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Auctions and Antiques Examiner
Showing entries for Category: values
Showing entries for Category: values
10 Tips For Investing in Antiques and Collectibles
 These days many people are taking a closer look at antiques & collectibles as investments. As the stock market becomes more volatile, it just makes great sense to add tangible assets to your investment portfolio. Unlike any other investment, when you invest in a collectible, it's virtually impossible to lose 100% of your money due to devaluation. By investing in things you like you have the pleasure of owning them no matter what their monetary value, but we want you to make money with your purchases, so here are 10 tips to help you do that. Since collectibles come in and out of favor, I'm going to cite principles, rather than specific items to invest in. Future articles will cover specific antiques & collectibles information.
Now get out there and start buying low and selling high! There has never been so much merchandise on the collectibles market as there is right now! |
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Selling While it's Hot!
 People tend to think that the collectibles market goes only in one direction as things age and that is up. While it's true that many antiques and collectibles do get more valuable with age, I can assure you it's not always the case. Remember Beanie Babies? How about canning jars? Old Insulators? Right. Now I know that a few of you out there can point to some obscure items in each of these categories and say hey, I know someone who just sold a $2000.00 Beanie Baby, there are rare exceptions to every rule, but most collectibles cool of after a hot period, that's why timing is one of the most important considerations in the market. Sell it while it's hot! I was with a client today, she's the executrix of an estate, her and her brothers have a sizable US Silver Coin Collection they asked me to either appraise or sell. Either way I'll make money on this transaction whether I appraise it or take it on consignment. My advice to her, don't even bother to have me appraise it, because the market for coins is so hot right now that they will likely bring more money than they could bring in any other market for a long time. What would be the point of me appraising the collection at let's say $5000.00 when the value will drop for sure once this frantic market levels off? Do you remember the 1980s when there was a run on Silver and it peaked at about $27.00 per oz? I can't remember the exact time line, but somewhere around a month after the peak, it was at $3.50 an oz! Sell it While it's HOT! What happened to all of the people who refused to sell at $27.00 per oz. and said, "well I'll just hold on to it a bit longer, the price is sure to climb"? Smart people were carrying bags of silver to jewelry stores and other scrap metal liquidators, and walking out grinning. What was the silver really worth? What would have been an accurate appraisal for those items just before and just after the market crashed? Please don't think I'm advocating selling off Grandma's antique wedding ring for a few quick bucks, but if your in a situation where you HAVE to sell or your precious metals are an investment, don't wait because a hot market can cool off in a day. Got a horde of Gold or a stash of Silver? Call me crazy, most do, but I'd cash that out in a minute because all good things come to an end. Sell it while it's hot. At Auctionwally.com I have hundreds of articles and appraisals free to view with no sign up required, stop by and say hello. |
Opening Day Report of the Brimfield Antiques Show With Prices
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There is nothing in the antiques world like the opening of the largest show in the US in Brimfield MA. It's an overload of sensory perception, a carnival of the unusual, a mind boggling plethora diversity, and that's just the people! Seriously, there are over 5000 dealers that set up over the course of a week. The show runs on Tuesday through Saturday May 13th - 18th this year. The show comes to Brimfield 3 times a year, May, July, & Sept. and always starts on the 2nd Tuesday of the Month and runs until Saturday. Tents and displays are set up at more than 20 massive farm fields along RT 20 in Brimfield. There are 19 on the official roster, but there are a few renegades as well. I'm lucky enough to live just 45 minutes from the town of Brimfield, so being an antiques auctioneer, I naturally get to it at least once per season. I usually go as a buyer, not to sell. This year it was fun to cover the event as a blogger, allowing me to view it from another perspective. It was refreshing to cover the event without the concerns of purchasing items and promoting an upcoming auction, which are my usual motives for attending. I covered 2 fields for this trip and will be going back later on in the week, here are the results of my first visit. One of the strangest things I've ever seen at Brimfield or anywhere else for that matter, was a Corona. Upon hitting the first field, (Brimfield Acres North) I saw several hundred people looking straight up in the air at a rainbow around the Sun. I'd never seen one before and it was breathtaking, I'm still rubbing my eyes however. If you think a rainbow around the Sun is strange, the site of a field full of people looking up in the air all at once is even slightly more so! See kids, antiques are MAGIC! .JPG) The state of the antiques market seems to exist in it's own world that operates outside of the normal economy, and here's what I found to be the buzz topics of this show.
Items and asking prices.
