wrote: Got a large marble fire surround in our new house that looks like its come from a house clearance and been unceremoniuosly stuck on the chimeny breast where is looks totally out of place, doest even fit the breast properly, far too big and dark for the room. Needless to say we are thinking of getting rid. The other day we had a visitor who's quite in the know who said its probably worth at least £2000. Now the getting rid option seems slightly more appealing.
Are there any websites for dating / identifying styles of fire surrounds or someone I could send pictures to to get an estimated value??
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You could try the antiques newsgroups, a Google for marble fire surround dealers, and a search on eBay. You could take some photos to a building reclamation firm (your Yellow pages should list a few) but say you are looking to buy something similar because the sell-to-the-dealer price will be a lot different. Local auction firms are also worth trying - they may be willing to visit and give you an idea of the value for auction, or look at your photos. You might get a good price if you can find a private buyer, or sell it at auction, but if you have to sell to the trade then it's the dealer who gets the good price. I hope your visitor was right. In my experience these impromptu valuations are very optimistic.
Phil