clearing old items - money to charity

joroda777

Hi!
Just downsized and come across old glass slides (Photo), old non decimal British coins, elaborate tin cases, intricate tin cover for a match box and some oil paintings. How do I get them valued and ultimately sold?
Money raised will go to a charity.
Thanks in advance.

General_Grant

Give them direct to a charity? You could even gift aid them.

Which charity (or charities) did you have in mind?

soolin

joroda777 wrote: »

Hi!
Just downsized and come across old glass slides (Photo), old non decimal British coins, elaborate tin cases, intricate tin cover for a match box and some oil paintings. How do I get them valued and ultimately sold?
Money raised will go to a charity.
Thanks in advance.

Glass photo slides and pre decimal coins are unlikely to be worth a great deal, so probably for net gain to a charity I agree with general Grant, choose a charity that has proper valuers. That way they can often negotiate sales with auction houses or such like at cost.

If you want it to go a local or smaller charity that works mainly with volunteers then you will probably have to realise the cash. An auction house can give you an idea of value, but beware - depending on costs and hammer price you could lose up to 40-50% of the money in costs.

happybiker

Pre decimal silver coins 6p and above are made from pure silver. they have both a collectors and a bullion value. A jeweller will usually buy them as scrap. early silver thruppenybits are collectors items, much prized by traditionalists for baking into Xmas puddings.


What is the subject of the slides? They may be of interest to local archives but of possibly of no interest to a charity

soolin

happybiker wrote: »

Pre decimal silver coins 6p and above are made from pure silver. they have both a collectors and a bullion value. A jeweller will usually buy them as scrap. early silver thruppenybits are collectors items, much prized by traditionalists for baking into Xmas puddings.


What is the subject of the slides? They may be of interest to local archives but of possibly of no interest to a charity

None of the later coins were silver. Just looking at the sixpence for instance it shows as "(1551–1816) Silver (1816–1920) 92.5% Ag (1920–1946) 50% Ag (1947–1970) Cupronickel, so basically you need to look for pre 1947 to get any signifant vale of silver.

If you look at eBay you will see people selling bag loads of old silver colour coins for a few pounds.

soolin

The same applies to other denominations , the ten pence for instance

What British coins are made of silver?
From 1920 to 1946, British silver coins contained 50% silver. From 1947 to 1971, some denominations of British pre-decimal coins issued for circulation were "silver-colored," however these coins were made of copper-nickel, and contained no silver.

trailingspouse

The cheapest and quickest way to get an idea of value on all of your things is to see how much they're selling for on ebay.


But I agree with happybiker - the value of the slides depends largely on the subject-matter.


The oil paintings are a different matter. Are they signed? Google the name of the artist. Also, the subject-matter matters (a local scene will sell better than a nameless portrait, for example). And there's a market for old ornate frames too, so even if the picture's not up to much, you might get something for the frame. A local auctioneer will give you fair advice (it's not in their interests to either over-value or under-value items), and you're under no obligation to then put the items into auction. But at the end of the day the hammer price is what they're worth - anyone who's ever watched Flog It! will know that things can go for next to nothing, or they can fly, it all depends on who's buying on the day.