When you receive a box of things that belonged to someone who is no longer here, the first reaction is usually one of two: everything is valuable or everything is junk. Both are wrong. Here is a three-step method to go through it with a clear head, without wasting anything important and without piling up clutter forever.
Step 1 — Sort by category, not by feeling
Empty the box onto a table. Make four physical piles:
- Documents: papers, photos, notebooks, letters.
- Jewellery and metals: rings, chains, coins, silver.
- Branded or numbered objects: watches, cameras, pens, china, toys with a readable name.
- The rest: textiles, unbranded decor, miscellany.
‘The rest’ is usually the biggest pile and the least valuable. Do not throw anything yet, but you know where to focus your time.
Step 2 — Value with data, not legends
A family story says ‘that is from the 1930s’. An engraved mark says ‘This Side Up, made in Taiwan, 1998’. The mark wins, always. For the jewellery and branded-objects piles, check the following:
- Jewellery hallmarks: 925 = sterling silver, 750 = 18k gold, 333 = 8k gold. No hallmark = probably costume jewellery.
- Maker marks on watches and pens: Omega, Longines, Mont Blanc, Parker. No mark = unlikely to be valuable.
- Real antique cues: non-Phillips screws (pre-1950), low-number American patent (pre-1900), handwritten inscriptions. These are strong hints, not certainty.
Step 3 — Decide what to do with each thing
For each object in the first and second pile, one of four decisions:
- Keep for clear sentimental or financial value.
- Sell if it has a clear market (Catawiki for items above 100 euros, Wallapop for smaller prices).
- Donate if it has use but no obvious market (books, decent clothes, tools).
- Get a second opinion if you are not sure and the piece looks important. A professional appraiser charges between 80 and 250 euros a session, but Vunto can give you a free orientation in thirty seconds and tell you whether it is worth taking to an appraiser.
The common mistake
The mistake we see most often is throwing away things without an obvious brand. Many valuable pieces do not carry a logo: pocket watches with unreadable names, tarnished coins, tinplate toys. If in doubt, photograph it and check first. It is free and saves regret.
A note on the sentimental
Sentimental is not the same as financial. Something can be worth 5 euros and irreplaceable to you. That is fine: both categories are legitimate. What matters is knowing which of the two justifies each decision.