What a family actually needs to know when a house full of things lands in their lap — and what a dealer looks at when deciding what something is worth. Written plainly, from the shop floor in Naples.
The honest trade-offs between an estate sale, an auction, consignment and a dealer buyout — speed, money, cost and privacy — and how to decide for a Naples home.
Read the guide Estates · Florida · 9 min readWho can sell the contents of a Florida estate, and when? Exempt property, the separate writing, the inventory, creditors and distribution — in plain English.
Read the guide Auctions · 9 min readEstimates, reserves, commissions, buyer's premium, catalogues, settlement and unsold lots — how consigning to a major auction house really works.
Read the guide Estates · 7 min readTwelve questions to ask any estate liquidator, dealer or estate-sale company in Naples before you sign — and the red flags that mean you should keep looking.
Read the guide Silver · 8 min readA field guide to the marks on old silver: the English lion passant, town and date letters, American STERLING and coin marks, and Continental 800/835/950.
Read the guide Estates · Florida · 10 min readA plain guide to settling an estate in Naples and Collier County: probate basics, who can sell, the 60-day inventory, exempt property, and the contents.
Read the guide Silver · 6 min readSterling or plate? How to read the marks on flatware, tea sets and trays — STERLING, 925, lion passant, coin, EPNS — the tells, and why not to polish it.
Read the guide Furniture · 8 min readWhat makes old furniture valuable — period vs. style, construction, surface, maker — what the Naples market pays for brown furniture, and what to photograph.
Read the guide Estates · 8 min readA calm, practical order of operations for a house full of a parent's things: what to secure first, what to keep, what to sell, and when to call for help.
Read the guideWe buy single pieces and entire estates — antiques, silver, art, and furniture. Honest evaluations, free of charge and free of pressure.