Sorting through a parent’s or grandparent’s belongings after a loss is hard enough without also trying to figure out what’s actually valuable and what you’re allowed to do with it. If you’ve inherited jewelry, silverware, or a coin collection, here’s the order we’d recommend working through, before you sell anything.

Check Where the Estate Stands Legally

In Louisiana, personal property, including jewelry, silver, and coins, generally needs to be cleared through the succession process before it’s sold or formally distributed to heirs, though what that process actually looks like depends heavily on the size and specifics of the estate. Larger or more complicated estates typically go through a full judicial succession, where items stay with the executor or administrator until debts are settled and the court issues a Judgment of Possession. Smaller, uncontested estates often qualify for Louisiana’s small succession affidavit process instead, a simpler, faster path that skips full court proceedings when the estate falls under the state’s value threshold and there’s no dispute among heirs. Louisiana Law Help, a legal aid nonprofit, has a plain-language overview of how succession works in the state if you want more detail.

Which category an estate falls into isn’t something to guess at, and this isn’t legal advice. Every estate is different, and the rules around what qualifies for the simpler process have specific conditions. If you’re not the one handling the succession, or you’re not sure whether it’s been finalized (or even whether full succession is required at all), a succession attorney can typically tell you where things stand in a single conversation.

If multiple heirs are involved and everyone’s already agreed on who gets what, or the succession is complete and you’re the sole heir, you’re clear to move to the next step.

What Actually Has Value

Once you’re clear to proceed, don’t assume you already know what’s worth something. A few things people consistently miss:

  • Costume jewelry mixed in with the real thing. Not everything in a jewelry box is gold or silver, and not everything that looks plain is costume. A quick, no-cost evaluation sorts this out faster than guessing.
  • Sterling silver that looks tarnished or “old-fashioned.” Condition and style don’t affect a piece’s silver content. A blackened, decades-old set of flatware can be worth more than a shiny new one, because it’s priced on weight and purity, not appearance.
  • Coins that aren’t marked as valuable. Loose change jars sometimes contain pre-1965 U.S. coins that are 90% silver, foreign coins, or older pieces with real numismatic value, none of which is obvious just by looking.
  • Broken or single pieces. A single earring, a broken chain, a ring that doesn’t fit anyone still carries real value based on its gold or silver content.

Get an Honest, In-Person Evaluation

This is where it matters who you bring the items to. A general pawn shop can tell you what something weighs; it usually can’t tell you whether a coin has numismatic value beyond its metal content, or whether a piece is worth more intact than melted down. Look for a buyer who’s actually equipped to evaluate both, precious metals content and any collectible or numismatic value, and who explains the offer instead of just naming a number. If you’re weighing pawn shops against other options, our pawn shop vs. mail-in vs. local buyer comparison walks through the tradeoffs.

This comes up constantly in estates around Pass Christian, Algiers, and Picayune, where multi-generational homes tend to hold onto jewelry, silver, and coin collections for decades before anyone sorts through them.

If There Are Multiple Heirs

When jewelry or a collection needs to be divided among siblings or other heirs, getting an honest valuation upfront makes the whole process easier. It gives everyone the same starting point for dividing items fairly or agreeing to sell and split the proceeds. Trying to guess at value, or relying on sentimental assumptions about what’s “the good stuff,” is a common source of friction in exactly the kind of situation that’s already emotionally difficult.

When You’re Ready

Once you know where the estate stands and roughly what you’re working with, selling is straightforward: bring the items in (or schedule a mobile appointment if you’re sorting through a family home and don’t want to transport everything), and expect a clear explanation of how the offer was calculated: current spot price, weight, purity, and any additional value beyond scrap. You shouldn’t have to take anyone’s word for it without an explanation, especially on something that came from family. See everything we buy or find your nearest service area.

Ready to Sell? Schedule Your Evaluation

Every evaluation is honest, in-person, and based on live spot pricing, with no obligation to sell. Schedule your evaluation with New Orleans Silver and Gold today.