15+ Years in Chicago Homes
The Estates Behind Our Buying Expertise
Since 2010, families in 12+ Chicago neighborhoods have trusted Ivan and Diane Bilic to handle entire estates. These are real homes, real collections, and real photos from our own archive — the experience behind every offer we make today.
15+
Years Handling Estates
12+
Chicago Neighborhoods
1,000s
Pieces Personally Handled
99.7%
eBay Positive Feedback
Why This History Matters When You Sell
Anyone can call themselves a buyer. Few can show fifteen years of Chicago dining rooms, attics, and jewelry boxes. Before Decatique Studios became known as a direct buyer, Ivan and Diane were the people families called to handle entire estates — evaluating, pricing, and finding buyers for everything from signed costume jewelry to coin collections and Meiji-period bronzes.
That archive — a selection of it photographed below — is the foundation of every evaluation we do today. When we look at your inherited jewelry or your parents' collection, we are comparing it against thousands of pieces we have personally handled, not a guess.
One important note: we no longer organize estate sales. Today we work the other side of the table — as your buyer. That means no strangers walking through the home, no commissions on a sale, and no weeks of preparation. Just a fair, research-backed offer. For individual finds from our more recent work, see Recent Finds.
Neighborhoods We've Worked
From Rogers Park to Brighton Park — a decade of estates across Chicago's North, Northwest, and West sides.
Rogers Park
2013
60660 — High-end designer fashion — Armani, Versace, Hermès, vintage furs
West Town / Ukrainian Village
2015, 2018
60642 — Theodore Gall studio sculptures, Murano glass, mid-century furniture
Lincoln Park
2017
60614 — A world traveler's fine antiques, museum posters, Italian candelabras
Portage Park / NW Side
2017, 2019
60630 — Amber & vintage jewelry, Polish crystal, 40s–80s vintage clothing
Logan Square
2019
60647 — American Indian pottery, Murano glass, vintage jewelry
Old Irving Park
2019, 2022
60641 — A packed 4-story home; a 3-generation antiques estate
Wicker Park
2020
60622 — A packed collector's apartment — hundreds of antiques & Taxco sterling
Boystown / Lakeview
2020, 2022
60613 — Vintage & retro collectibles; a Ravenswood warehouse liquidation
Brighton Park
2021
60632 — Civil War prints, military history, 1,000+ books
Lake View
2022
60657 — Attic-to-basement treasures, Thai bronze & gilt statuary
Lincoln Square
2022
60625 — Mid-century furniture, studio pottery, Rolleiflex cameras
North Center
2023
60618 — Meiji-period Japanese bronze warriors & fine art
Inside the Estates
Authentic photographs from our own estate archive — the pieces families trusted us to evaluate and place.
North Center · 2023
Japanese Art, Bronze Warriors & More
A two-floor-plus-basement home with a serious Japanese art collection — including Meiji-period bronze warriors.
Japanese samurai bronze warrior — Meiji period (1868–1912)
Japanese bronze warrior — 24" tall
Sculpted bronze dragon — Frederick Cooper lamp detail
Bronze warrior with spear and quiver
Japanese bronze warrior figure on carved base
Bronze warrior on an ornately carved base
Samurai figural table lamp
Lincoln Square · 2022
Mid Century, Cameras & Collectibles
A clean, sweet sale full of mid-century modern furniture, studio pottery, and a Rolleiflex camera collection.
Mid-century green armchair
Pair of Tomlinson mid-century modern dining chairs
Brayton Laguna black pottery sculpture
Maker's mark — Brayton's of Laguna Beach, California
Mid-century table lamp
A table of vintage cameras and accessories
Rolleiflex 6008 with its original box
Rolleiflex 6003 medium-format camera
Lake View · 2022
Lake View Endless Treasures
A packed attic-to-basement home anchored by an exceptional collection of Thai bronze and gilt statuary.
Henry Link "Mandarin" cabinet with Asian motif
Thai gilt Bodhisattva statue
A room of Thai bronze and gilt statues
Thai statuary arranged on an altar table
Henry Link wall unit filled with figurines
Pair of Thai gilt kneeling figures
Thai gilt kneeling figure
A group of Thai gilt and bronze figures
Brighton Park · 2021
Military History, Prints & Books
A 90-year family home with a thousand-plus books and a serious Civil War print collection — Kunstler, Gallon, Troiani.
