Researching Your Antiques

One of the most time consuming and difficult tasks is the research that goes into various pieces you may acquire that you think may be worth something. Whether you’re a dealer or a collector it’s important to be able to accurately research and appraise your antiques or potential purchases so that you’re informed about them before you invest any money. It’s also useful so that you can insure any pieces that might require it and so that you can keep track of your inventory as you buy and sell various antiques.

The first thing that you’ll probably want to do is to see if you can get it appraised by anyone. The important thing to remember here is not just simply walk up to any antiques dealer and ask them how much your item is worth. If you do that the best answer you may get is a half-hearted, low-balling guess that won’t be very much use. Antique dealers make their living buying low and selling high so don’t underestimate their skills at doing that. Also just because you think the item is worth something doesn't necessarily mean that it is. This also applies to any estimated values you may be given. Just because someone tells you it’s worth a certain amount doesn’t mean it is or that anyone will give you that price for it. If it won’t sell at that price then it isn’t worth that much.

There are plenty of great appraisal websites that you can use to your advantage when doing your research. Many of them will give individual estimates for your pieces for a variety of different fees and others will also give you access to a whole database of estimates and referrals by which to compare your piece. These can also be useful in tracking trends of certain antique specialties and they can be helpful in deciding which pieces are worth investing in. Sites like Kovels, PriceMiner, Wilcox & Hall, WhatsItWorthToYou, and many others can be great references for someone looking to know more about the history and the value of one of their antiques.

You can also spend time looking through sites like Ebay and other auctions that will give you an idea of how much your piece might be selling for exactly and where you might be able to find potential buyers or sources of similar pieces. Remember however that it’s not always about having the same piece or antique that some one else might have. More often than not the prices and estimated values between different pieces can vary greatly when the condition of the piece and any cleaning or restorative work that’s been done to it is taken into account. People often forget that the value of your antique is only as much as the condition that it’s in. Repairs and cleaning can often significantly lower the value of a given piece so take care when estimating costs and prices and if you’re really unsure of the value of your piece then invest a few dollars and get it properly appraised.