What Is My Antique Worth? A Quick Valuation Guide for the 5 Factors That Determine Price

The 5 Factors: Maker, Condition, Rarity, Provenance, Demand

Maker is the primary driver. A piece by a documented maker (their signature, label, stamp, or attributable workshop characteristics) is worth dramatically more than an equivalent piece by an unknown maker. A Federal-period secretary desk attributed to John Seymour of Boston: $50,000-200,000. A similar desk from the same era by an unknown regional maker: $3,000-10,000. The attribution multiplies value by 5-20x. Condition is the second factor and the one most people overweight. For furniture, 'original condition' (unaltered, original finish, original hardware) is worth more than 'restored condition' — even if the restored piece looks better. The collector market has shifted decisively toward originality. A table with its original worn finish is worth more than the same table stripped and refinished because the original surface can never be recreated once removed. For decorative objects (porcelain, glass, silver), condition is more binary: damage (chips, cracks, repairs) reduces value by 30-80% depending on severity. Rarity is straightforward: fewer surviving examples = higher value. But rarity without demand is meaningless — a rare 19th-century agricultural implement might be the only one known, but if no one collects agricultural implements, it is worth $50. Rarity matters most when combined with demand. Provenance (documented ownership history) adds value when the previous owners are notable: museum deaccessioned pieces, celebrity estates, historical figure ownership. A chair from George Washington's estate is worth more than an identical chair from an anonymous household. Even a documented chain of private ownership adds credibility and value over a piece with no known history. Demand is the market factor. Mid-century modern furniture has appreciated dramatically since 2010 because demand surged from a new generation of buyers. Victorian brown furniture has declined because current taste favors clean lines over ornate carving. Demand shifts — what is undervalued today may be desirable in 20 years, and vice versa. Valued estimates value based on all five factors — snap a photo and it identifies the style, era, and quality level, then provides a market range based on recent comparable sales.

Finding Comparable Sales: Where to Research What Things Actually Sell For

The most common valuation mistake: confusing asking price with selling price. An antique listed for $5,000 on an online marketplace might sell for $2,000 — or not sell at all. Only completed sales tell you what something is actually worth. LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com archive millions of past auction results — searchable by keyword, category, date, and price range. These are the best free resources for comparable sales. Search for your item type (e.g., 'Chippendale chest of drawers'), filter by completed sales, and look for pieces similar to yours in age, condition, and quality. The range of results gives you a market range. eBay completed listings (filter by 'Sold Items') show what regular buyers pay for common antiques. This is more useful for items in the $50-2,000 range than for high-end pieces (which typically sell through auction houses or dealers). The completed listings show the actual sale price, not the asking price. Ruby Lane and 1stDibs show dealer asking prices — useful for understanding the retail market but remember that dealer prices are typically 2-3x what you would receive if selling (the dealer needs margin for overhead, risk, and profit). If a comparable piece is listed at $3,000 on 1stDibs, a dealer might pay you $1,000-1,500 for yours. For high-value items ($5,000+), get a professional appraisal. ASA (American Society of Appraisers) and AAA (Appraisers Association of America) certified appraisers charge $100-300 per item and provide written appraisals with comparable sales, condition notes, and a stated value for a specific purpose (insurance, sale, estate).

Insurance Value vs Auction Value vs What a Dealer Will Pay

There are three different 'values' for the same antique, and confusing them costs people money. Insurance (replacement) value: the cost to replace the item with a comparable piece from a retail source. This is the highest number — it represents what you would need to spend to walk into a dealer's shop and buy an equivalent. An insurance appraisal on a Victorian parlor table might say $4,000. Fair market (auction) value: what a willing buyer would pay a willing seller, neither being under pressure. This is what the piece would bring at auction — typically 40-60% of the insurance value. That $4,000 insurance-value table might bring $1,600-2,400 at auction (after accounting for buyer's premium, which adds 20-28% to the hammer price for the buyer). Dealer purchase price: what a dealer will actually pay you in cash. Dealers need to double their investment to cover overhead, time, risk, and profit. So they offer 30-50% of what they expect to sell the piece for. The $4,000 insurance-value table, which might sell for $2,500 retail: a dealer offers you $1,000-1,250. None of these numbers are wrong — they are just different contexts. Do not insure for dealer purchase value (you will be underinsured). Do not expect auction value when selling to a dealer (they need margin). And do not use insurance value as your expected sale price (you will be disappointed). Valued provides market value estimates based on recent comparable sales from auction houses and dealer listings — giving you a realistic range of what your piece is worth in the current market, not an inflated insurance number.

Quick Valuation: What You Can Determine From a Photo

Not every antique needs a professional appraisal. For most pieces, you can establish a reasonable value range from photos and online research. Here is the quick method: Step 1: Identify what you have. Style period (Chippendale, Federal, Victorian, Arts & Crafts, Art Deco, Mid-Century Modern), material (walnut, mahogany, oak, pine, rosewood), and type (chest of drawers, sideboard, table, chair). Most antique furniture guides have photo references for each style period — or snap a photo and let Valued identify it. Step 2: Check for maker marks. Turn the piece over, open drawers, look inside cabinet backs. Stamps, labels, branded marks, or stenciled names identify the maker. Google the maker name to determine if they are collected. A labeled piece by a known maker jumps to a completely different value tier. Step 3: Assess condition honestly. Original finish? Any repairs? All original hardware? Missing parts? Structural damage? Be honest — buyers and dealers will find everything you miss. Photograph the condition issues for reference. Step 4: Search comparable sales. Go to LiveAuctioneers or eBay completed listings and search for your item type. Find 3-5 comparable pieces that sold recently (within the last 2 years). Note the range of sale prices. Your piece's value falls within that range, adjusted up or down based on maker attribution, condition relative to the comparables, and any provenance you can document. Step 5: For pieces potentially worth over $1,000, consider a professional appraisal before selling. The $150-300 appraisal fee is insurance against selling a $5,000 piece for $500 because you did not know what you had. Valued automates steps 1-4: snap a photo and it identifies the style, era, and approximate maker period, then estimates a market range based on comparable sales data. It is the fastest way to triage a collection or an estate — quickly identifying which pieces warrant professional appraisal and which are common items with known values.

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