How to Value Antiques

!±8± How to Value Antiques

Antiques are old objects which represent a period of time in human history. They are usually about 100 years old or older, and are collected for its age, beauty, and rarity. The 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tarriff act defined antiques as "works of art (except rugs and carpets made after the year 1700), collections in illustration of the progress of the arts, works in bronze, marble, terra cotta, parian, pottery or porcelain, artistic antiquities and objects of ornamental character or educational value which shall have been produced prior to the year 1830." The world and society has come a long way since 1930, however, and pieces made after 1830 are often considered antiques.

Many people have various antiques. Usually these are passed down in families. Others acquire these objects by actively collecting items known to be valuable or objects they felt would become valuable one day. However, there are also people who don't realize they own these objects and don't realize how much they could sell for.

If you think you might have an object worth something, you should learn how to value antiques. Consider these steps:

One: The first thing you need to do is some research to see if anyone is collecting the item or if it indeed is valuable. If no one is collecting that particular object, it may not be worth that much.

Two: Check on the quality of the piece. If it is in good quality, it will be worth more. In some cases, such as with glass apothecary jars, having their original contents will also increase its market value.

Three: Get it appraised. You can go online for an appraisal, but you need to remember that getting it appraised by someone who can closely examine the object (it's easier to tell if it's authentic this way) is the best thing to do. So try to find a local antique store. Just keep in mind that these stores will often give you a wholesale price because if you sell it to them, they have to make money off of it too. So never take this price as the final price.

Four: Compare values. Check out other similar items and do research on how much they were sold for. Getting the average of this amount will give you a good idea of what the market thinks it's worth.

If you truly value antiques, try not to sell them unless you really have to or know that there is no one to inherit it that will appreciate it's beauty. Remember that these pieces only increase in value over time, so hanging on to them is one of the best ways to get the best price.