Who We Are
Every evaluation submitted to What Did You Inherit is reviewed by a human specialist with direct professional experience in antiques, estate sales, and auction markets. No automated systems. No guesswork.
What We Do
Most people who inherit items have no reliable way to find out what they have. Online searches return auction results for items that were already identified — they don't help you identify what you're looking at. The major auction houses assume you already know your item's category before you can even submit an inquiry.
What Did You Inherit exists to close that gap. We are the first step — the place you go before you know whether you have something valuable, before you decide whether to sell, donate, or keep it. Our team reviews photos of inherited items and returns an honest, plainly written evaluation within 24 to 48 hours.
The evaluation is free because the information should be available to everyone who inherits. Not just those who already know enough to ask the right questions.
"Most items that end up in thrift stores have never been evaluated. We've seen pieces worth thousands of dollars sold for a few dollars because no one knew to look closer."
Areas of Expertise
American art pottery — Rookwood, Roseville, Weller, Grueby, Hull, and dozens of regional studios. European porcelain including Meissen, Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, and Limoges. Asian ceramics with an emphasis on marks identification and period attribution.
American furniture from the Federal period through Arts and Crafts and Mid-Century Modern. Period construction identification, maker's label research, regional attribution, and condition assessment. Strong working knowledge of reproduction periods and what separates them from period pieces.
Oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, and prints across American, European, and regional schools. Signature research, attribution assessment, and canvas or paper analysis. Experience identifying artists through style, technique, and period-specific subject matter.
Sterling silver and silverplate flatware, holloware, and serving pieces. Hallmark identification across American, British, and Continental silver. Bronze, pewter, and decorative metalwork including Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau pieces.
Estate jewelry including Victorian, Edwardian, Art Deco, and Mid-Century pieces. Precious metal content identification, signed costume jewelry, and vintage watches including Swiss manufacturers. Provenance assessment and period attribution.
American folk art and outsider art, Americana, vintage advertising, and decorative objects of all kinds. Asian decorative arts, vintage textiles and rugs, glassware including Depression glass and art glass, and general estate collectibles.
Background & Experience
How We Work
We tell you what items are realistically worth in the current market, not what you might hope they're worth. An inflated evaluation that leads to a failed auction consignment or a disappointed sale is not useful to anyone. If an item has modest value or no market value, we say so directly and explain why.
You don't need to know the category, maker, age, or value of your items before submitting. That is exactly what we determine. The only requirement is clear photographs. The confusion and uncertainty you feel about what you inherited is the normal starting point — not a barrier to getting an evaluation.
Every submission is reviewed by a specialist, not an automated system. Antique identification and valuation requires the kind of contextual judgment that no algorithm reliably provides — recognizing an unusual mark, identifying a regional maker, or spotting a construction detail that changes everything. That judgment requires a person.
The evaluation is a service, not a sales pitch. You receive an honest assessment of what you have and what your options are. Whether you sell, consign, keep, or donate your items after that is entirely your decision. We have no stake in which direction you go — only in giving you the information to go there clearly.
Ready to Find Out
Free evaluation. No expertise needed. A specialist responds within 24–48 hours.
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