What should I send with a valuation request?
Estimates & Valuations · Revised 3 August 2026

Clear overall photographs, images of the title page, signature, inscription or verso as appropriate, close images of any damage, the dimensions, and whatever you know of how the object came into your family or collection. Good photographs of the imperfections are as useful to us as the flattering ones.
Share
Related questions
Related guides

3 min read
Understanding Auction Estimates
An estimate is a specialist's considered opinion of the likely hammer range for a lot. This guide explains the evidence behind it, why it is a range, and how it differs from a reserve or a formal valuation.
Read the guide

4 min read
How to Request a Valuation
How to obtain an opinion of value on a manuscript, book, autograph, photograph or work on paper: what to send, what a specialist looks for, and which kind of valuation you actually need.
Read the guide

4 min read
The Market for Paper-Based Collections
Considered observations on how the market for paper-based material behaves, written without forecasts we cannot support, and intended to help collectors think about value over the long term.
Read the guide