Send photographs, and ask before you post anything

What to photograph

They do not have to be good photographs, and there is no wrong way to do this.

1. Everything together, in one pictureTip the box out and photograph the lot. Do not sort it, untangle it or clean it first. Keep letters, bank cards, anything with an address on it, and people's faces out of the picture.
2. Anything with a mark or a name on it, close upInside a ring, on a clasp, under a spoon. If the camera will not focus, send it anyway.
3. That is enoughIf something is unclear we will ask for one more picture of that piece. Nothing else is needed from you.

What a photograph can settle, and what it cannot

A picture is evidence, not proof, so here is what a reply from photographs can and cannot tell you.

• It canUsually read the marks, often spot what looks plated, filled or weighted, sometimes identify a maker, and flag anything that may be worth keeping whole rather than melting.
• It cannotProve what a piece is made of or what it weighs. A mark in a photograph cannot be checked for authenticity or tied to the whole piece, and plate photographs exactly like solid metal.
• So it isA rough idea, not a valuation and not an offer (the terms, clause 2.1). It is not something to use for an estate, a probate figure or sharing things out. The offer comes after the parcel arrives and everything is weighed and checked; how it works sets out the four steps.

What happens after the reply

If it looks worth posting and you want to go on, tell us: we arrange the postage with you and confirm the service and its cover in writing before anything is sent (posting your items). If not, that is the end of it: there is nothing to cancel and nobody follows up. Either way, nothing is ever sold until you accept a written offer.

Other ways to send them