Enlarge Image An antique book is more than a collection of pages by your favorite author. It is a piece of history, a glimpse into the past. One in which the binding was done by hand the paper often likewise and if far back enough in time, the pen was a quill.

There are many factors which influence the value of an antique book, as in all antiques. First there is the condition of the book. The binding, the pages, whether dog-eared or torn, or God forbid, missing. The pages may have notes written on them. (Which can often be valuable in themselves if penned by a famous person or under unusual circumstances) or they may be damaged or stained or any number of factors which will affect their desirability. In the same way if a book is signed by it’s author this usually increases it’s price, although in the modern world not necessarily as “book signings” are all too common as a marketing tool and have helped to downplay the importance of a signed edition. All of these factors contribute to the overall value of your antique book.

The overall availability is a factor in price but is not necessarily the main factor as a book may be hard to find but not desirable. In other words it may be rare but nobody wants it! Confusing? Yes it can be. It is prudent to consult a dealer to appraise your antique book whether for insurance purposes or because you are attempting to sell it. In the final analysis, antiques are always only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it.

Appraisals Dealers usually need to see the book itself in order to identify and appraise it. You may submit photographs if you cannot see the dealer in person due to distance or time. They will require usually a photograph of the title page, the back side of the title page (also called the copyright page), the first and last pages of text, and the outer covers and spine in order to evaluate an individual copy. It is best to have very close up, quality photographs if you must go this route. If you are not proficient with a digital camera, ask one of your friends to do it for you. The popularity of digital cameras today makes quality photos easy to accomplish. Do not try and photocopy the book! This produces very poor results and may in fact damage the book due to the pressure exerted upon the spine in this process.

You often hear the phrase “first edition” in reference to books and this can influence the price of the book if there were, in fact more than one edition! Many times there were not. Be careful when someone touts the first edition status of an antique book and attempt to determine for yourself if there were indeed subsequent editions. Again remember to use all of the resources online and elsewhere to obtain valuable and often free information on your antique book. There are several national societies of book dealers, “antiquarians” and of course appraisers that you may take advantage of in the search for information. There are also book collecting societies that you may investigate. Take your time and learn all you can before you buy or sell your antique book.

Antiques. Rugs. Enjoy the mystery of the past. http://www.RevelationImports.com and http://www.revelationimports.com/antiques.html

By Bill Kernodle
Published: 10/28/2006

For more useful information on valuable antiqes and appraisals click here!

Technorati Tags: Antique Books, Antique Value Guide, Antiques Information

Yet while know antiques are old, what makes an antique, an antique? Well, that depends on what item you’re talking about.

If the item is a car, 25 years or more is considered to be an antique in the United States. For other things—like a table or vase—75 to 100 years worth of life is considered antique. Other characteristics of an antique include its rarity, its overall condition and how collectable it is, or was, considered to be.

For those who enjoy antiquing (i.e. going to various antique outlets to buy items that either adds to their collection or they sell to collectors) these are important things to consider. People who have unwittingly bought faux antiques can certainly attest to this. But by knowing what to look for and learning some of the tools of the trade that appraisers use when determining an antique’s value, antiquing can be a fun and profitable hobby, sometimes yielding thousands of dollars. For example, when the Antiques Roadshow traveled to Arizona in 2003, a resident’s Navajo blanket was appraised at between $350,000 and $500,000. It remains one of the most valuable items featured on the show since its debut.

Author: Kent Sayre

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Technorati Tags: Antiques Roadshow, Collecting Antiques, Valuable Antiques

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In the end, an antique is as valuable as someone is willing to pay for it! Although an antique may indeed be 100 years old, that does not necessarily make it valuable. If it was not a desirable piece to begin with or it was of inferior quality, it would not be of interest to anyone today. Junk today is junk tomorrow!

An antique is generally considered to be 70 to 100 years old. This is of course not the only determining factor in it’s overall worth as we shall see. Value is determined by many factors, age, limited production or “scarceness”, uniqueness, quality and individual taste.

For example some of todays’ mass produced furniture would not be valuable in 100 years probably (and we always have to say that, because who knows?) because they would be far too plentiful, of inferior workmanship and not particularly unique. Whereas the local furniture maker who is making everything painstakingly perfect in his home shop and with the highest of standards, would be a much more likely candidate for antique status in 100 years.

How do I tell what is an antique?

There are many tell tale signs that one can begin to discern right away. Obviously this is a subject that requires much research and learning and cannot be entered into lightly as one could easily spend a fortune with nothing to show except some very fine re-productions or even forgeries!

In a glass bottle for example the hand made antique has a small mark which indicates where the “pontil rod” was attached to the bottle to allow the bottle to be “blown”, a fascinating process if you have never seen it. I still remember seeing it for my first time many years ago in a small shop in Mexico and it is a vivid and entrancing memory. Even though the product being produced was not of particularly high quality and mostly for tourist consumption, the process is very fascinating.

Each area of antiques has unique markers for the experienced eye to see and determine age, where it was made, by whom and of course also approximate value. Anyone who has watched the antiques road show on tv knows how many an overlooked or unwanted piece kept forever in the garage can become the “cause celebre” overnight and be priced at a an unthinkable value.

