Is My Item an Antique, is it Valuable?

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.