Learn to buy and sell antiques and collectibles

Researching Antique Values

What's it worth? Where can I find the value of my antique?

These are all too familiar questions. Unfortunately these questions are not easy to answer. Most people think anything old is valuable. This is wrong.

Many things effect antiques and collectibles values. Here's a short list of some items that influence prices.

Determinants of Value

In order for antiques and collectibles to have value, there must be a demand. People have to want the item in order for it to have value.

A secondary consideration with demand is liquidity. Some antiques are extremely difficult to sell. They are hard to place values on, or it is difficult to find buyers. The harder it is to sell an item, the lower the value will be.

In addition to demand, scarcity plays a role. The more people chasing a small number of items, the higher the value.

A big part of the value of any antique or collectible is condition. For example a common but perfect "10" baseball card will bring three to five times (or more) the value of the same card with wear or poor print registration. On the other hand, some collectibles like coins, stamps, and toys will bring higher prices for factory mistakes. Factory errors can increase the value of collectibles.

Location also effects antique values. Prices on the east coast are generally higher than prices in the mid west. Some of this price difference is due to there being fewer prospects, and some is due to attitude differences.

All the items above effect the value of any antique or collectible. If you are looking to sell something, search on eBay for similar items. The Free eBay Buyer's Guide has a whole section about searching eBay.

Price guides and items for sale are other options. Not great options because unless you actually see an item sell, you cannot be sure it is worth the asking price.

You see, antique values are subjective. The only way to get really good at determining values is to immerse yourself in antiques and collectibles.

Here on IWantCollectibles.com, there is a directory of antiques and collectibles websites to help you research items. In the directory you will find stores selling antiques, and collectors showing off their collections. It's laid out by category, and easy to search.

Here's a link - Research Antiques And Collectibles

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Terry Gibbs has taught over 7,000 people how to make a good living on eBay. Terry's most recent eBay instruction manual is The Auction Revolution . The Auction Revolution is your guide to eBay and beyond. Here on Iwantcollectibles.com, you will learn about buying and selling antiques and collectibles, and about eBay.