Antiques
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Richard Bromell ASFAV, Charterhouse Auctioneers
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fair amount of my home visits are to carry out valuations for inheritance tax, more commonly referred to as probate valuations. Even after three and a half decades of being a valuer, I still find some parts of this strange and a little unnerving. To carry out the probate valuation, I need to carry out due diligence in the property. This involves not only looking through the under-stair cupboards, the kitchen and bathroom cabinets but also through the wardrobes and chests of drawers. Most of the time, there are old vacuum cleaners in 64 | Sherborne Times | March 2021
the cupboard under the stairs, open packets of biscuits in the kitchen cupboards, used tubes of toothpaste in the bathroom, nicely laundered garments in the wardrobe and socks tied up as pairs in the chests of drawers. Then again, sometimes there can be silver tea sets in the kitchen cupboards or items of jewellery hidden away in chests of drawers. More often than not, executors, family or friends will clear away the clothing, food and used toothpaste tubes before we are asked to clear the property. Occasionally, there are no family or friends to do this, which is what
