There are professional activities that remain almost invisible to the public but require great experience, discretion, and precision.
Assisting a notary in opening safe deposit boxes or preparing estate inventories certainly falls within these.
The inventory of inheritance
Indeed, it may be necessary, in the context of an inheritance, to open a bank safety deposit box in the deceased’s name or to prepare an official inventory of the estate’s assets, as required in particular circumstances by Article 773 of the Italian Code of Civil Procedure, which requires the inventory to contain a description and estimate of the assets found.
In these cases, the notary, as a public official, must describe and record what is found, and the support of a specialized technical figure is essential.
What items are stored in bank safes?
Over the years I have had the opportunity to assist notaries in very different contexts.
Small boxes containing a few family memories, but also complex patrimonies composed of:
- collectible watches;
- coins;
- paints;
- silver services;
- historical documents;
- jewels;
- antiques accumulated over generations.
In these situations, my job is not only to assign a financial value to the assets, but above all to correctly identify them and describe them in a clear and technically appropriate manner.
The importance of describing objects
A generic or imprecise inventory can in fact generate disputes between heirs or create difficulties in subsequent division or tax declaration operations.
Often, a simple incorrect wording is enough to completely alter the perception of an object: an “antique clock” could be a common commercial specimen or a collector’s item; a silver service could have exclusively intrinsic value or possess historical and antiquarian importance.
Our experience in the art and antiques market allows us to approach these transactions methodically and quickly, always maintaining the necessary balance between technical rigor and personal sensitivity.
The responsibility of the notary and the role of the expert
It must be remembered that behind every inheritance there are not only assets to catalogue, but also family events, memories and often delicate relationships.
The relationship with the notary develops in a climate of technical collaboration, and while the professional in charge of drafting the deed retains full legal responsibility for the transactions, my intervention provides the specialized support necessary for the recognition, description, and valuation of the assets.
This is a little-known but extremely important activity, in which skills developed over time through direct contact with objects become a concrete tool for the proper management of inheritance.
If you need technical assistance for opening a safe deposit box, inheritance inventories, or appraisals of art and antiques, contact me for a preliminary consultation.
