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Gold Box and Vertu Consignment
Sotheby’s is your most reliable venue to sell an antique gold snuff box, patch box, pill box or other rare item of vertu that you are ready to part with. Simply submit photographs and information about your French, Russian, German or other European gold box or vertu through our easy-to-use online estimate form, and a dedicated specialist will be assigned to you. If your piece is a good fit for one of our auctions, we will provide you with an auction estimate, or the projected range of sale prices at auction, and details about how to consign. Your specialist will be with you through the entire consignment process, from shipping to final sale, in order to make the experience as seamless as possible.
Auctions including gold boxes, such as a bonbonniere, tabatière or boîte-à-mouches, are held in New York, Geneva, London, Paris, and online throughout the year. When you submit your single gold or silver box or an entire collection, our specialists will provide guidance about which sale and venue will help you achieve the highest price.
Find Out the Value of Your Vertu
Submit photos and information about your vertu or gold boxes and begin your complimentary auction estimate request.
Get an Estimate
Gold Boxes and Vertu Consigned with Sotheby's
Get Started with an Estimate
Get Started with an Estimate
Get an Estimate
Frequently Asked Questions
- How can I sell my antique gold box?The first step in selling a gold snuff box is to determine its value. Sotheby's can help by providing you with a complimentary estimate when you submit photographs and information about your gold box online. After considering its rarity, condition, provenance and current market demand, our specialists can recommend an appropriate live or online sale to help you realise the highest price.
- What is Sotheby's fee to appraise my antique gold box or object of vertu?Our estimate valuations are complimentary. At no charge, our specialists review submissions and provide valuations for any antique snuffboxes, pillboxes, or other objects of vertu we believe we can sell at a live auction or online sale. If your object is not an appropriate fit for a Sotheby's auction, we will do our best to recommend an alternate sales venue.
- How much is my antique gold snuff box or vertu worth?The most valuable and rare gold boxes are typically those linked to a royal family. Since most royal gold boxes reside in museums and private collections, these types of gold boxes are exceedingly rare. Antique gold boxes marked by a recognized goldsmith or jeweler are always favored by collectors and connoisseurs. Your collectible gold box might be decorated with a miniature painting, micromosaic, fine enamel work or diamonds and other gemstones. Sotheby's specialists can identify authentic markings on your gold box, so please be sure that your submission includes detailed photos of any engravings, marks, or signatures.
- Why should I sell my box through an auction rather than to a dealer?Sotheby’s auctions are followed by an international audience that includes top galleries, dealers and private collectors. When you sell your object of vertu in a Sotheby’s auction, you gain exposure to a large and competitive group of global buyers who compete against one another to purchase your fine gold or silver box for the highest price.
More information on how to sell with Sotheby's
Sotheby’s is your best resource to buy and sell antique gold boxes, necessaires, pill boxes, cigarette cases, etuis, and vertu. Whether you have a gem-encrusted gold box, a box with a micromosaic, or a carved hardstone snuff box, Sotheby's can help you sell it. We offer boxes from Europe, Spain, France, England, Italy, Germany and other countries made of gold, silver, enamel, micromosaics, hardstone, painted decoration, shell, mother-of-pearl, or other rare materials.