Households across the north west are sitting on hidden treasure troves that may be worth thousands of pounds, a leading jewellery and precious metals expert has said.
A recent surge in the value of gold and silver means jewellery, coins and antiques have rocketed in value in the past 12 months.
According to the Royal Mint, gold prices soared by more than 50% from £2,095 to £3,324 per ounce and silver rose by 140% from £22 to nearly £60 per ounce in 2025.
Now, leading family-run auctioneers, Thomson Roddick Callan are hosting a Valuation Day at their Carlisle Auction Centre on Friday, January 16, where people are invited to get a free estimate from jewellery and silver expert, Hugh Gregory.
Hugh, a renowned auction consultant and qualified gemologist, has more than 50 years of experience in valuing precious metals, and is encouraging people to see what their items would fetch at auction.
He said: “There will be many households which have jewellery and other gold and silver items hidden away in an old drawer and they’re unaware these could be worth thousands.
“The price of gold and silver is incredibly high at the moment, and a lot of people don’t realise that their pieces of jewellery could receive more if they sell them at auction.
“I want to reach out to people to tell them not to think about melting down their jewellery for the scrap price until they at least get a specialist opinion about how much they could receive if they put listed them for sale under the hammer.
“In fact, there’s many instances where people don’t realise their items contain gold or silver because they’re not hallmarked or stamped, so it’s worth bringing it in and getting it checked out by a specialist first.”
People are invited to bring in their jewellery, watches, silver, coins, banknotes, militaria, antiques and collectables to the free valuation event at Thomson Roddick Callan’s Auction Centre located on Carlisle’s Marconi Road. The event will run between 10am to 3pm on Friday, January 16.
The company is currently seeking entries for its combined Collectors and Antiques Sale at Carlisle on Monday, February 16.
Managing Director Sybelle Thomson said: “Jewellery, gold and silver are big sellers at our auctions and owners typically get a higher price for their items by listing them for auction instead of other methods.”
In addition to its Carlisle Auction Centre, Thomson Roddick Callan has salerooms in Edinburgh, Dumfries and Ayr in Scotland, and holds regular online auctions which attract global audiences.
More details about the sales at Carlisle can be found at www.thomsonroddick.com.
