Cash in the attic?

Making a Will doesn’t have to be gloomy – in fact, it’s the perfect opportunity to see whether that Chinese vase your great aunt left you might actually be worth a few bob…

If you’ve decided it’s time to sort out your affairs and make a Will, it’s also worth assessing the value of any family heirlooms you might have. Then, if anything is valued at a pretty penny, you can make it clear in your Will rather than run the danger of your next of kin thinking that gold necklace you rarely wear is a fake and flogging it down the local car boot for 50 pence.

You only have to watch Antiques Roadshow or Cash in the Attic to realise that some items people have hidden away in the loft and forgotten about for years are actually worth quite serious money.  Just look at the brother and sister who, clearing out their parents’ home in Ruislip after they’d died, found an 18th-century Qianlong dynasty porcelain vase that sold at auction in November 2011 for £43m!

So where to start with getting things valued? Well, there are various valuation sites online like www.valuemystuff.com which, for £15, will get an expert to give you a guide price for your items within 48 hours of you sending photographs and as much information about the piece’s provenance as you have. Some big auction houses – Bonhams (www.bonhams.com) for example – will value your piece for free if you pop in with it or phone ahead and make an appointment.

Another option is to visit a local antique fair and have your piece appraised by several experts at the same time. Reputable antique dealers tend to be a member of one of the top two trade associations so look for British Antique Dealers’ Association or the Association of Art & Antiques Dealers (LAPADA) certification.

If you really think your object has star quality now it’s been dusted off, you could even take it along to BBC’s Antiques Roadshow.  The programme’s Facebook page has details of upcoming filming days.

Then, assuming you have got something of value (and you don’t decide to flog it and book a month in the Maldives) give us a call about writing (or amending) your Will on 0208 537 3448. We’re the Ming vase hidden in the loft of Will writing professionals and promise a five star service every time.

Ashton Grace – Specialists in Wills & Estate Planning