Considering all of these facts you may well be urged to rummage through you r garage or offer to take some of your grandmother’s “junk” out of her attic for her and you may discover that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure!

happy hunting.

By Bill Kernodle
Published: 10/16/2006

For more useful information on valuable antiqes and appraisals click here!

Technorati Tags: Treasure

Online Antique Appraisal and Valuations

Those of you who need the expert opinion regarding the value of an antique item should resort to professionals who specialize in antique appraisal. Nowadays, there are many sites which offer a lot of information about the important elements of the appraisal of antique items. Due to the advanced existing technology, today it is easy to reproduce pieces that look exactly like the original and this is why antique collectors should resort to antique appraisal.

Each and every antique appraisal must be based on a professional code of ethics. An accredited appraiser plays an important role in pricing antiques and he must do his best to be impartial. As long as you pay an appraiser for his services, he will maintain impartiality but if you benefit from an appraisal coming from a dealer who wants to buy and resell the antique you will probably not receive an impartial value. Dealers usually price your antique low so that their profit is higher.

By paying for an antique appraisal, you will succeed to protect yourself from a motive to deceive. Although any person can pretend to be an appraiser, only an authorized appraiser bound by a professional code can be correct in pricing antiques in an ethical manner. Furthermore, an antique dealer must be accredited by an appraisal organization.

There are some professional websites that will help you get a professional opinion and a fair price for your antique. Keep in mind that all appraisals must be based on seeing your antique and anyone who offers for pricing antiques without having seen them is not doing you a favor. if you are looking to get an Online Antique Appraisal carried out then we would reccomend the following site:

We would reccomend that you go for an appraisal that includes information about protecting your antiques and about selling them. Do not resort to an appraiser who offers to buy the item he is appraising!

Although the main drawback to online antique appraisal is the fact that the condition of the item cannot be evaluated correctly if you are not honest about all the details, there are some appraisers who have learned to look for signs of condition aspects through photos. This is very difficult but it can be done. Furthermore some appraisers will be able to offer you information regarding the age, style and history of the item, besides the common information regarding how you should take care of the item.

Another benefit of having an online antique appraisal is the fact that it can be submitted whenever you please, day or night. All you have to do is give some detailed photos, fill in a questionnaire about the item and upload the form. However, you must be aware of the fact that some details of the item can be lost in the photo. Having said all that, there’s no need to worry if you resort to online appraisers for pricing antiques as their credentials and references have been verified.

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Antiques are prized for their rarity, artistry, age and uniqueness. Most collectors who have gained enough experience in this field are familiar with the basics of establishing the value of an item. Furthermore, they can distinguish straight away authentic objects from reproductions or fakes. Although the skills of talented collectors can’t be acquired that easy, nowadays there are many guidelines meant to assist first time antique collectors.

Collectors who want to determine the value of antiques should first of all look for the mark of the manufacturer of the antique. Thus, they can see if the antiques are authentic or fake. In case the antique values are authentic, the value of the antique is definitely higher. Nowadays, collectors can use the internet in order to identify the recorded marks and then they can resort to an expert to establish the authenticity of an antique.

Some reputable online appraisers might also offer the necessary information simply by looking at photos and their descriptions of the item, while others prefer looking at the item before they give their professional opinion. Another step in establishing the value of antiques is looking carefully at the condition of the item. Antiques that are sold in a good condition will have a higher value than deteriorated antiques. Items which are complete are highly appreciated by collectors.

Also, the value of antiques which are chipped or cracked is less valuable, exceptions being those that are historical or unique. Although it is said that antique values are established according to their age and artistry, most collectors look for antiques that are in an acceptable condition. However, there are some collectors who purchase items with small defects, as long as their value is significant.

Professional antique collectors may resort to an antique restorer in order to repair the item, but they should be careful when they do that. Not all restorers have the necessary expertise in order to restore valuable antiques. Next, antique values are also determined for their rarity and uniqueness. In the context of antiques, rarity refers to the number or the quantity of items that can be found on the market. Rare antiques will definitely increase the monetary value irrespective of their condition. Another important factor in determining antiques value is the provenance of the item. Find out where the piece comes from in order to know its value.

For this reason, it is important to keep in mind that not all antiques of at least 50 years old have the same value. The value of antiques is based on the marketing idea that the demand for the item increases together with its monetary value. The most frequent debate when it comes to antiques is the one regarding authenticity. Throughout the years there have been accurate reproductions of valuable antiques and inexperienced buyers might find it difficult to distinguish a fake from the real thing.

Because of these, today there are several sources meant to help first-time buyers determine the authenticity of an antique. Proofs such as receipts or photos which show the history of the item will definitely prove its authenticity. However, we suggest resorting to professionals if you are willing to spend a significant amount of money on an antique. Specialists will give you an unbiased verdict and you with their help you will be able to avoid special offers and prices that are too good to be true. Do not hurry into buying an antique if you are not sure of its origin. Take your time and wait for an advised opinion!

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