On February 25 and 26, 2026, NEO Enchères organizes two days of free and confidential expert appraisals in Antibes and Nice. Jewelry, watches, gold coins, paintings and art objects will be examined in a context of rising precious metal prices and evolving art market trends.
In French households, a significant portion of heritage circulates quietly. Gold jewelry passed down through generations, antique watches preserved in cases, paintings hung for decades without identified signatures, or gold coins tucked away in drawers constitute a discreet heritage, often underestimated, sometimes completely unknown to their owners.
Yet these dated assets exist in a profoundly transformed environment: globalization of the art market, expanded distribution of auction sales, and recent increases in gold prices to historically high levels. What yesterday was a memory or emotional legacy can today represent a concrete heritage stake, provided one can access reliable, independent, and understandable expertise.
This is precisely where, at the boundary between intimate heritage and public market, NEO Enchères’ initiative takes place. The auction house organizes two days of free and confidential expert appraisals in Antibes and Nice, on February 25 and 26, 2026, to allow individuals and collectors to have their belongings valued near their homes.
On February 25, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., appraisals will be held at the AC Hotel Ambassadeur Antibes – Juan-les-Pins, located at 50-52 chemin des Sables. On February 26, at the same times, the venue is the Westminster Hotel, 27 Promenade des Anglais.
During these two days, auctioneers will receive individuals in a confidential and professional setting in order to appraise a wide range of items: paintings, sculptures, drawings, art objects, with particular emphasis on jewelry, watches, and gold coins given market trends marked by rising precious metal prices.
Through these appraisal days, NEO Enchères continues a movement initiated in 2025. Serving owners of art objects in the regions constitutes the central focus of this initiative. More than 70% of the auction house’s clients are not from the Île-de-France region. As explains Quentin Charraudeau, president of NEO Enchères: “very regularly during my visits, clients told me: ‘Why don’t you come more often to our city? I know plenty of people who would be interested in your services.'”
Based on these conversations, the auction house launched a genuine tour of France with appraisal days, conceived as a tool for proximity, education, and dialogue, to bring a clear understanding of the art market to audiences sometimes far removed from traditional circuits.
Quentin Charraudeau: “a real treasure hunt”
The Antibes and Nice days rest on a simple principle: offer direct access to appraisal, without fees, without obligation to sell, and in complete confidentiality. Auctioneers take time to examine each object presented, explain its origin, characteristics, and valuation criteria, based on recent auction results and market conditions.
If some owners subsequently choose to entrust their belongings to sale, many leave simply with a better understanding of what they own. This informative dimension constitutes a pillar of the program, as Quentin Charraudeau emphasizes: “the outcome of these appraisal days is always uncertain, it’s a real treasure hunt.”
Beyond discovering items destined for sale, these days fulfill a broader ambition: make the auction house known and remind people that expertise is accessible. Many visitors do not entrust their objects to sale, but now know that contact remains possible, without barriers or intimidation.
As Gwenola Bovis, auctioneer, emphasizes: “we also wish to provide accessibility through these days. Our profession is too often misperceived, whereas being accessible is the key to our success.”
Jewelry and watches appraised in Antibes and Nice can be presented at the Prestige Watches, Jewelry and Numismatics sale organized at the Hôtel Drouot on March 25. Other items, depending on their specialty, can be integrated into early March sales, guaranteeing national and international visibility suited to each type of item.
The appraisal days organized by NEO Enchères are often marked by unexpected discoveries. In Lyon, a client presented a Cartier ring set with a diamond, appraised between 50,000 and 70,000 euros, then entrusted to sale.
In other cases, more modest values take on decisive importance, particularly in the current context of rising gold prices. Quentin Charraudeau recalls a memorable moment: “I think of this woman who came to one of our appraisal days with her mother’s gold watch that I appraised at 1,500 euros. She was shocked: this sum was very important to her and allowed her to get out of a difficult situation.”
These situations illustrate the social and heritage role of appraisal, far beyond simple numerical estimation. In Antibes as in Nice, behind a cabinet door, an emotional legacy can thus change status under a professional’s eye, between intimate heritage and the globalized art market.
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