A Specialist Valuation House on Your Doorstep

Local questions, answered

• How long does the drive from Windsor really take?

  Outside school-run hours, plan around 15 minutes via the A332 through Windsor Great Park into Ascot. We share specific parking instructions when we confirm your appointment.

• I have a piece with royal provenance - does that affect the valuation?

  Yes - genuine provenance (presentation cases, original documentation, named recipient) can materially increase value. We're well-practised at recognising and valuing pieces of historical significance and will price accordingly with supporting evidence.

• Can we meet in Windsor rather than Ascot?

  For pieces of significant value or where a relative can't travel, we arrange a private visit to a Windsor address by appointment. Standard valuations of smaller pieces are usually handled most efficiently at our office.

• Do you buy during Royal Ascot week?

  Yes - and we often see a small spike in enquiries around Ascot for racing-related brooches and ceremonial pieces. We accept enquiries at our normal pace; appointments around race week book quickly so please give a few days’ notice.

• Do you buy broken and unwanted gold, or only antiques and watches?

  Both. A snapped 9ct chain, a single earring, a wedding band that no longer fits or a dented signet ring is as welcome as a Victorian brooch. It is bought on carat and weight, so condition makes no difference, and the figures we pay today for 9ct, 18ct and 22ct are on our gold calculator if you would like a guide first.

• Are commemorative and Royal Mint coins worth selling?

  It depends whether they are gold. Royal Mint sovereigns, half sovereigns, Britannias and gold proof sets are, and they are bought on their gold content or, for scarcer issues, as coins. Many boxed commemoratives sold by post are gold-plated base metal and worth very little, whatever the certificate says. Bring them anyway: it takes a minute to tell you which you have, and there is no charge for looking.

• We are sorting out a relative's estate. Is a jewellery valuation free?

  Yes. Each piece is looked at, the gold is weighed in front of you, and you leave with a written figure for each piece, valid for 24 hours. Executors often use it to decide what to keep, what to share out and what to sell. It is a selling figure, meaning what we would actually pay, rather than a formal probate or insurance valuation.

• Is it cash for gold, a cheque or a bank transfer?

  Never a cheque. Smaller amounts can be paid in cash at the appointment; everything else goes by instant bank transfer, sent while you are with us and usually in your account within seconds. You are paid the same day you accept the figure, at the office or at your home, and you keep a purchase document listing what was sold.

• I live in Eton, Datchet or Old Windsor and have gold to sell. Is the Ascot office easy to reach?

  Yes. From Old Windsor, Clewer and Dedworth allow about fifteen minutes, and from Eton and Datchet nearer twenty, with parking close to the office. Appointments run seven days a week, so a weekend morning is often the easiest time to cross the Great Park. If driving is difficult, ask about a home visit.