Dr. Lori Verderame
By Dr. Lori Verderame
Where do you find quality and valuable art, antiques and collectibles at bargain prices? My three favorite places for treasure hunting are thrift stores, estate/garage sales, and online platforms. As an appraiser, with 25 years of experience evaluating all types of objects, I keep current on the value of objects. Through my Zoom courses, social media posts, and columns, I train my followers in ways to become successful resellers. Here are some of my tips forgetting the best return on investment (ROI) from your latest shopping haul.
Parts & Packages
Original packages can impact value. This is true for everything from original store-bought jewelry boxes to tea canisters. When it comes to board games, toys, electronics, objects with accessories and many more vintage and antique items, the package, box, or presentation displays for an item are valuable. If you have the box, keep it. If you have the box and it is damaged, don’t add tape to it because that could damage it. And, what’s more, having all the pieces of an item like a game or toy is vital to establishing its value. If you hunt around yard sale tables or estate sale shelves for that missing chess piece or lamp base, it will be well worth it.
And speaking of parts, many items particularly antiques are sold for their parts. That’s right, sometimes a part of a vintage object is just what a collector is looking for, and he/she will pay top dollar for it. Recently, on a major online thrift shopping platform, parts of a rare pocket watch sold for nearly$100,000. That’s right, sometimes it’s the parts that sell uber high. Don’t disregard the parts of a rare object.
Don’t do Damage
If an item is damaged, the cost of restoring it could be costly. In some cases, restoration is extremely costly. Before you pick up and pay for that tattered 19th century quilt or broken lithograph tin windup toy, consider its condition. If you decide to ignore this warning and buy a damaged piece and have it restored, make sure you know the cost of the restoration before the work begins. Ask the restorer for before and after photos of his/her work on a similar piece too because you’ll want to see how well their resulting work is. Inquire about insurance coverage while your art or antique is in the restorer’s care.
Unmarked doesn’t mean without Value
There is a longstanding myth, and it is a myth, that a work of art, collectible, or antique object must be signed, marked, or labeled to be valuable. Not true! While it is good to have documentation, signatures, marks, etc. on objects, but it is not the holy grail when it comes to identifying valuable objects. While documentation is important, it is not the only thing to look for when evaluating an object for quality and value. Of course, objects with autographs or signatures, original labels, back stamps, or other marks, have some value, but that is not the end all be all.
What are the easiest items to resell? Jewelry, clothing, works of fine art, furniture, and home décor objects. Don’t overlook these objects wherever they may be hiding. Happy treasure hunting.
Ph.D. art and antiques appraiser, Dr Lori is a YouTube star with 95 million views on her treasure hunting channel www.YouTube.com/DrLoriV, and award-winning media personality. Dr. Lori presents the Antiques Appraisal Comedy Tour at events nationwide. She appears on Netflix, History channel, and CBS & ABC networks. Want to know what your stuff is worth? or learn how to Sell your Old Stuff for Profit? Visit www.DrLoriV.com or call (888) 431-1010.
Photo credit: Staff of www.DrLoriV.com
