Biddle & Webb valuers always have plenty of work on their hands – from handling probate clearances to evaluating items for our Interiors auctions, there is always something going on. Though each job is unique, some items make for especially interesting finds, and in the wake of our February auction, it’s safe to say that two of this month’s lots fit the bill.

Lot 315 was discovered by chance on a house visit. Our valuers had been called out to view specific items for the upcoming auction, but instead, they noticed a pair of green teak easy chairs, and identified them as the work of Danish designers Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen for France & Daverkson. Shockingly, our valuers were not the first to view the chairs, but they were the first to show interest – several other establishments had already passed them up.

This was not the final surprise: in the run-up to the same auction, on another house visit, our valuers came across a set of two nesting tables, formerly a set of three. The owner had thought nothing of them, and they were destined to be thrown away, if not for our team – after recognising them as the work of designer Marcel Breuer, we soon added them to our February catalogue.

Though these lots had humble beginnings, they did not disappoint in the saleroom – after being rescued from disuse, our Breuer nesting tables brought in four telephone bids, and ended up selling for a phenomenal £2100, one of our highest results of the auction. Right behind it in the results were our designer easy chairs –bought by the same dedicated bidder, they realised £1500. If it weren’t for our valuers, these star lots would have been lost and forgotten, but thanks to their expertise, we were able to realise the prices they deserved.