Preparing Property for Auction

The most valuable preparation an owner can undertake is documentary, not physical. Assemble the paperwork; leave the object alone.

Begin with the papers

Value in our fields is frequently established or lost on the strength of the record. Before anything else, look for:

• receipts, invoices and dealers' descriptions, however old;
• earlier auction catalogues in which the object appeared, with the lot number;
• correspondence about the object, including letters from previous specialists;
• exhibition labels, loan agreements and published references;
• insurance schedules and previous valuations;
• probate papers, deeds of gift and evidence of inheritance;
• conservation reports, however brief.

Photograph or scan anything fragile rather than handling it repeatedly. Keep the papers with the object, but not inside it: loose sheets pressed into a book will offset onto the leaves and leave a permanent stain.

What not to do

This section matters more than the last one. Nearly all damage we encounter in newly consigned property was inflicted with good intentions.

Do not clean anything. No erasers, no bread, no cotton buds, no water, no proprietary cleaners, no polish on a leather binding. Surface dirt is expected and can be addressed by a conservator; an abrasion cannot be undone.

Do not repair anything. Adhesive tape of every kind — including tapes sold as archival, and including removing tape someone else applied — causes staining and loss. So do glue, staples and correction fluid.

Do not trim, flatten or press. Deckle edges, folds and creases are part of the object's history and its evidence. A trimmed margin permanently reduces value.

Do not remove a work from an old mount or frame unless it is visibly at risk. Old mounts sometimes carry inscriptions, labels and dealers' marks that establish provenance.

Do not disbind a book, remove plates, or "improve" a copy by inserting leaves from another. Sophistication is detectable and it is disclosed in the catalogue.

Do not write on anything, including in pencil on the verso of a photograph.

Do not laminate or encapsulate in ordinary plastics. Polyvinyl chloride sleeves are actively harmful.

What you may safely do

Keep the object dry, cool, dark and flat. Support a book on its side rather than standing a heavy binding upright on a damaged spine. Place a loose leaf inside a folder of plain, unbuffered paper or an inert polyester sleeve if you have one.

Count the plates against the list, if the book has one, and note anything obviously missing. Measure the sheet in millimetres. Note any inscriptions, stamps or bookplates. Write your observations on a separate sheet, not on the object.

Photographs for the initial review

Even daylight, away from direct sun. No flash, which flattens surface and conceals condition. Photograph the whole object square-on, then the details: title page, colophon, signature, watermark against the light, verso, mount, any damage. Include a ruler or a coin for scale.

Groups, archives and libraries

Where a whole collection or archive is in question, resist the urge to sort it. The order in which papers were kept is itself evidence, and archives are frequently worth more intact than divided. Photograph the shelves or boxes as they stand and tell us what you have. We will advise on whether the material is best offered as a group or in parts.

Export, title and legal position

Some material requires an export licence, and some is subject to restrictions on movement or sale. Tell us if the property came from outside the United Kingdom, if it was inherited from abroad, or if there is any uncertainty about title. These questions are far easier to settle before a catalogue is printed than after a sale.