Here are a few things I found interesting and their asking prices. The dealers contact info appear next to the item if I was given permission to print that. Wendy & Chuck LaVigna of Stone Cottage Antiques did well and had the following items for sale. stonecottageantiques.net A wonderful faded yellow painted primitive foot stool $165 Super pair of Torino mfg Chrome Retro Lamps $375 A large Petit Point of a Biblical? scene. $375  A dealer from Maine offered one of the nicest spool cabinets I've seen. Belding Bros. 3 foot tall spool cabinet, $1500  George Clark spool cabinet $1495 The Great American Game an early tin Baseball Game by the Hustler Toy co. of Sterling Illinois. $295 There was a companion Football game priced at $295 as well Antique Slot Machine $1500 .JPG) Dennis Carlson Antiques of Moodus CT had a very interesting display which included the following A circa 1920s Mr Wood boat model $850 A fully working 3 foot long Railroad Steam Engine circa 1920s - $4250  From dealers who did not wish to have contact info published I found. A Hurdy Gurdy cart fully working at $950  An antique motorcycle, (the dealer was not at the booth, and this item did not have a price tag A miniature hand-made cupboard $475 A White's 4 gallon crock with cobalt blue floral decoration $485 Clark Jr Crock of NY also cobalt blue decorated $475 An Oak bow-front curio cabinet with applied lions, $1295 What I took away from the show was this.
Thanks for reading. AW For a complete 2008 Brimfield Shows Schedule click here. |
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What's it Worth? Appraisal for Antique Geisha Doll
 Edward asks: I have an antique or vintage, incredibly detailed very beautiful Geisha dancer / performer. She is made of various materials, (I believe her face is hand-painted silk), meticulously attired and accessorized with fan, drum, pearl and coral necklaces, reddish gold hat, and white tabi socks -- they fit when they wear their sandals that have a split between the big and other toes. Layered over her elaborate gorgeous kimono is a gauzy painted fabric that ties in a bow in front. She stands @ 22” H x 10” W. There are no markings I can see. AW says: Thanks again for your appraisal request. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, when it comes to almost any of figurine, painting or any other type of art that has included in it a human form, look at the eyes. In this case, one needs only to look at the eyes of your doll to know she was painted and crafted by a master. Thanks for sending so many pictures, although I've only used 2 of them here, the others were helpful. To learn about my 100% guaranteed appraisals click here. Access my online radio show by clicking on the link below. |
It IS Easy Being Green, With Antiques.
 Today the focus of this post which is that antiques are Green, very Green, and right now being Green is "in", and arguably the most important thing to be as a consumer. Now maybe it's just that as I'm getting older I'm finding my need to have my field of work accepted by the tragically hip, as well as those who need hip replacements, but I really see a huge benefits younger generations in antiques & collectibles. Probably the best way to win you over and convince you that antiques are the ultimate Green products, would be to jump right in prove my case, but do I do that? Naw, not me, the big mouthed auctioneer, I gotta pick a fight with my audience first! Here are my fighting words. You guys gotta get shed your addiction to disposable material luxury, especially with the extra obnoxious items. Seriously, there's nothing wrong with a little flash, but c'mon, a Hummer?! Face Grills?! Do you need to display the fact that you have money so bad that you have to wear it on your face? nuff said. If your financially fortunate enough to be able to afford those things I've just mentioned let me make a couple of suggestions. First, instead of a Hummer, how about a nice vintage Rolls Royce? Something in a Phantom, or the Silver Ghost would be much more stylish, get you more attention, about the same gas mileage and which do you you think will be worth more money in 10 years? Right. Here's where the Green part comes in, "the Rolls Royce is already made". No extra production strain is put on the planet for raw materials, the same of course applies to any collectible or used item you purchase rather than a newly produced item. Think for a minute how hard teams of scientists work to invent ways to cheapen productivity cost and lessen environmental impact of new products. Something that's already made has cuts both of those factors to 0, with no effort. The Green benefit becomes even larger when you consider the potential disposal fee of the antique, collectible or used item that's saved. What about the landfill room saved? But what about the average person? So, let's say you're not, and will never be in the market for a Hummer or a Rolls Royce. How can you save a bunch of cash with antiques? Aren't antiques expensive? No, this is the biggest mis-perception that haunts the antiques world. Generally speaking, good quality antiques, used furniture and collectibles are much cheaper than new items of similar quality. The key part of that sentence being of similar quality. Let's take for example a nice Victorian solid Oak chest of drawers with a matching attached mirror. The average price range for such an item at auction is $150-$300 right now. You can go to Walmart and find something just as pretty for about $150 so were even so far. I'm sure most of you know that the pretty item at Walmart will be fake wood, what is commonly