8 Reasons to have an item appraised

1. You Should Know What Your Items Are Worth

2. You Should Have An Inventory For Estate Purposes

3. You Should Have An Inventory To Determine Adequate Insurance Coverage

4. If You Relocate, A Moving Company Needs To Know The Value

5. In Case Of Burglary, You Need To Know What Is Missing

6. If You Donate Items, You May Get A Tax Deduction

7. You Must Know The Relative Scarcity Of Your Items

8. If You Decide To Sell Items You Need To Know What Is A Fair Price To Ask

There are a number of factors you must consider when determining the value of an antique or collectible. Looking an item up in a price guide or finding a comparable item is only the beginning.In this article I have listed some guide lines to use when valuing your antique or collectible.

I will start with one of the most important things to consider when determining the value of an item.

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Condition:

As an appraiser one of the first things I look at is condition. The condition of an item can affect the value dramatically. An item in good to mint condition will bring far more then an item in below average or poor condition. Condition always affects an item no matter how rare the item is.  Look for the following when determining condition:

• Cracks, Fractures or Chips in the globe

• Crazing

• Defects

• Finish Condition

• Condition of the Material the item is made of (ie. Brass,Tin,Copper and etc)

• Over all condition

• Missing Parts or Pieces

• Flaws

• Repairs or Touch ups

• Excessive ware

• Dents or Rust

• Stains or Marks

• Anything that keeps your item from being in like new or mint condition. 

Antique and Collectible Market Trends: Antique values can be affected by market trends, this can happen quickly. Watching your favorite antique or collectible market will help you determine the true value of your item. Market trends can affect the price in a positive way by driving prices up or a negative way by bringing the prices down. If you are using a price guide the prices at the time of printing may have been affected by a market trend that no longer exists.

Check for Marks:

This is one of the first things an appraiser looks for. You will always see an appraiser pick up an item and look for a mark. Maker's marks or signatures on any item can tell you a lot about the piece. Here are some things a mark can tell you:

• If the item is real or fake (Be careful of fake marks)

• Date the item was made. Many makers changed their marks frequently and knowing when a mark was used can help you determine the age and authenticity of an item.

• Who made the item. Value is determined not only by what company or where an item was made.

• Pattern or design information. Knowing the pattern or design can change the value of an item. This information will also help when you are doing research on the item.

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Rarity:

Rarity can play a major part in the value of an antique or collectible. Extremely rare items with some damage may still retain a decent value. For example a Lantern globe with a hair line crack will still bring a high price when sold. On the other hand a common globe with the same damage will not hold much value if any at all. If the item is common this will affect the price by making it worth less than a rare item, even if the items come from the same maker. A lot of the times this will happen with pottery or glassware when the patterns are different but the makers are the same.