Free Resources to Find Out What Your Antique or Collectible is Really Worth!

I was recently discussing this very topic on Vintage Pulse. I thought I may share it here as many of us wonder just what our prized antique or collectible is really worth. You don't have to be an antiques or collectibles dealer to find out. This article is for anyone who wants easy, free ways to date their items, and hopefully helpful to dealers or sellers as well.

I've come across some helpful sites that have helped me figure out the date or origin of items, or tell me what's hot or not in the marketplace. If you are selling antiques or collectibles, when it's hot, it's time to get rid of it! I am still kicking myself for the box of X-Files comic books that I hung on to.....all essentially worthless right now. Many of them with original autographs, probably not worth the paper they are printed on but purchased for an arm and a leg when the show was on. (What was I thinking? Why Mulder, why? Even after a recently released movie, there is no surge of interest!)

The first site has a lot of helpful information written by Barbara Crews. Here you will find selling tips, what items are worth, and how to do things (like have the best garage sale ever.) You will find all sorts of interesting articles, for instance one article may revolve around vintage post cards, another on vintage clothing. You will also find out what's hot or not. Great tips for buyers too! The website is called Collectibles About. Com.

The second one I absolutely LOVE is the Antiques Roadshow! Perhaps you are familiar with the series on PBS. Did you know that you can actually view free appraisal excerpts from the shows? You can visit the United Kingdom series, or the United States version. I often watch both since much English china and wares have ended up in the US.

Once you arrive on the Antiques Roadshow website, you can use the search function box to find what you are looking for. Let's say you have a pocket watch from yesteryear and are clueless as to the value. In this case, on the right, you would select from the toolbar, "clocks and watches". This would bring up a menu, and there it will show photographs of the recent watches and clocks that have been appraised, usually with an icon of the item. Perhaps you will see your exact pocket watch there, or something strikingly similiar. If you click on the icon, you can then view a clip of the show. Here they will show the piece in detail and appraise the item. How wonderful! A free appraisal!

If you are a dealer, this is especially helpful as it can school you on items you may not know much about. Let's say you specialize in vintage clothing but would like to learn more about dinnerware. Take an hour or so and explore the dinnerware category and you may learn that that china set you just passed up at the thrift store last week was really worth $300. Nothing beats free education!

If you love vintage handbags, you can find out free inforrmation on designers and on the actual vintage materials used at Bag Lady University. (This is a division of Bag Lady Emporium.) I was shocked to see a lot of old fashion magazine information containing pictures of the actual handbags, and helpful archives were there.

Vintage Jewelry Guide has an online website for the jewelry enthusiast, allowing it's FREE members to browse thousands of free listings, but does ask for donations. I hear good reviews but have not joined myself.

Vintage Fashionistas and Retro Clothing-lovers try the Vintage Fashion Guild. A tried and true favorite for all things fashion-related and a great chronology why not try Fashion-Era? On this site, you will find everything from the inception of mini-skirts and the death of stockings to the birth of pants for ladies! Way to go Fashion-era!

Another up-and-coming one I suggest is collectibles-articles, which has been a bit slow in catching on, but offers member-written articles, from sports memorabilia to art. I found their articles easy to read and helpful.

Do you sell vintage, antiques, or collectibles on Etsy? If you do, then you may be eligible to join the Etsy Vintage Street Team, where members talk and chat and share helpful links and information on Vintage Pulse. For more information, go to the Etsy Vintage Profile on Etsy.

Paid sites can be found, for finding your antiques or collectibles net worth, my friends suggest the one at Kovels. I hear that they have lots of items listed and update the prices accordingly. If you are used to paying $15-$20 a year for a paper version of their antiques & collectibles price guide, perhaps online is the way to go GREEN and get 24/7 access to a plethora of values!

If you like me, you may just plug your item into search engines like Google and see what pops up. This however can give an unrealistic gauge on prices so beware. Google will pull from big boy sites like EBay, Etsy, or Ruby Lane, and if you have that rare Japanese Urn you may be in for a shock value as to the prices. Thanks to this economy, Ebay prices may be extremely down (good for buyers), whereas a seller on Ruby Lane is asking 10% over last year's book value. (Ouch, this may be what it's technically worth, but is it worth that today in this economy?) If you settle for a price in between the two spectrums, you may just get it. You can take your chances by holding onto it, and hope that your item may be "hot" again someday. (C'mon X-files...)

Many people tell me to buy or sell the item on free sites such as Craigslist. Lots of prospective buyers are reviewing the ads and good bargains are there to be had. One must love the "no fees." I'm not one to have strangers come to my house but would however meet them in a public place like a coffee shop which may work out much better. My husband has purchased a lot of used restaurant equipment on Craigslist and raves about it.
Still I suggest using extreme caution and practice common sense safety when selling expensive items and dealing with strangers. For high priced jewelry, or estate jewelry that you are looking to sell, you may be better off going to a reputable jewelry store that handles consignments and hold out for the best price.

Whatever you do, have fun doing it, and remember with just a little free research, you can become a pro on your item in no time!