Guides
All guides
Everything published so far, grouped by category. Pick a category, or scroll down for the full list.
Hallmarks, makers, patterns
Silver
4 guides
Browse silver →
First editions, bindings, jackets
Books
3 guides
Browse books →
Penny Blacks, collections, covers
Stamps
3 guides
Browse stamps →
Sovereigns, silver, grading
Coins
3 guides
Browse coins →
Campaign and gallantry medals
Medals
2 guides
Browse medals →
Estates and house contents
Probate
2 guides
Browse probate →
GuideHow to read British silver hallmarksFour punches, read left to right, tell you what the metal is, where it was tested, when, and who made it. This guide walks through each one with real pieces.
GuideSolid silver or plate? Six tests you can do at the kitchen tableMost inherited "silver" is plated. Six ways to tell if silver is real before you weigh it, in the order a specialist would try them, and what each one proves.
GuideSilver date letters, explainedEvery assay office stamped a hallmark date letter that changed yearly. How the cycles work, why the shield beats the letter, and how to find the year.
GuideScrap value or auction value? How to decide what to do with old silverEvery piece of silver has a scrap silver value, its weight in metal, and some have an auction value far above it. How to tell which before you sell.
GuideFirst edition or first printing? The difference that moves the price"First edition" on a copyright page does not mean what sellers think. What the trade means by edition, impression, issue and state, and where the money goes.
GuideHow to identify a first edition, publisher by publisherThe rules for spotting a first printing differ by publisher and by decade. A working list for the British and American houses whose books come up most.
GuideWhat makes an old book valuableAge on its own is not it. Demand, scarcity, condition and the dust jacket decide what old books are worth, and the jacket alone can be nine-tenths of it.
Price guideWhat a Penny Black is worthThe world's first postage stamp is common, famous and misunderstood. What decides a Penny Black's value, from margins and plates to the colour of the cancel.GuideHow to value an inherited stamp collectionStamp collection valuation starts from one fact: catalogue price is not selling price. How dealers and auction houses read an album, and what they pay for.ExplainerFirst day covers: are they worth anything?Most first day covers are worth pounds, a few are worth hundreds, and the date is the difference. What a valuation looks at, and how to sell a box.
Price guideWhat a gold sovereign is worthHow much a gold sovereign is worth: the bullion floor set by its 7.32 grams of fine gold, and the dates, mint marks and grades that lift some far above it.
GuideOld coins: what actually sells from the tin in the drawerMost tins of old coins are worth less than their owners hope, and a few contain something of value. The categories that carry value, and the ones that do not.ExplainerHow to grade a coin, and why you must never clean oneSix words describe every coin's condition, and each step changes the price. A short course in coin grading, with the one rule that protects value.
GuideWhat war medals are worthWhat British WW1 and WW2 medals are worth: value follows who received it, what for, and whether the group is complete. A guide for the people who inherit them.GuideHow to research a medal from the name on the rimA name, a number and a regiment on the rim can find the man, his battalion, his battles and sometimes the day he died. The free records, in search order.
GuideProbate valuation of house contents: what HMRC expectsThe executor has to put a figure on everything in the house for IHT407. What the figure means, when a professional is needed, and the mistakes that cost money.
GuideHow to clear a house without giving away the two things in it that were worth somethingEvery cleared house had something in it. A room-by-room house clearance list of what to set aside before the van arrives, and how to get an opinion for nothing.Auctions
Auctions
1 guide. The category page also has recent sale prices.
