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How to Sell an Antique Turkish Copper Tray

Copper is mined in Turkey and the country is known for producing beautiful copper tableware, coffee and tea sets. Your Turkish tray is likely etched with inscriptions and may be very old. If you're sure that you want to sell it, you should find out how much it's worth first. You can try to appraise it yourself by looking through catalogues and doing some comparison shopping online, or you can take it to an expert and have it appraised professionally. How you sell it will depend upon how quickly you need it sold.

Things You'll Need

Tray
Catalogues
Internet

Instructions

- 1
  Gather as much information about your tray as you possibly can. If you inherited it from a family member, this person may very well know all about it. Find out how old it is and exactly where it was made and purchased. You'll need all of this information to get an idea of what the tray is worth.
- 2
  Go to your local library and take out some books on Turkish copper. Compare your tray to the pictures in the books. Flip the tray over and see if it has a manufacturer's mark on the underside. Even if you can't read Arabic, you should be able to match the mark up if you can find it in one of the catalogues. If you can identify a manufacturer's mark, you should be able to get a general idea of when and where the tray was made.
- 3
  Compare your tray to similar trays for sale on Ebay. Turkish copper is a collector's item. If you were unable to get any specific information about your tray from the catalogues, compare it to trays that are similar in size and have the same amount of engraving. Take careful note of the condition of your tray. If your tray is damaged or rusted, it will be worth significantly less than copper in excellent condition.
- 4
  Take your tray to an antiques shop and pay for a professional appraisal, if you want to get the most money possible for it. Even if the owner of the antiques shop is not qualified to appraise your tray, she'll know someone who is. If you pay for a professional appraisal, it is illegal for the appraiser to lie to you about the copper's worth and you'll get a certificate of guarantee that the appraisal was written to the best of the appraiser's ability.
- 5
  Try to sell your tray to the antiques shop, once you have an appraisal. The shop owner won't give you the full appraised value because she'll need to resell it to make money herself. If the shop owner is not interested in your tray, ask her to recommend other antiques dealers who might like it. She'll know if someone in your area collects or specializes in Turkish copper. This option is best for you if you are not in a hurry to sell your tray.
- 6
  Sell your tray on Ebay, if you need money fast. Price your tray comparably to similar trays and make sure that you take great photographs of it. Include all of the information you have about the tray. You will not get the best price for your tray on Ebay, but it will probably sell quickly.

Antiques