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Antiques - An Introduction

By Michael Russell

If you look up the word antique in the dictionary you will find the following definition:

'antique (noun), pronounced an.tique. 1 : a relic or object of ancient times; 2 a : a work of art, piece of furniture, or decorative object made at an earlier period and according to various customs laws at least 100 years ago;'

Okay, so now we technically know what an antique is.

But are all antiques worth anything?

Thats where the answer is a little harder to come up with than a mere definition.

Just what DOES make an antique worth something?

The simple answer to that is us.

As with anything else in life and in the market place how much something is worth depends on how much a person is willing to pay for it. Taking an extreme example, if you go back 100 years from the writing of this article, it would be safe to say that a person would be more willing to pay a large sum of money for John William Godwards 'Flabellifera' painting of 1905 than for a wooden fence taken from the front of someones house in that same year. Theyre both 100 years old, and technically both antiques, but since wooden fences are probably a dime a dozen, even from that year, it is doubtful that the wooden fence would demand much of a price. Not to say there arent some people who would pay something for a 100 year old fence.

So what are some of the more in demand antiques of the day and how much are people willing to pay for them?

Well, how about wrapping your brain around some of these prices.

A pair of Victorian birds eye maple music chests from 1875 carry a price tag of about $21,000.

A Regency rosewood sofa table with brass inlay goes for about $14,000.

A fine quality Queen Anne period walnut bureau circa 1705 goes for around $14,500.

A 1795 George III oak longcase clock with eight day striking movement by Stanford, Yarmouth sells for in the vicinity of $6,100.

Getting away from furniture and moving to the art world, a Victorian style old English oil painting from around 1870 goes for about $500.

A James Stark Victorian English landscape painting from 1842 goes for a whopping $5,995, and that doesnt include shipping charges.

Interested in a good antique watch? An 8 Days Railroad Pocket Watch from 1890 goes for about $300.

An 1897 Imperial Russian Military Pocket Watch has a price tag of about $500.

An Imperial Russian Family Pavel Watch Circa 1897 will get about $600 from an interested buyer.

A New Columbus 16 jewel pocket watch made in 1880 sells for about $300.

A turn of the 20th century Hamilton 17 jewel pocket watch will end up in someones hands for about $350.

And we havent even scratched the surface of antiques. What is listed above is relatively cheap. The expensive stuff goes back hundreds of years and goes for amounts that would stagger the imagination. Well go over some of the more expensive antiques including items from the 17th and 18th century in a future article.

About The Author

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Antiques

Tips About furniture antique

As a newcomer to the world of collecting you can get a feel for the kinds of questions an astute collector asks when examining a piece by simply watching a few episodes of "Antiques Roadshow" on your local PBS channel. Individuals bring items into the show and experts single out pieces for commentary and valuation. The program will quickly help you to understand the degree of research and understanding that goes into being a smart collector of valuable antiques.
Buy antique jewelry today!

Antique Tools. Along the same lines as kitchen wares, old tools can be an interesting collectible since some of the pieces can be esoteric and intriguing - for instance old hoof cleaners or handles to remove the batteries from Model T automobiles. Free antique price guides available online can help you to determine what to pay for such oddities but they are rarely high dollar items.
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