Here are some great ideas for starting or expanding your collection of antiques or estate items.


Understanding antiques:

For those of you who are not familiar with antiques lingo,  an antique is any item that is seventy to a hundred years old and older. Some newer items, however can also be quite valuable; you just need to know how to recognize them.

In all instances, a collectible item only has value if someone wants to buy it. Just remember: "One man's trash is another man's treasure".

You may already know what you want to start collecting, but finding your antique niche means conducting relevant research first. For every category ie: furniture, jewelry, books, or other collectibles there is a general code of understanding as to their value in dollars. In order to be successful you need to learn about the era in which your desired item was made and how this is related to its value.

Understanding the antique market:

Whether you are interested in building a collection of period furniture, vintage jewelry or any other category of antiques one of the best places to start is on the Internet. Use the search engines like Google or MSN to begin researching your chosen antique niche from home. Visit network websites like http://www.goantiques/ or http://wwww.rubylane.com/ and view various items in your chosen category. 

You may also wish to log into http://www.ebay.com/ : eBay is really a great vehicle to get an idea of what is or isn’t valuable and just how much things are selling for. While in eBay search for something like "antique silver tea set" or "Victorian broach" or whatever your choice is and see what the search brings up. Watch a few of these items for several days. Note the price, item details, or use the eBay interface to ask questions about the piece you are watching such as: age, size, condition, previous owner, etc.

Once you get an idea of what is on the market, how people buy and how much people are willing to pay for an item, you may wish to head off to local antiques markets, antique stores or antiques and collectibles shows where you can interact with other collectors or antiques dealers.

Deciding what to collect:

Choosing your antique niche is mostly about what interests you but it also depends on your financial position. Determine how much you can spend and then ask yourself how quickly you want to start building your antique collection. If you have a lot of money to spend you may choose to locate items in mint condition. If you have less to spend you may go after items in less than mint condition.

It's always best to research before you buy....learn as much as you can about the particular type of antique you're interested in; where it comes from, style or era, and even, the maker, artist or designer. Be it antique silverware, vintage clothing, 19th Century furniture or 20th Century abstract paintings, the more you know about the items you choose to collect the better you'll be able to judge value.

Good luck and please email me with any questions or leave a comment here on my blog.

Also, please visit my website at: http://antiquesusablog.com/ and let me know if you see anything that interests you. I’ll be happy to answer any questions for you and will work with you on a discount price.