Free Valuations

Whether you’ve inherited albums, boxes or suitcases full of collections you don’t fully understand, or you’re an experienced collector ready to find new homes for treasured items, auction valuations are free of charge.

Online valuation

Tell us about your collectables through our simple online form or email valuations@sgbaldwins.com. We’d love to hear about what you have, and the more you can tell us, the better we can help you.

Alternatively, visit our shop on the Strand, Monday to Friday between 10:30am and 12:30pm, where our specialists can provide an in-person valuation.

Expert examination

Once we’ve had that initial conversation, we might invite you to bring your items to us at 399 Strand, London, WC2R 0LP, one of our nearby Valuation Days, or you can send them to us safely — we’ll guide you on the most secure way to send and insure your items.

For larger collections, inherited estates or high-value items, we offer complimentary home consultations with our senior specialists, and can help organise and assess collections in their current location.

Information we’d find helpful

• A brief overview of what you have (albums, boxes, loose items in a suitcase you found in the attic — anything)
• Any history you know (family stories, memories, or why they were collected)
• Size and quantity (even “lots of boxes” is helpful)
• Rough age or period, and where they’re from originally
• Some photos (even phone photos of albums or storage boxes are fine)
• Any documentation, certificates or notes

Inherited collections

Dealing with a loved one’s collection can feel overwhelming. Our specialists have decades of experience helping families navigate inherited collections with sensitivity and expertise — collections stored in albums, boxes, bags or any condition, items you don’t recognise, and large estates that need professional assessment. Don’t worry about the condition, organisation or your own knowledge — just bring us everything, and we’ll carefully sort through it all.

1. Request an estimate — share photographs and details about your items with our specialists, who will provide you with a free expert valuation.
2. Consign — if you wish to proceed, we’ll advise whether pieces achieve stronger results as separate lots or presented together, and assign them to the most suitable upcoming auction with a detailed receipt covering commission rates, reserves and terms.
3. Advertise — your lots feature in our printed catalogue (sent worldwide), online, on social media, in Gibbons Stamp Monthly and specialist trade publications. Online catalogues are typically available three weeks before the sale.
4. Sell — two weeks before the sale we send your pre-sale advice. Watch in person or follow the live stream; you’ll receive payment by bank transfer within 35 days of the auction (subject to buyers’ payment), minus our agreed commission.