referred to as particle board or presswood. Don't put a drink on it, and DO NOT attempt to move it once you've assembled it. Spilled drinks will dissolve the finish and moving it, even once, will loosen joints and make drawers unworkable. Junk. Now you CAN go to a good quality furniture store and buy a new dresser of solid Oak, somewhat close to the quality of the antique Victorian Chest I mentioned above, but it will cost you about $1,500 to $2000 dollars. Again, which do you think will be worth more money in 10 years? Right. The same principles apply to virtually all quality antique items. You can get knock off new junk in stores for about the same money or you can get a comparable quality new item for about 10X the price or you can just get the antique item at an affordable price and if you take care of it, it will likely appreciate in value. For those just starting out If you're just starting out and have little money, don't go slapping your future down on a credit card to furnish your home. Every week throughout the country there are tons of small auction houses that would love your business, and in most cases you can fill up a truck and furnish a small apartment for under $500.00, lamps and accessories included! With the foreclosure market the way it is, many people are downsizing, as a result there is a glut of used furniture on the market at local auction houses and second hand shops. I'm watching pieces that used to auction for $150-$200 each, sell for $25 and $50! That's if the auctioneer can even get a bid on them. It seems that the dealers in the audience are all looking for small items to sell on eBay or only want the 1 or 2 outstanding pieces of furniture in the sale. Got Skills? If you're handy and are willing to do a little work, you can have something truly unique that will cost you nothing or very little. If you have the skill and inclination, I beg of you to go rescue one of those awesome vintage Stereo or "Hi-Fi" cabinets from the 1950s-60s.  Most people getting rid of them are willing to give them away. These can be converted into great liquor bars or buffet type pieces. Take out the record player and pop in a dry sink, take out the speakers and you have space to store things you wish to keep hidden. Keep the top down and it makes a great stand for a large fish or Iguana tank. Have you seen how neat some of those old retro Hi-Fi cabinets are? If you're a musician, they can be shelled to drop in new gear. If I was held at gunpoint, (no volunteers please) I could come up with at least a dozen other uses for this piece of furniture alone, and think of what else is out there that should be saved. If you go to an art store for mosaic type material, expect to pay big bucks, but you can find better, more beautiful and truly unique material for next to nothing. Just go to antique shops or auctions to purchase damaged porcelain and pottery. Etsians (those who sell on Etsy.com) are onto this and have started fashioning custom jewelry and other arts & crafts, which sell for good money.  Badly torn posters and antique books are almost worthless to antique ephemera dealers, but every day people get good money for them once they're transformed into collages, altered books and other unusual items. Jewelry making was just mentioned above and lots of people have found a niche in the market place making custom jewelry. You can go to supply centers and buy new, or you can hunt second hand stores for boxes of old findings or jewelry parts, which again will likely be very cheap when you do find them. There are millions of antique and used items out there waiting to be rescued from the back rooms of auction houses, antique shops and second hand stores, many of them are cheap or in some cases free. Make a statement, be unique, go Green, buy an antique. |
What's it Worth? Appraisal for 1950s Roll Top Desk
 Alyssa asks: Hey Wally, We have a c-top rolltop 3/4 slat double pedestal desk that we were told was made in the 1950s in Alaska and is made of mahogany. It is in great shape. Few scuffs, tears or scratches. The roll top part of it works great. It has a marble inlay writing surface 22 x 20. It has brass drop knobs. It is roughly 51" tall, 27" wide, and 60" long. Thank you. Alyssa AW says: That's a very good quality Roll Top Desk as indicated by several features. The most prominent being, it's abundant amount of cubbyholes, the raised panel design, the marble writing surface and the brass knobs. I think I disagree on the wood though, it appears to be of Walnut with oak braces and supports. However, it could be Mahogany, pictures don't always give a 100% perspective.Date range: 1950s Retail value: $900-$1200 (top price) Wholesale value: $500 (The midrange price you could expect to achieve at a well advertised live auction. The price that is most often realized) Quick sale value: $300 The price your likely to get if you have to sell your item immediately and your prospective customer is aware of this. Common trade terminology: Roll Top Desk, 1950s Roll Top Desk, Rolltop Desk, C Roll Top Desk, Nicknames or slang terms: C-Roll Desk Selling tips: The challenge with selling something this size is it's size and the fact that only a limited amount of people looking for it. Oddly enough, those are it's biggest assets as well because when you find a buyer, they're not going to see a lot of these around. I'd try to market it on Craigslist or another good classified ad venue. Play up the paneled drawers and the marble writing surface. To learn about my 100% guaranteed appraisals click here. Access my online radio show by clicking on the link below.
