Antique collecting is a multi-billion dollar business worldwide. There are a lot of opinions and professional definitions as to what classifies an item as antique. The most widely accepted definition, though, is that an antique is anything that is 100 years old or more. Antique collector's items are as varied as their ages. They include items like artwork, pottery, glass, and crystal. Other antiques include toys, Lucite, jewelry, books, manuscripts, maps, furniture, copper and silver, dolls, clothing and cars. These items can be of sentimental and monetary value for many people, but experts agree that getting an accurate appraisal is important for determining value. Determining Value
There are several factors appraisers will look for when determining the value of your antique. Perhaps the most important is authenticity. Many antiques are replicas of original pieces that were mass-produced after the originals, often worth much less. For example, a bronze horse and rider statue by noted American artist Frederick Remington has been replicated thousands of times. Complete with signature of the artist, it is often hard to tell these other antiques from the originals, even for the keenest appraisers. When determining value, the condition of the antique is important in most objects as well. Dolls, maps, books and artwork are areas in which condition can greatly affect the price of the item. Other antiques such as furniture, cars and crystal are also objects subject to harsh scrutiny in the area of physical appearance, but a little less so than the aforementioned. Other factors taken into account when determining value of antiques are rarity of artist, rarity of pieces produced, market demand and trends, and ties to historical figures.
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