Appraising/valuing Antiques and collectables

Having the ability to ‘appraise’ antiques correctly, comes from many years learning from books, buying/selling, going to auctions, going to antique fairs and car boot sales, making mistakes and learning from them, having the right connections regarding things you don’t know or understand yourself and knowing where to look to research items should you need to. A good knowledge of antiques, like any other subject, takes a lot of study, experience, understanding and assimilation but remember….. even some of the so called experts get it wrong sometimes.

Appraisals in themselves may be flawed as there are so many variables concerned with Area living in, style, size, origin, value, condition, smell and even taste of items. So opinions can only be given from a personal perspective. For instance:- A worker in an antiques and collectables auction house will encounter a huge amount of items with value. Over time this will provide them with a great knowledge of what they will bring at auction and give them the ability to predict what individual items will bring IN THEIR OWN AREA. Another area in the same country or a foreign country, might produce different results for exactly the same item and they often do.

There are many groups, on many subjects, appearing as pages on Facebook. I visit several antique and related sites on a regular basis and often see those who present good knowledge, as far as my understanding goes. It is those people, often the ones who receive regular praise, that seekers of knowledge on their possessions, should look out for.

As with everything in life… ‘knowledge’ is power!! The more effort you put into learning about your subject, the more you will get from it. Knowledge is gained over time and sometimes from mistakes. Learn from mistakes and move on. Groups on facebook, auction houses, antique fairs and antique shops are the places to gain knowledge first hand. Be very aware that when you set out on the course of buying and perhaps selling Antiques… it can become a fever!! ”Man or woman the hunter” is who you can become and you can’t wait to get your next fix!!! Anticipation and planning for your next hunt can overtake your personal and family life. One of the most important things with collecting or dealing, in my eyes, is to know your limitations… to be aware that not all dealers are honest and not all advice is accurate. If you come across people in the trade who you know you can trust, then best to seek advice from them rather than just anyone. It has taken me nearly 50 yrs of Antiques and Collectables to realise that I still have a lot to learn. Even those so called ‘experts’ on TV don’t know it all….. they sometimes make simple mistakes which mislead all their viewers and I have to say it really annoys me when they give false information. Good luck to anyone who is just getting the bug. I have had so many good times and so much good chat with dealers and collectors over the years (including many TV ‘experts’)… my antique / collectables life has been a real pleasure.

Michael J Hill Jan 2020.