What counts as collateral for lenders?

Honestly, I don't know ANY bank that could accept such "junk" as collateral. And that's coming from a banker. Selling everything is the only sensible advice. And pray that your price expectations don't deviate too much downward in reality.

Partly inherited, but you can also get attached to things you have earned yourself.

I bet you want to build a cellar (for the old treasures)

There is the well-known saying "Only cash is true."

That's right. What counts is cash ... as equity. And the last three months' salaries. No more, no less. Where the former comes from does not matter.

Hello, banks are not antique dealers.

They might have been so during wartime as henchmen, but not anymore.

How can you improve the interest rate? Simply by bringing in more equity. Pledging assets like coins, vintage cars, or portfolios to the bank would not help because they do not do that in private customer business.

The only real collateral is real estate or the registered land charge on it.

So if you also have a real estate portfolio without land charges, then it makes sense.

Thank you very much for your feedback. As I almost expected, it makes the most sense to liquidate the "Sicherheiten" now. We might possibly hold back a part to have a personal back-up.