- Vintage Cash Cow's resident antiques expert, Nick sat down with Reclaim magazine to talk about his history in the antiques industry, how VCC are fuelling the circular economy and the most expensive item he's ever been sent.
- Got any valuable items at home?
Vintage Cash Cow's resident antiques expert, Nick sat down with Reclaim magazine to talk about his history in the antiques industry, how VCC are fuelling the circular economy and the most expensive item he's ever been sent.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work around vintage and antiques.
Working with antiques was a natural path for me having grown up with family in the trade. In 1983, I joined Neale's fine art auction house in Nottingham as a trainee auctioneer and valuer and later completed a professional qualification at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. Following 16 years of auctioneering, I took over an antique warehouse in Newark which was a real buzz.
All of this eventually led me here to Vintage Cash Cow. I really love seeing all the lovely antiques that come through the door from people across the country, my favourite moments are those when I get to appraise a unique antique I haven’t come across before.
What kind of items do you deal with?
We buy everything from jewellery, watches and pens, to coins, medals and boxed cutlery. While we accept gold and silver that is only a few years old, it's the truly vintage or antique items that excite us! We have specialist departments with experience spanning a wide variety of categories - we are really careful to authenticate with precision.
"We believe everybody wishing to clear out unwanted valuables deserves a rewarding experience unparalleled in care and convenience. We’re also committed to fuelling the circular economy by giving old items a new lease of life"
What is the most valuable or interesting item you have been sent?
A little while ago we received two boxes from a customer that contained an array of gorgeous items; such as silver, gold, gold coins, medals, silver plate, and jewellery to name a few. I suspected that these items had been passed down from family members due to their quality and unique nature – we always ensure customers are not selling something irreplaceable, however, this particular customer was just happy to clear some space in their drawers and get some extra money in the process.
One of the items, in particular, was a gorgeous Elkington and Co silver plated centrepiece from around the late 19th century. I have to say though, it’s difficult to pinpoint just one stand-out valuable from such a lovely group of antiques and vintage items.
What’s the mission behind Vintage Cash Cow?
We believe everybody wishing to clear out unwanted valuables deserves a rewarding experience unparalleled in convenience and care. We’re also committed to fuelling the circular economy by giving old items a new lease of life.
Tell us about your authentication process.
We have many pockets of specialist departments in the building, with experience spanning a wide variety of categories. One thing we all have in common is our passion for antiques – I love nothing more than being surprised by an unorthodox item when appraising it.
When items arrive with us, they receive unparalleled care and attention. We are all really careful with each item, making sure to authenticate with precision and have top-of-the-line appraising equipment ready for when we need it.
We use a specialist XRF gun when checking metals - especially those dating back to pre-1920 as they don’t typically don’t have any hallmarks - so that we are always 100% certain of their value.
Excerpt from Reclaim Magazine. Read the full article in Reclaim. Words: Alice Roberton
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