Using an antique price guide

If you have something that you think is worth a lot of money but aren't quite sure how much, having an antique price guide on hand may help you get a fair price when you decide to sell it. Price guides can also help you quickly determine whether something old sitting at a car boot sale is worth anything so you don't waste your money as a beginner treasure hunter.

Why you need an antique price guide

• Anyone with any level of interest in antiques needs a good pricing guide.
• Unless you are an expert on the antiques you want to collect, you are going to make some mistakes along the way that could be costly.
• There is nothing more frustrating than spending a few thousand dollars on something you later find out is only worth a couple hundred!
• This can easily happen to those who want to invest in antiques but aren't clued into the real going price for different pieces.

Determining value with an antique price guide

There are many factors that determine the actual value of antique goods. For instance, you could take two identical looking tea cups and while one may be worth a fortune the other may be worth much less if anything at all. This is because one could turn out to be the genuine deal while the other is replica created at a later time or by a different maker. One may also be in better condition or one might be missing a very small piece or matching accessory that makes it more valuable.

Depending on the type of antiques you are dealing with there will be many different factors that go into determining the real value. Experts know exactly what to look for when they inspect antiques because they are very knowledgeable about the historical importance of each item they collect.

If you don't have that expert insight into the history of the items you are looking at an antique price guide is essential to ensure you make the best buys and don't pay someone triple or quadruple what an item is really worth.

How does an antique price guide come up with values?

Since there are so many different factors that go into determining the value of antiques, how does an antique price guide come up with values? The best antique price guides are written or at least edited and reviewed by experts who know what should be looked for in different antique items.

You will find a good antique price guide breaks it down so you can analyse the condition of each item to determine what it may be worth. It may also give some information on catching signs that an antique item may not be genuine.

Guides should tell what methods were used to determine value somewhere near the front of the book. You want to steer away from those that simply give estimates based upon going auction rates. What an item sells for at an auction is not necessarily what it is actually worth. Those prices should never be used to guide your buying habits if you don't have the knowledge to perfect your decisions.

Collecting antiques is exciting and fun, but you don't want to jump in and make bad purchases. That will quickly suck the fun out of the process and make it an even more expensive hobby than it already is!

Keep your head on straight by using an antique pricing guide to make smart decisions and you will be able to enjoy antique collecting a lot more!

Find out more about Bonington's valuation services as an antique price guide for both probate and insurance purposes.