Are there treasures hidden in your shed?
Brush away the cobwebs, they could be masking a potential goldmine of forgotten items now prized by collectors
THE garden shed is far more than just a storage space for junk. It can also be a hideaway for a potential goldmine of valuables, writes TOBY WALNE. The Mail on Sunday wades through the plastic plant pots and cobwebs in search of this treasure trove – and looks at how some antique tools can become shrewd investments.
THE contents of the average shed and other items left outside in the garden are worth £2,000, according to research by Lloyds Bank.
Unfortunately, burglars are all too aware of these valuables sitting around – everything from garden tools to bicycles, state-ofthe-art barbecues, garden furniture, plants and even garden gnomes.
According to the Office for National Statistics there were an estimated 700,000 garden thefts in the year to March in England and Wales.
The summer holiday is also a time when homes are at their most vulnerable – with garden shed crime 25 per cent higher than during the rest of the year. This is because opportunists take advantage of families being away.
Adam Powell, of insurer Policy Expert, says: ‘A shed can hide an Aladdin’s cave of valuables and insurance claims tend to increase in the summer. Cover on specific items can be limited – to between £350 and £1,000 – so it is vital to list them individually on insurance documents and to keep them secure.’
The price of a decent waterproof lock for a shed door can be as little as £15 while fitting a movement-sensitive external light might cost £100. Powell says you should note down the serial number of high-value items such as lawnmowers and power tools and also take photos of them as backup proof.
He adds: ‘The contents of the garden shed should be covered by your home insurance but check with your insurer that it includes outbuilding protection.’
You should also check whether cover includes items taken away from the home. This is particularly important for bicycles where cover is lost the moment you pedal off from the property.
The additional cost for covering valuables away from the home might be an extra £30 on a typical £350 annual home insurance policy.
Loyalty rarely pays for insurance so shop around before renewing, using a comparison website such as Gocompare, uSwitch or comparethemarket.
THE lawnmower was invented in 1830 by Edward Beard Budding of Gloucester. The concept was so unusual that Budding would test it at night – hoping neighbours would not see him and declare him mad.
It was not until the 1920s when manufacturers such as Jerram & Pearson started selling water-cooled engine mowers that interest really took off.
Brian Radam, founder of the British Lawnmower Museum in Southport, Merseyside, says: ‘Sadly the heyday of the mower has passed. People used to have them serviced once a year but these days they are just used until they break down. They are then thrown away and a new one is bought.’
Radam says that if you possess a mid-20th Century classic such as the Ransomes Ajax or Suffolk Punch and it is in good working order it may be worth between £150 and £300. A regular service should cost about £100.
Radam says: ‘Although old mowers were fabulously engineered they were sold in their millions so second-hand values are relatively subdued. But surviving classics, such as the Greens Silens Messor made from the late 1850s right up to the 1930s, can fetch more than £500.
‘Unusual luxury models, such as the sit-down Anzani made in the late
1950s, can also command more than £500.’
He points out that mowers should not be confused with grass cutters. A mower has a cylinder with blades and a roller to allow a clean formal cut. Grass cutters, favoured by modern manufacturers, have a rotary cutter underneath that only rips at the grass.
Radam says: ‘A second-hand mower in tip-top condition is hard to beat for value for money, but if you want to buy a new mower go to a garden specialist rather than a DIY store.
‘A quality cylinder mower should have its blades professionally sharpened once a year. It is also still possible to get parts for most old mowers.’
Modern mowers that should be insured include the £3,000 Allett ‘Buckingham’ 24in cylinder mower. Sit-down tractor mowers are also expensive. A John Deere will cost more than £2,000 new. GARDEN tools deserve to be well looked after – not just because it helps them do their job but it also raises their value.
In the modern throwaway world far too many tools are abandoned to rust or fall apart at the back of sheds, never to be used again.
But if you store and look after tools correctly they can last more than a lifetime. Sought after examples can even become family heirlooms.
Louise Allen runs antique garden tools shop Garden and Wood with partner Piers Newth in Little Haseley, Oxfordshire.
She says: ‘Some of the best tools that gardeners use today are historic artefacts that have been passed down from grandparents. A hundred years ago an employed gardener might spend quite a bit of their salary on a professional tool such as a fork or spade to do their tasks. The tools were hand crafted. A vintage fork or spade can now be worth at least £40 – double the cost of a cheap modern version.’
She says some items, such as pitchforks, do not command high prices because they are rarely used today but others, such as a border fork or a dung fork (great for turning compost) will always be in demand. A clean-up will often bring them back to life. A light oiling combats rusting and bees’ wax nourishes old wood.
Although there are specialist antique tool dealers you can also find old implements by scouring auction websites and visiting flea markets.
But the best place to start is with family and friends and the back of a shed.