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How to Look Up the Value of Antiques

The value of an antique can go up and down according to factors such as fashion, changing lifestyles and fluctuations in its value. For this reason, guides such as "Kovels' Antiques and Collectibles Price List", "Miller's Antiques Price Guide" and "Warman's Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide" are updated on a yearly basis, drawing on auction results and retail prices from the six months prior to publication. Because these guides cover a wide range of items, they are a good resource, especially as editions can be usually found in your local library.

Instructions

- 1
  Inspect the price guides available at your local library and choose the most recent. The more recent the guide, the more likely it will be to reflect recent trends.
- 2
  Use the detailed index at the rear of the price guide to locate an entry for your item if you have a clear idea of what it is. For instance, you might have found a maker's backstamp or a brand name, or it might have an obvious function, such as radio or cocktail shaker. In that case, you would look up the maker's name or brand name or the words "radio" or "cocktail shaker" in the index. If you have only a vague idea of how your item might be described, locating it will take more time.
- 3
  Take a look at how the price guide is arranged. A price guide will be divided into categories. When you investigate a category more closely, you will see that it is broken into subsections. Furniture will be broken into subjects such as chairs, tables, sideboards and shelves. Quickly eliminate those subsections which don't seem appropriate and concentrate on the remainder. If you don't find anything, try another guide. Eventually, you should come across an entry for similar or identical item.
- 4
  Read the entry closely. It should be accompanied by a price guide value. This will expressed as an estimate such as "$20-30" or "$2,500-3000." The lower end of the estimate will give you a realistic idea of the price you might achiev when selling your antique, while the upper estimate is more suitable for an insurance value, i.e., the cost of replacing the item.

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