A Ming Dish Stored in the Back of a Closet
“The Bruun Rasmussen name may get your foot in the door, but it is important that people are met by someone they feel they can see eye to eye with”, says Liselotte Toxværd Møller. She is a valuation specialist and department manager in the auction house, and we recently asked her what the most important thing in her work is and about the most surprising item she has ever had to place an estimate on.
"The most important thing for me is to create a mutual feeling of trust. My job is very simply put to assess people's personal belongings, and therefore a positive, trusting relationship is crucial. When I go on visits to people's private homes, I often meet people who are in a difficult personal situation due to a divorce or death in the family. The name Bruun Rasmussen may get your foot in the door, but it is important that people feel they can see eye to eye with you.” This is how Liselotte Toxværd Møller describes her work as a ‘generalist’ – i.e. a valuation specialist who appraises everything from furniture and art to silver, porcelain and various types of collector’s items.
In addition to her role as a generalist, Liselotte is also the department manager for our valuation desk at our location in Copenhagen, Nordhavn. Already as a child, she attended auctions with her parents: “It was magical – an Aladdin’s cave of wonders where you could go treasure hunting. Since then, I followed up my interest and studied economics and art history with a few detours to Sotheby's Institute in London and the University of Amsterdam.”
“People often share very personal stories about the objects they own or have inherited. And here it is essential both to be attentive and to articulate a realistic assessment of the market conditions. To understand people's expectations, dreams and desires for something of value and the further life of things after people have let go of them. Many of the customers I meet are in a vulnerable or life-changing situations. Therefore, I always try to understand their needs and help them in the process of moving on in a way that fits my field of expertise: by giving their belongings a new life in a good way and with good memories. That is the key element in my work.”
What Is the Most Surprising Auction Lot You Have Encountered?
|
|
"Most recently, I was responsible for the valuation process of a large estate, where to our great surprise there was a Chinese Ming dish hidden away in the back of a cupboard under a random assortment of dishes and glass. I could immediately see that it was something extraordinary, but that it would later be sold for DKK 35.5 million at auction came as a huge surprise. My first visit to this estate occurred nearly two years ago. Here the owner of the dish was still alive and full of vigour. She shared many of the stories about her belongings. They came from the family of her grandmother's husband, Salomon Sørensen, who was a city architect in Malmö. She told me about several of the costly items, but she did not mention the dish, so it would have been a huge surprise to her if she had found out what it ended up being sold for at auction. Now that everything has been settled, I am personally left with a good feeling that the circle has been closed in a good and proper way for everyone involved.” |
What Is the Best Thing About Your Job?
|
“The best thing about my work is that no two days are the same. I get to meet many exciting people and experience incredible and unique things. I feel incredibly privileged to be invited into people's homes and private spaces – also emotionally. And then I'm an aesthetician – art makes me happy, and it means a lot to me to work with it in my everyday life. In addition, I love the large, often complex valuation assignments that have to be solved – it is a huge pleasure when you have a satisfied customer after such a task.” |
|
How Should One Go About Getting an Estimate of One's Belongings?
“The first step can be to take some pictures of your items and send them to us via the online valuation service on our website – we respond in one to two business days. If you would like to speak to someone about the valuation, you are welcome to visit our offices on weekdays between 10 am and 5 pm and on Saturdays between 10 am and 2 pm. At the valuation desk, we examine a large part of the almost 100,000 items we sell per year plus all the many items that are not eligible for a sale at one of our auctions – we do, unfortunately, also have these cases once in a while. Of course, you can also always call us, and together we can find the best solution for your personal needs.”
Start your valuation journey here
For further information, please contact:
Customer Services: +45 8818 1010 · customerservices@bruun-rasmussen.dk