Antique Furniture Value Lookup

Determining the Value of Antique Furniture

Today most people with an interest in antiques and collectibles are familiar with the television show Antiques Road Show. However, not everyone is able to take their treasured antiques to the show to take advantage of their antique valuation services. Finding and using reliable resources to determine the value of antiques for various purposes is important to collectors, investors and casual buyers of antiques.

Most antiques have several different monetary values. The following are brief explanations of these values.

• Insurance value is generally the highest retail value of an item. It is the replacement cost of the antique if it is stolen or destroyed. The insurance value is a formal appraisal that is put in writing.
• Fair market value is the price a buyer and a seller agrees upon when neither one is under any pressure to buy or sell the item. Both parties need to be aware of any relevant information and facts about the particular item.
• Estate or tax value is determined by the IRS by averaging the actual auction prices of similar items.
• Retail value, or retail price, is the price an item sells for at an antique shop.
• Wholesale value is the price that an antique dealer generally pays for a piece. It is approximately 1/3 to ½ less then the item would sell for on the secondary market.
• Auction value - the open market price the item would generally sell for when neither the buyer nor seller is in a forced sale position.

Most of these values are given in a dollar range rather then a specific figure.

Antique Furniture Value: Lookup Accredited Appraisers

Choosing the best antique’s appraiser for your needs is essential to finding the correct value of your antique furniture. The following are several ways to find a certified antiques appraiser,

• Contact local antique dealers and auctioneers and ask them to recommend an accredited certified appraiser.
• Often antique appraisers are available, or advertise their business, at antique events and shows. Attend these events when possible.
• Join websites such as iTaggit where information of events offering free antique appraisal information is posted.
• Antiques Roadshow offers free verbal appraisals. The locations of the cities on their antiques appraisal tour can be found on the PBS website.

There are many reputable certified appraisers, which offer free antique appraisals at their places of business, lectures, community events and fund raisers. However, there are also those that offer free appraisals that are unethical in their business practices. Recognizing the techniques used by these types of antique appraisers and dealers is very important. Information on identifying unscrupulous people offering free appraisals is given in the LoveToKnow article Free Antique Appraisal, under the section A Word of Caution.

Finding a Reputable Auction House

If you decide to contact an auction house to determine the value of your antique furniture piece, look for one that specializes in antiques or antique furniture. If you believe the antique furniture you have is extremely rare, contact a major auction house for the auction appraisal. The following are several of the major auction houses.

• Sotheby’s
• Doyle of New York
• Christie’s

If you believe your antique furniture piece is relatively common or it is not in pristine condition, contact an auction house in your local area to find its auction value.

Self Appraisal Techniques

Self appraisal techniques involve finding the value of your antique furniture through research you do on your own. If you know the manufacturer of your antique item, lookup the company to find out as much as you can about them and the items they manufactured.

Price Guides

Price guides are an invaluable resource in determining current antique values. Several types of antique price guides are available for antique furniture:

• General antiques price guides which have a section on furniture
  • Kovels Antiques and Collectibles
  • Warman's® Antiques & Collectibles
  • Antique Trader® Antiques & Collectibles
• Price guides that only cover antique furniture such as Antique Trader Furniture Price Guide
• Price guides that cover a specific era, type or country of manufacture for example British Antique Furniture Price Guide and Reasons for Values
• Price guides that cover a specific furniture company such as Stickley Brothers Furniture: Identification and Value Guide - Identification & Values

Online Price Guide Websites

Another excellent way to find the value of your antique furniture is using online websites including Kovels with more then 600,000 prices and Worth Point with a large searchable database.

Price Comparison of Similar Sold Items

Comparing your antique furniture piece to those similar items that have recently sold at auctions houses, online auction websites and online antique malls and shops is a useful method of determining the value of your item. These websites include:

• eBay
• TIAS
• Ruby Lane
• Go Antiques

Conclusion

Whichever method you use to determine your antique furniture value, lookup and use more then one resource as monetary values of antiques differ greatly based on the current market, geographical area and demand for the particular item.