 To find out how get the best money possible for your valuables click here! |
An Appraisal for A Gingerbread Clock
  Adrienne asks: Hello,
I inherited an oak shelf clock made by the Ansonia Clock Company. After extensive research on the Internet, I’m guessing that this clock was produced in the New York Factory around the time of the fire.
There are some very faint markings on the back with numbers and dates; I assume this was the servicing record, like 12/1/1976 another date marking on the back is “1878”. As far as I know, I have all original parts including the key with number 75 engraved on it, and the clock does work. The Height is 22” and the Width is 14”. There is some damage to the top, where it was glued (not very well) but I did not want to make any professional repairs until I was sure I would not affect the value. AW says: Thanks for your request. The reason you can't find anything on this clock is because of the fire, and the records for such a clock, along with any information was most likely in the fire of 1880. The reason we can so definitively determine the date of your clock is because of the period this type of clock was in style so we know the date on the back (1878) is correct, it could have been made a year or two later, but certainly not after the fire in 1880. It is commonly referred to as a 'Gingerbread' clock, so named for the ornamentation that surrounds the case. Your correct about the other date on it being a maintenance log, this is common among clock repairers. Date Range Made: 1878-1880 Retail Value: $250-$325.00 (Generally, Gingerbread clocks top out at $175.00-$200, but I'm adding a premium to yours due to it's scarcity because of the 1880 fire. (top price) Wholesale Value: $150-$$225 (The midrange price you could expect to achieve at a well advertised live auction. The price that is most often realized) Quicksale Value: $75.00-$125.00 The price your likely to get if you have to sell your item immediately and your prospective customer is aware of this. Common Trade Terminology: Gingerbread clock, Ansonia Clock, Mantle Clock. Slang Terms: N/A Selling Tips: You want to promote the fact that this was a clock who's manufacturing is limited due to the fire. eBay or a good local antique auction is the best bet for a good price. Care and Storage Tips: If your confident that you can glue the wood yourself and do a good job, that's fine, however, don't try to polish or restore the face by yourself, in fact even with professional restoration efforts, I'd consider it to be worth more in it's original state. If you ship, don't forget to pad the works and tape the glass door. To find out about getting your own 100% guaranteed appraisal click here. |
Is My Item an Antique, is it Valuable?
.jpg) Hello, and welcome to what I hope is the first of many articles here at the Examiner. For the last 25 years, I've made my living in the Antiques/Auction business and my articles here will reflect my ongoing studies and observation. This blog will include information on the current state of the market, actual online appraisals I conduct, how to articles and more. I hate long introductions, so I'll end this one by letting you know that I hope this will be an active 2 way conversation, I welcome comments and questions. If your an auction junkie and would like more content, you can find me at Auctionwally.com where I have hundreds of Antiques appraisals and articles archived which are all free to view. I also have an online radio show called The Auctionwally Show, click here to check it out. Email to: walt@auctionwally.com I'll begin this dialog by addressing the query I most often hear: Is my item an antique and is it valuable? Well the first part of this is actually easy to answer if you know how old your item is. You see the technical definition of an antique is an item that is 100 or more years old. Like everything else in life though, this definition gets muddied by common misuse, and all is not cut and dry. For example, so many people refer to anything "old" as an antique that you can either be a purist and insist that the conversation stays on strict terms by pointing out any errors in terminology, or throw up your hands in surrender to common usage. I find it's easier to do the latter and for the sake of this blog, I'll refer to "old" items as antiques most of the time. Why fight try a wave? In general, I'll refer to "collectibles" as anything from the last 50 years that people collect and is perceived to have some value. Value
Let's face it, when it comes to antiques & collectibles, most people want to know how much money their item is worth. It's such a popular question, that I've titled my blog at Auctionwally.com What's it Worth? As an appraiser and an auctioneer I feel I have a very good sense of monetary values on all kinds of items. This includes of course antiques & collectibles, but because you have to have an eye for quality in my business, a good dealer can approximate value on almost any type of item, and pinpoint value on those they have much experience with. So before we going into specifics, let's look at the factors that determine market value to give you a foundation to work with when trying to figure out if your item is worth very much. Value Factors: Here are some rules of thumb to determine value, like all rules of thumb, they do not apply all the time, but are a great place to start. Take my first example of quality, I start off by indicating that quality is a key factor in determining