While dismantling your grandmother’s apartment, you might stumble upon some really valuable stuff. According to designer Yevgeny Grinevich, founder of the UfO Design Vision bureau, you should first look at the jewelry box, where the family jewelry can be. According to him, the value can be not only jewelry, but also silverware, coasters or candlesticks.
“After all, even if there were no nobles in your family, during the dispossession the noble property could be in everyone’s possession,” he believes.
Treasures can also be found in the buffet, according to Grinevich – among the old utensils and dinnerware that my grandmother brought out for the holidays. The specialist advises to carefully study all the dishes: you should pay attention to the emblem of the factory, the date of manufacture or the series – they can be used to determine which factory made the products.
“Most often it can be: Lomonosov Porcelain Factory, Dulevsky, Gzhelsky or Konakovsky and Verbilok Porcelain. “If the service is completed, even if some items have cracks or scratches, they will be worth more,” he said.
But the most interesting, according to Grinevich, can be stored in a closet with clothes.
“Imagine, an old grandmother’s tweed suit can also be valuable. For example, it may be the same legend from the first Chanel collections. Yes, and an anonymous vintage handbag embroidered with beads will definitely make your image unique for going to the theater, if it does not fall under the hammer, ”says the expert.
Lots of people find stuff in between a supposedly old icon. According to Grinevich, it is almost impossible to independently understand whether it is valuable or not.
“Notice how realistic the face depicted in the icon is. After all, the more time the tree has touched, the more likely there is a valuable exhibit in front of you. But it is better to entrust this work to a specialist, ”she advises.
Antique dealer Ivan Efimov, the leading expert of the “12th President” auction house, adds that it is sometimes more difficult to determine the value of a painting than the authenticity of an icon. He notes that when it comes to paintings, the “older, more expensive” principle doesn’t work.
“Often pictures are signed and often have notes on the back. Very valuable paintings created in the 20th century could end up in cabinets and attics because their authors were discredited, or as a result of the struggle against formalism in art, or because the art was initially informal,” he says.
According to him, the most important thing is not to try to “improve” the pictures – do not wash, do not clean and do not try to “restore” yourself.
“Besides the paintings, you can also come across various pre-war propaganda materials. Carefully keep it in its original form and show it to an arts and crafts specialist,” says the antique dealer.
Ivan Efimov adds that if one of your ancestors was a collector, a worker of science or art, then archives can be preserved in the family – according to him, it can be a wide variety of papers, photographs, objects or correspondence. famous people.
“We regularly work with such archives. For example, in the archive of the famous gunsmith Tokarev, with whom we worked, there was a small ring that turned out to be the ring of the Decembrist Obolensky and went to our auction for 6 million rubles, ”says.
Victoria Maslovskaya-Friedman, a designer and space organization consultant, advises not to rush to get rid of “grandma’s” furniture. According to him, often at first glance these ugly interior items can cost a fortune.
“You shouldn’t throw away your grandmother’s sideboard, closet, chair. “Many designers and decorators today look for antique furniture, restore it and sell it to their customers for a fortune,” he explains.
Crystal chandeliers and fabric lampshades deserve a second chance, according to Maslovskaya-Friedman.
“Crystal chandeliers and fabric lampshades of the Soviet era are very popular among fans of boho interiors. Take a look at how many are sold on resale sites and you will change your mind about throwing them away, ”says the sure expert.
Porcelain figurines can be another value from grandma’s sideboard. According to the expert, their price depends on the situation, year of publication and circulation – the fewer copies produced, the more expensive the figurine.
“All these ballerinas, dogs and elephants are valuable today, especially if several dozen figurines were produced. There is less demand for the products of the postwar years than for the products of the 1920s and 1930s. However, if the figurines are in excellent condition, they can be very expensive,” he concludes.