Recognising a valuable item before a clearance in Brussels

The reflex to adopt: show it rather than decide alone

The most useful rule remains the simplest: when in doubt, don't throw anything away before our visit. Many items that seem ordinary at first glance — an old picture frame, a box of cutlery, a box of bound books — can be genuinely interesting to someone who knows where to look. It is not up to you to decide alone before the job: the final sorting, including for potentially valuable items, happens anyway during our visit, before any removal.

In which situations is it worth checking an item?

The question mainly arises in certain specific contexts. After a death, a house clearance often involves a property occupied for several decades, where items have not been reassessed in a long time — see also our article on sharing furniture between heirs. A house clearance service before a sale, clearing out an apartment at the end of a lease, or a cellar, attic or garage clearance are other situations where forgotten pieces frequently turn up: a drawer full of jewellery, an old bookcase, furniture stored away for years. In every case, examining items is part of the planned visit, with no separate process.

The concrete criteria to look for

Without being an expert, you can spot for yourself the items worth showing us before a clearance. Here are the elements that, in practice, most often guide our examination:

• Apparent age: a piece of furniture or item that is clearly old is worth mentioning, even if it doesn't look “beautiful” to you
• Material: solid wood, silver, brass, crystal or porcelain generally have more potential than plastic or chipboard
• Marks and signatures: a hallmark under a plate, a maker's mark on a piece of furniture or a signature on the back of a painting often change the assessment
• Provenance: an item passed down over several generations, with or without documentation, often carries a story that matters
• General condition: a complete piece that has not been crudely restored keeps its value better than a damaged or altered item
• The set rather than the isolated piece: a coherent collection (books, vinyl records, stamps, coins) is often more interesting than mismatched items

A concrete example: a solid wood wardrobe inherited from a grandparent, with carved decoration but heavily worn, deserves to be pointed out — the solid wood and its age are enough to justify a look, even if its overall appearance is disappointing. A recently made pine bookcase generally will not attract the same interest, unless the books it contains form a coherent collection in their own right.

Common mistakes to avoid

Certain habits, often well-intentioned, cause a genuine appraisal opportunity to be missed. Spotting them in advance avoids regrets once the clearance is over.

• Throwing away, as a precaution, an item judged “too ordinary” without even showing it to us
• Cleaning, sanding or varnishing an antique piece of furniture before the examination, which can erase traces that testify to its authenticity
• Splitting up a collection or a set to show only part of it, when the whole is often more interesting
• Relying solely on a quick online search to form a final opinion on an item's value
• Waiting until clearance day to mention an item forgotten in a drawer, an attic or a closed room

The categories of items most often involved

Period furniture, jewellery and watches, antique silverware and tableware, paintings and art objects, books and collections, clocks and mantel clocks: these are the categories we examine most regularly during a clearance in Brussels. The full list, with examples for each category, is on our item buyback page. Other pieces may also be of interest depending on their condition and rarity; we assess them case by case during the visit.

Period furniture stands out through refined lines, marquetry or a noble wood, unlike a mass-produced piece with no particular character. For jewellery and silverware, a hallmark or stamp — often discreetly engraved inside or underneath — helps identify a precious metal. A painting is worth examining on the back, where a signature, a date or a gallery label sometimes appears. As for collections of books, vinyl records or coins, they are rarely appraised piece by piece: it is their overall coherence that matters most.

What generally has no resale value

In the interest of honesty, we should also clarify what, most of the time, has no market value: old or non-working appliances, flat-pack or laminate furniture, everyday tableware with no identifiable mark, used linens and clothing. This does not mean these items are wasted: they simply follow the normal clearance process, with sorting, reuse or recycling depending on their condition — a process detailed in our article on what happens to your furniture after a clearance.

These items are generally mass-produced, with no particular rarity or signature, which explains the lack of demand on the resale market — even when they are still in good working order. Here too, it is best to let us decide rather than assume, in either direction.

How the assessment works during our visit

1. 1

   First contact

   You describe the situation by phone or via the form; photos help prepare the visit, without replacing an on-site examination.

2. 2

   On-site examination

   During the visit planned for the clearance or house clearance, at the same time as the general assessment of the property.

3. 3

   Explained appraisal

   We indicate what has real interest and on what basis — condition, material, age, current demand — with no jargon.

4. 4

   Free decision

   You choose what you agree to give up, item by item, with no obligation or pressure.

Preparing your items before our visit

No preparation is required: we adapt to the situation, even if nothing has been sorted beforehand. A few simple steps nonetheless make the examination easier on the day of the visit.

• Group potentially valuable items together in the same room, if possible
• Keep certificates, invoices or original boxes if you still have them
• Avoid cleaning or restoring an antique item before the assessment: this can lower its value rather than increase it
• Provide clear access to the relevant rooms (cellar, attic, outbuildings) on the day of the visit

If access to the property is unusual — no lift, limited parking, or access through an inner courtyard, which remains common in certain Brussels neighbourhoods — mention it at first contact. This does not change the examination of the items itself, but allows us to organise the visit under good conditions, especially for heavy or bulky pieces.

Why show us the item rather than search online yourself

Comparing online listings rarely gives a reliable estimate: two similar-looking items can have very different values depending on their real condition, origin or rarity. Rather than wasting time searching alone, show us the item — in person or in a photo — and we will give you an explained appraisal, with no obligation to accept. You can see examples of completed jobs on our our work page, or read our customers' feedback on our reviews page. Our prices page also explains how buyback fits into the overall price of a clearance.

The pointers given in this article guide the examination, but do not replace a physical assessment of the item. Two similar-looking pieces can receive a different appraisal depending on their exact condition, origin or current demand for that type of item. This is why we do not give a generic price range by category before the visit: each appraisal is done case by case, after a real examination of the piece concerned.

Frequently asked questions