Antique Value

So you're at the flea market and you've come across a vase that appears to have been made during the Ming Dynasty. Don't you wish you had done a little research on the value of antiques and collectibles before arriving at the market? What if you're on the selling end of the market? How many of us have read stories about someone buying an item for $25, get it appraised and...discover it's worth $5000 and the appraiser will be glad to take it off your hands. Not long ago, a guy I work with, and his wife, went shopping through pawn shops for items to decorate their new home. They came home with an antique desk purchased for $1000. Upon appraisal, for insurance purposes, they were told the desk was made in the mid 1800's by one of the more famous designers of the times and would bring a price between 40 and 50 thousand dollars. My friend and his wife sold that desk for 48 thousand dollars and began studying the value of antiques.

Everyone needs a hobby and putting together a collection of antiques, whether it's coins, jewelry, furniture, art, or just about anything made long ago can be both fun and educational, but it requires knowledge. Other collectors of like items can be a great source of information for pricing antiques in your collection. Attend local auctions and estate sales to meet other collectors and note the amount they are paying for the same kind of pieces you are collecting.

Read and subscribe to trade publications such as, Antique Week and Antique Trader to learn more about antique value and how you can apply this knowledge to building your own collection.

Specialty auction houses, Treadway Galleries, Rago Arts and Auction Center, and Cincinnati Art Galleries can offer insight to what your items might be worth. Keep in mind though, major auction houses usually only handle items $20,000 and up for a 25% commission. If you go that route make sure you have done your buying homework. When it comes to pricing antiques, always remember, it's not what you sold it for, but what did it cost you.