Find your next treasure or make some money with Devon’s best auction houses, appraisers and antiques experts!

A lifetime of expertise with In A Nutshell Antiques

Every day is different in the antiques trade. I never know who or what might come through the shop door next and whether I’m buying, selling, restoring or delivering there’s never a dull moment!

A big part of being an antique dealer is purchasing and appraising stock and I handle a huge variety of items from furniture to collectables, artwork, porcelain, glass and silver and gold. I’m always very happy to share my expertise and I love to learn and expand my own knowledge but it’s concerning how frequently I am now hearing “I’ve looked it up and Google says …” or “I’ve seen the same one online…” and more often than not, their findings are not accurate. I’ve never really rated the internet in terms of researching antiques and certainly not for valuing them.

Whilst Google might be useful in identifying a Victorian dining chair it cannot easily spot a reproduction and it certainly cannot assess the condition which is one of the most important factors when it comes to value.

An antique dealer can tell if any repairs have been made and assess if something has been refinished and even if two entirely different pieces have been married together. We can tell if a sofa has it’s original horsehair stuffing below new covers or whether it has been replaced with foam. We can test the purity of gold and silver, measure diamonds and check hallmarks. We can identify different woods and tell solid wood from veneer and this allows us to provide an accurate and realistic valuation.

Even with the increasing prevalence of AI and searches like Google Lens, I still don’t think the internet can compete with first hand knowledge and experience gained and shared over a lifetime of buying and selling.

My bookshelf at home is full of reference books and one of my favourite is ‘The English Regional Chair’ - 511 pages filled with hundreds of detailed photos and drawings covering the in depth development, region by region, of countless styles of chairs from all over England. This kind of knowledge simply cannot be found online.

So if you have got something at home that you want to find out more about you can contact us or drop into one of our valuation days at the shop in Ashburton.

The next ones are on Monday September 7 and Monday September 28.

- Lydia Wood, In A Nutshell Antiques

An auction to remember with Michael Bowman

Michael Bowman
(Michael Bowman)

Michael Bowman's July 25 auction at Chudleigh will be remembered for the inclusion of many early pieces from the estates of two local collectors.

An early 18th century walnut bureau doubled its estimate to sell for £3,400 to an internet bidder from Hampshire. The eventual buyer of an early 17thC oak joint stool, travelled down from Rutland and was willing to pay an eyebrow raising £3,300 for his prize!

Elsewhere in the sale, an antique Chinese bronze archaistic temple bell , 10" long, with its damaged wooden stand, was offered with a cautious estimate of £300-400. This had been brought back from China in the 1920's by the vendor's grandfather. Several Chinese bidders were in competition, a telephone bidder from mainland China finally prevailing at £3,400.

The jewellery included a 3 carat sapphire & diamond ring which was bought by New York dealers for £3,000, whereas a rectangular 2.6 carat diamond solitaire attracted a local bidder at £3,600. A boxed Rolex Submariner with papers sold to a collector in Belgium for £5,800.