tasked with ensuring that the wishes of the deceased are followed when it comes to inheritance.
Such situations usually coincide with times of acute stress in people’s lives, dealing with family bereavement being recognised as one of the most stressful challenges we will face. Because of this it is easy to overlook something which might not be immediately visible to the untrained eye, or to take the path of least hassle and engage the services of a house clearance company.
But there is a real danger that in doing so items of real value can be overlooked, with the result that either those involved (or loved ones) may miss out or, potentially more seriously, those responsible for executing probate fail in their duty of care to realise best value for the beneficiaries.
We frequently value items for probate which are worth many times more than the relative tasked with sorting out someone’s possessions realise. We are able to do this because we have a team of experts who can provide not advice based on in-depth specialist expertise and years of experience. With the best will in the world, this is not something that your average house clearer can offer.
I recall clearly one such case. We were very stunned to find a beautiful late 19th century Indian silver rose or punch bowl, which we quickly identified as having been made by Oomersi Mawji & Sons.
Mawsi was one of the most celebrated Indian silversmiths of all time. The son of a cobbler, he was born in Gujarat and started his career specialising in leather engravings. By the 1860s he was court silversmith to the Maharaos of Kutch and the Maharajas of Baroda, and with his sons, he was soon selling pieces overseas via branches of the business in Calcutta and Bombay.
After a frenzied bidding battle, the hammer fell at £18,400. Had the executor not consulted us and benefitted from our expertise, it is quite likely that the item would have been sold for its intrinsic metal value, which would have been considerably less.
Of course, not every consignment or property clearance will include such gems. But the point is, if you don’t allow genuine experts to take a look, you will never know, and the chances of missing out are that much higher.
For many people, commissioning a house clearance is about convenience, seen as a process which is first and foremost about resulting in an empty property which can be sold. Unfortunately, too often this results in owners missing out on the true value of the property’s contents, not to mention items which may have been lovingly collected by the late owner being consigned to the skip rather than finding new, appreciative owners.
Spotting items of value requires a range of expertise, whether that is in pictures, jewellery, furniture, or indeed 19th century Indian silver, and realising the full value of those items on the open market is (in my opinion) best undertaken by offering at auction with a professional auction house which can offer the items in the correct sale, to the right market.
Our specialist knowledge is always available, without obligation, at the end of a phone, an email, or via a home visit.