Dealer / quick-sale range
A lower planning range for situations where speed and dealer margin matter more than maximizing the final sale price.
Antique value research
What's My Antique Worth?
Build a quick planning range from the item type, age, condition, maker, materials, provenance and current buyer demand. Add a recent genuinely comparable sold result when you have one.
What’s It Worth?
Antique Value Estimator
Get a quick resale-value range from the item type, age, condition, maker, materials, provenance and current demand. Add a recent comparable sold price when you have one for a tighter estimate.
Estimated current resale value
$250–$475
Midpoint estimate: $350
Quick-sale / dealer offer$140–$230
Retail asking range$400–$525
Estimate confidenceMedium
- Good condition supports a stronger resale price.
- An identified maker or sold comparable can tighten the range.
This is a screening estimate, not a certified appraisal. Authenticity, rarity, regional demand and hands-on inspection can materially change value.
For a better estimate: check maker’s marks, labels, signatures, dimensions and repaired areas, then compare against recent sold results for the closest match. You can also use the PickersGO Guides before contacting a specialist.
Read the result
One object can support three different numbers
The calculator separates selling speed and channel instead of presenting one false-precision figure.
Estimated resale value
The central planning range produced from the evidence you enter. This is the number to refine with close sold comparables.
Retail asking range
A higher asking context that may require more time, presentation, buyer reach and selling costs. Asking price is not the same as sold value.
Build an evidence file
Identify the object before trying to price it
The strongest improvements to an estimate usually come from better identification and better market evidence, not from adding more descriptive adjectives.
Object evidence
- Maker or attributionLook for labels, signatures, hallmarks, stamps, model numbers and construction clues.
- Age and periodSeparate a known date from a style that merely resembles an earlier period.
- ConditionRecord damage, missing components, repairs, refinishing and replaced parts.
- OriginalityOriginal finish, hardware and components can matter differently by category.
- ProvenanceDocuments, receipts, exhibition history or ownership records can strengthen attribution when credible.
Market evidence
- Find sold resultsPrefer completed transactions over active listings or optimistic dealer asks.
- Match the closest objectMaker, model, material, dimensions, date and condition should be as similar as possible.
- Check the sale contextAuction, dealer retail, marketplace and private sale can produce different net outcomes.
- Adjust for conditionA restored, damaged or incomplete example is not directly comparable to an untouched one.
- Use more than one compA small group of recent relevant sales is more useful than one exceptional result.
Value drivers
What can materially move an antique estimate?
Different categories weigh these signals differently, but the same six questions are a useful screening framework.
| Factor | Stronger evidence | What can weaken confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Maker / attribution | Readable mark, documented maker, model or catalogue match | Unverified attribution based only on appearance |
| Age / period | Construction, marks and documentation agree | Revival or reproduction confused with an earlier period |
| Condition | Complete object with documented, appropriate conservation | Structural damage, missing parts or heavy alteration |
| Originality | Original components appropriate to the category | Replacement parts or refinishing that changes collector appeal |
| Provenance | Traceable records relevant to authenticity or history | Stories that cannot be documented |
| Sold comparables | Recent sales of genuinely similar examples | Active asking prices or unrelated record-setting sales |
Estimator limits
When a hands-on appraisal is worth considering
Move beyond a quick estimator when authenticity, material, rarity or formal documentation could materially affect the decision.
- Signed or attributed fine art where authorship drives most of the value.
- Fine jewelry, precious metals or stones that require material testing.
- Rare clocks, furniture or decorative arts with complex restoration or attribution questions.
- Objects tied to an estate, insurance schedule, charitable contribution or tax purpose.
- Any item where the likely value is high enough that a wrong assumption would change what you do next.
Local dealer research
Find antique stores when you need a local market check
Location can influence where and how an item is sold, but it does not create a universal state price. Use local store directories to identify dealers and selling options; use comparable sold items to research the object itself.