You Don't Have to Be the Expert
What Adult Children Tell Us
- "I don't know what any of this is"
- "Mom said some of it was valuable"
- "My brother thinks we should just donate it"
- "I don't have time to list a hundred pieces"
- "I need this done before the house closes"
What We Handle
- Jewelry boxes — fine, costume, broken, mixed
- Coin albums, jars, and proof sets
- Sterling flatware and holloware
- Watches, including Rolex and other names
- One evaluation covering all of the above
Recent collections we bought and sold: a four-floor family home of books and antiques, the full contents of a 96-year family home, and a father's costume jewelry collection that turned out to hold signed Trifari.
A Simple Sequence
Gather, don't sort
Keep the jewelry box and coin lots together. Resist the urge to divide pieces among siblings first.
Send photos
A handful of pictures — the whole box, a few close-ups — is enough. Use the contact form or email.
Sit through the evaluation
Ivan or Diane will explain what you have. Ask questions. Keep anything that should stay in the family.
Choose buyout or consignment
Same-day payment for a buyout, or we list selected pieces. You decide. Nothing is sold without you.
Start with photos at decatiquestudios.com/contact or decatiquestudios@gmail.com. Phone (773) 719-0508.
What Usually Turns Up
Parents mix categories in one drawer. We are set up for that mix.
The jewelry box
Gold next to costume next to broken chains. We sort it so you do not have to.
Coin albums
Morgan dollars, junk silver, foreign coins, and proof sets often live in a closet.
Sterling in the buffet
Flatware services and serving pieces. Weight matters; pattern and completeness can matter more.
A watch or two
A daily wearer and a 'good' watch in a box. Names and condition decide the number.
Selling a Parent's Collection — FAQ
Yes. A large share of the collections we see come from a move to a smaller home or senior living, not from an estate. The process is the same: evaluate, explain, and only buy what you are ready to sell.
A written evaluation by item gives everyone the same numbers. Families often keep a few pieces each and sell the rest so the proceeds split cleanly. We do not take sides; we make the inventory understandable.
You can, but inherited lots are easy to under-describe and easy to underprice. We already sell this material daily (11,000+ items, 99.7% positive). A buyout skips the listing work. Consignment lets us do that work for pieces that warrant it.
A typical jewelry box or coin collection is evaluated in one visit. If you accept a buyout, payment is the same day. Larger estates may take a second visit. Call (773) 719-0508 and we will tell you what to expect.
Do not clean coins. Do not polish jewelry. Do not throw out broken pieces, costume jewelry, or 'junk silver.' Do not split the box among relatives until you know what is in it.
Start with one phone call. You don't need to sort, box, or research anything first — call (773) 719-0508, describe the situation, and we'll help you turn the mountain into a short list of steps: what's likely valuable, what's not, and whether a buyout, an estate sale, or a mix makes sense.
There's no wrong timeline. Our only advice: don't make permanent decisions on your hardest days. If you're not ready, hold onto the pieces — they'll keep. If you want to know what things are worth before deciding anything, we'll give you that with no obligation, so the facts are there whenever you're ready.
Completely normal — almost every family we work with says some version of this. Keeping everything isn't the only way to honor someone. Many items we buy go to collectors who will wear, display, and love them — a second life instead of a drawer. Keep the pieces that carry your memories; let the rest bring someone else joy, and let the proceeds do something useful for your family.
We understand, and we hear this a lot. We'll take time to hear the stories behind the pieces and tell you honestly what they mean in today's market. If some pieces mean more to you than their price, keep them — we're happy to buy only what you're ready to part with.
Ready When You Are.
A few photos are enough to start. Call, email, or use the contact form. No pressure to sell the whole collection.
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