value. If quality was important 100% of the time, that would mean that Topps Wacky Packages, an absurd sticker collectible from the 1970s, would never be worth the outrageous money they are today. Go check out how much an unopened box will bring on eBay! That said... Quality: Is your antique or collectible well made? Will it stand the test of time and still be in good condition years to come? Generally speaking the higher the quality, the higher the value. On furniture, look for things like dovetailed joints, nice smooth seams and well fitted construction. On glassware, again check for nice seams if it's a molded piece, defined and concise lines, balance and eye appeal. Scarcity: How many of the items were made? It's just about impossible for anything to have a high value if it was overproduced. Remember Beanie Babies? I can recall dealers betting on when these once popular collectibles would tank. There's just no way a collectible can be continually cranked out in large numbers and retain it's value. Here's a quote that I'd heard from an old timer in the business, "If it's manufactured to specifically be a collectible, it probably won't be", good advice. Demand: No matter how rare your item is, there still has to be a market demand for it to have any value. Who is going to pay for your floor model Singer sewing machine in the Oak cabinet casing? Not many. I use the Singer sewing machine here as an example because it's one something I get an inquiry about at least once a week. The majority of these are worth less than $100 at auction. They are very heavy, take up valuable floor space and are difficult to move, therefore, have very little market demand. (For most models, there are exceptions) Folks are astonished when I give them a low value appraisal on these old beauties. After all, they're over 100 years old, they're of an attractive oak and iron construction, and most likely still working. Sorry, the market says "take the case and make it a sewing cabinet, take the base and make it a plant stand". Marketing: Some companies are just better at marketing certain items than others, that's why you can get $6500.00 for a Gustav Stickley chair at Sotheby's Auction House, but maybe only $500 for the same chair at a country auction. Now take a $150 Bennington Pottery jug and it wouldn't even make it to Sotheby's Auction Block. Condition: One of the most often overlooked factors in value is condition. Suffice it to say that for every 100 items of a kind, perhaps only 1 or 2 are in top condition. When it comes to laying out top dollar, collectors & dealers want the best for the best money, that's only fair. A $500 piece of Roseville Pottery may only be worth $50 if it has a crack, there are tons of examples out there with cracks or chips, but how many are perfect? The same applies for things like original finish on furniture, old bottles that still have the original label or box, vintage toys with all original parts etc. Can you see how condition directly ties into all 4 previous quality factors mentioned above?  Age: I purposely put age last on this list because people often wrongly assume this is the most important factor in determining the value of collectibles when often it does not. Rocks are old, so is dirt. Now age is very important, but usually only after consideration of all other factors. To go into all the details on age and antiquity could take many more blog posts, and I intend to address the subject in future ones for sure but now is not the time. To satisfy some demand for knowledge on antiques and age, let me offer this little bit to whet your appetite and ask you to check back here soon or visit me at Auctionwally.com for more. All period antique pieces are antiques, but not all antiques are period pieces. A "period" antique denotes an item that was crafted or manufactured originally. As you my know, antique styles are revived throughout history so you may have a Gothic Style armchair that is a 125 year old antique made in the Victorian era, but an original Period Gothic chair would be from the 1500-1600s. Both pieces are antiques, but the period one is worth thousands, while the other is worth a couple of hundred at most. Below is a Gothic Style but Victorian era chair  This is why there is such confusion among new collectors and some dealers with certain antiques. They'll see a Chippendale Highboy on the Antiques Roadshow which is appraised at $50,000 and think that the one they have is worth the same. After all, there's is an antique, it's been in the family for a long time and is very old. What these folks don't realizes is what I've just mentioned above, yes, it's old, but it's not a Period piece. While no quality Highboy is anything to sneeze at, revival pieces are not going to bring anywhere near what an authentic Chippendale would bring. Well that's it for this post, I hope I've cleared a few things up as far as value and age goes. Again feel free to ask questions or leave comments and stop by Auctionwally.com to say hello. AW |
Auction Wally
AuctionWally has been an auctioneer and appraiser for 25 years. He runs an antiques appraisal blog where he writes about the value of antiques and how to sell them. You can find him at www.auctionwally.com.
AuctionWally has been an auctioneer and appraiser for 25 years. He runs an antiques appraisal blog where he writes about the value of antiques and how to sell them. You can find him at www.auctionwally.com.
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