Read on to find out if that chipped vase on the sideboard could be your ticket to a penthouse in Monaco – or at least a lavish night out? And who better to ask than Mallams, with its 230-odd years of experience in the business of buying and selling antiques and contemporary pieces. Director Henry Cooke (above) showed Muddy round his Aladdin’s cave at the Abingdon offices and explained what to look for when it comes to sorting the treasures from the tat.

QUIRKY=COOL

Colour is coming back so people are looking for eye-catching items. Five years ago it was all grey and creams but now with the influence of places like Estelle Manor (below) and The Pig hotels, people are looking for stronger, individual schemes.

Those hotels will have spent a lot of money on their design and they’re really at the forefront of fashion and influencing what people want in their own homes. Part of the fun of my job is the search – looking for items that catch our eye whether that’s a crewelwork textile like the Turkish ones we have in now, or an unusual chaise. If it’s not an interior designer that’s setting the fashion, it could be a stage design or travel article that starts it – inspiring looks from Mexico or even a museum trip to somewhere like the Ashmolean.

The pieces we get in are then staged in room settings (above) to inspire people to how they could work together so that might be a settee with a coffee table, lamp, artwork and taxidermy. Don’t discount something because it’s dated. The younger buyers in particular will buy something because it looks novel and interesting and they haven’t seen it come round once before.

THE BIG NAMES (& THE LOOKALIKES)

Howard is a great name in chairs and will always sell well, but also anything Howard-looking, like this chair we have in our upcoming sale. It will sell because it’s got that look. The same goes for something like Lucy Rie pottery – it will have her potter’s mark. It’s deceptive because it’s not glamorous looking but can sell for tens of thousands – the look of her work is earthy tones and sculptural, but an item that can also be put to use.

STORIES SELL

We once had a cigarette case that was a present from the king of Indonesia to Elvis – from one king to another – or something similar was inscribed on it. It went for around £5,000 with a buyer from the Netherlands going up against one from Indonesia and bids flinging between them. It’s got a story and people like that. Items with labels can provoke an interesting story though there’s red herrings too where someone has made an assumption about its provenance and that’s stuck.

The label on this textile says Mrs Morrele of Black Hall, Oxford, so it’s got that local link. Then we’ll use resources like the V&A textile collection and compare and contrast with what we have sold previously to find out more about it. It’s part of the job that is really fascinating.

Recently we were offered a painting of three children (above). It was the first time it had been sold since it was painted and it had been handed down through generations of grandchildren, cousins and more, with the latest one having saved it from a bonfire. Because of the family connection we were able to trace the children featured in it and it sold for £4,200, way above the estimate of up £1,500 to £2,500.

AFTER A FASHION

People are more about the aesthetic these days than collecting ceramics – you won’t see much Worcester porcelain nowadays at Mallams. There used to be more Hyacinth Bucket types with cabinets of Doulton figures but not any more. With these kind of items it can be best to just sell them online yourself. Fine dining is coming back a bit with people making a special effort to host guests (albeit at the kitchen table!) so items like glassware can sell, but there’s not looking for a full dinner service or a glass cabinet to fill. It’s the same with the china – people send in photos of their parents’ dinner service but they’re just not trendy and there’s very little market for it. Ask yourself – ‘do you want it’? Silver is different because solid silver has an intrinsic value by weight and can be melted down but obviously it takes a lot to get any worthwhile value. This candlestick (above) we took because it’s got character and will really sparkle on a table. Religious items like this are generally less popular but again it’s about the aesthetic rather than the sentiment so if it’s striking, we’d still take it.

EXOTIC TASTES

The UK has always had a good following for antiques and English taste is what a lot of people are buying into, though the majority of what we sell stays in the UK. People aren’t shipping en masse abroad anymore though there is a market for Asian art (see below). A local connection always helps – we will often sell clocks that have been made locally or that textile with the Oxford reference is another good example.

THE ART OF IT

Modern art is selling well for us – particularly clean, statement pieces. This fledging rook by Emma Rodgers will definitely catch someone’s eye. There’s quite a market for contemporary glassware and ceramics like the Lucy Rie pieces I mentioned before. Also Asian art is doing well, both antique and contemporary. Three Indian paintings we sold through our Cheltenham sale recently made £62,000 because there’s basically a shortage of Indian art.

DINING ROOMS: SO LAST CENTURY

We don’t tend to take traditional dining room tables and chairs – your mahogany sets or large dining room cabinets just aren’t in demand any more. Tastes change and dining rooms are out because people have a kitchen diner. Not all brown furniture is out though – a great farmhouse table will go like hot cakes. Then there’s the one-offs. We have a few of these little cellarettes (above) – lead-lined wooden boxes to put bottles in to keep them cool. They’re great for a party wine cooller and look good as a side table so they could fetch a few hundred.

BIG TICKET FURNITURE

Wardrobes and large pieces of furniture can be hard to sell because people simply don’t have space. We’ve got this armoire in the sale because it is so striking but in general we don’t take furniture that is more ordinary. If you sell a wardrobe for £80, we’ve transported it here, moved it around the photographed it – it’s a lot of work for not much value. There are exceptions – Ercol is different, especially the light elm pieces. We sold a two-seater Ercol bench for £2,000 recently. But it needs to have a good name and be good quality, not just any old G Plan type piece.

DON’T RUSH TO RESTORE

You don’t need to worry about upholstering and repainting something that’s not in mint condition because people put their own spin on an item. Some might repaint this cupboard while others will see it as perfect as it is. If you’re not sure an item is in good enough condition to sell, you can always try – we’re delighted when people show us objects because you never know. We’re always happy to receive an email and pictures. You might not think that the chipped plate on the sideboard is worth selling but you never know. It doesn’t have to be a whole van-load. In this sale we have 60 lots from a manor house in Blenheim but we’ll also have a client selling just one or two items. We’ll agree on a reserve for the item and we’ll photograph it then we take a commission of 11.5-16.5% and there’s no unsold charges.

GARDEN GEMS

Our houses have limited space but our gardens are another story and can always take more so anything to go in the garden does well. We often have urns and planters, obelisks and benches, so it’s always worth contacting us with those to sell.

Got something to sell? Or something’s caught your eye?

Mallams has auction houses in Oxford, Cheltenham and Abingdon with sales every three months – The House & Garden Sales in Abingdon (the next one is June 24 & 25 with the catalogue online now and viewing open June 21-23). Then there’s Country House, Cotswold Living and Asian & Islamic in Cheltenham, and a broad range in Oxford including Jewellery, Watches and Silver, Modern Art & Design, Affordable Art and one-off events like the Oxford Library Sale. Find out more about these sales, dates for viewings and auctions at mallams.co.uk. You can attend in person or view and bid online if you can’t get there and this is how to contact Mallams if you think you’ve found some treasure in your home.