Dale Gallon 'Brian's Farm' — signed & numbered
Dale Gallon 'Pickett's Grand Assault' — hand signed & numbered
Signed & numbered Civil War battle print
Limited-edition Civil War print from the collection
Civil War battle print — farm and river scene
Civil War print — generals on horseback
Abraham Lincoln bronze bust
Civil War soldier figurines — Union and Confederate
Wicker Park · 2020
Tiny Wonderland — A Collector's Dream
A small apartment packed with hundreds of antiques, costume jewelry, and Taxco sterling.
Wall-to-wall collectibles in the packed apartment
Monumental Chinese earthenware vase — 36.5" tall
Display cases of vintage jewelry
Chinese turquoise floor vase with dragon and tiger
Dragon detail on the turquoise floor vase
Tall carved ebonized plant stand
Portage Park · 2019
A Vintage Time Warp
One family, nearly 60 years in the same Northwest Side bungalow — furniture and jewelry from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
Mid-century starburst mirror and carved Asian figurines
Vintage costume jewelry
Set of 6 Reilly-Wolf atomic ice cream parlor chairs
Mid-century furnishings, room after room
Rattan swivel chair with pink cushion
Vintage green cruiser bicycle
Carved Mediterranean-style sideboard
Flatware drawer in the carved sideboard
Logan Square · 2019
American Indian Pottery & Pop Culture
First floor, basement, backyard, and garage — American Indian pottery, Murano glass, and vintage jewelry throughout.
American Indian pottery and artisan pieces
Murano glass bison
Vintage jewelry and smalls
Inlaid round table with geometric pattern
Religious artifacts — crosses, chalices, porcelain hand
Costume jewelry spread across the table
Box after box of costume jewelry
West Town · 2018
Theodore Gall Garden Sculptures
A rare chance to handle listed-artist sculpture — including pieces purchased directly from Theodore Gall's studio.
Theodore Gall 'Antelope Chase' — Stambos steel
Theodore Gall 'Number Three Man' — corten steel
Theodore Gall Stambos steel figure — full view
Theodore Gall 'Number Three Man' — full view
Portage Park · 2017
Gold, Crystal & Vintage Clothing
A packed Polish family bungalow — 22K gold and amber jewelry, crystal, folk art, and 40s–80s vintage clothing.
22K gold and vintage jewelry from the bungalow
Vintage jewelry fills the display cases
Polish folk art dolls and collectibles
Amber and coral bead jewelry
Gold bangle bracelets and cuffs
A room full of vintage clothing
Carved oak dining chairs
Lincoln Park · 2017
World Traveler's Fine Antiques & Art
A DePaul-area home packed by a world traveler over 55 years — antique icons, gilt Buddhas, and Italian candelabras.
Antique gilt sitting Buddha — 29.5" tall, ~107 lbs
Antique Greek Coptic/Orthodox wood icon
Bronze figural sculptures with period lamp
Gilt antique seating in the packed home
Gilt Buddha on a console with figural lamps
Antique oil painting — cavalry scene in a gilt frame
Pair of cast-iron winged-lion fireplace chenets
Beaded crystal chandelier
From Handling Estates to Buying Them
The same trained eye, working directly for you now.
We know what things sell for
15+ years of estates plus 11,000+ items sold through our Top Rated eBay store. Our offers are backed by real outcomes, not hunches.
We spot what others miss
Meiji bronzes, signed Trifari, 22K gold in a tangled jewelry box — the pieces on this page are the kind generalist buyers undervalue.
One call settles it
No sale to organize, no commissions, no cleanout chaos. We evaluate, offer, and pay — on your timeline.
Questions About Our Track Record
No. For years, Chicago families called Ivan and Diane to handle entire estates — that history is what this page documents. Today we put that experience to work as buyers: we purchase jewelry, coins, gold, silver, collectibles, and entire estates directly. No sale to organize, no crowds in the home — just a fair offer from people who have seen it all.
All of them — plus the North Shore and the wider suburbs. The neighborhoods on this page are simply where past estates took us: Rogers Park to Brighton Park, Logan Square to Lake View. Wherever your family's home is, we come to you.
Everything from 22K gold and signed costume jewelry to Meiji-period bronzes, Civil War prints, mid-century furniture, coins, sterling, and studio pottery. Fifteen-plus years of estates means we recognize value that generalist buyers and cleanout crews walk right past.
Call (773) 719-0508 or send photos through our contact page. We evaluate, make a fair no-pressure offer, and pay on the spot when you accept. Single pieces, jewelry boxes, coin collections, or whole-house estates — all welcome.
Ready to Sell? Put 15+ Years of Estate Experience to Work
Whether it's a single piece or an entire house, Decatique Studios makes fair, confidential, no-pressure offers across Chicago and the North Shore.
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