Now that I’ve published two books about finding antique treasures (pottery in the mansion in Her One in a Million; Faberge in How to Spot a Fake), I thought I’d talk a little bit about what to do if you find something/inherit something that might be valuable.
My main and number one tip?
Don’t be intimidated, ask an expert!
After grad school, I worked for an auction house in Chicago in the furniture and decorative arts department, cataloging items for sales. We found antiques for sale in all sorts of ways. From lawyers settling estates to recommendations from insurance appraisers, but contacts from people clearing out their attics were my personal favorite. We’d field calls, emails, appointments, and letters with photographs.
Like in my books, treasures can be anywhere! If you think you have something special, auction houses want to hear from you! You don’t need to go to a major East or West coast firm. There are plenty of reputable firms all over the country.
The main benefit of going to an auction house is their reach. Sales are almost always online as well as in-person, making your treasure available to a global audience.
What if you aren’t sure and don’t want to reach out without a better idea of what you have? For American silver and pottery, you can do a little preliminary work on your own. I highly recommend the Kovels’ guides, in particular The Collector’s Guide to American Art Pottery (also just a really great read!) and American Silver Marks. (Silver was one of my favorite decorative arts to catalogue and sell because 1) it’s always been valuable so families would hold on to it for generations and 2) the marks make it easy to identify what you have. British and European silver have their own series of marks. Check out Miller’s Silver Marks as a guide).
When in doubt, reach out. You’ll never know what you have if you don’t ask.
Rachelle Paige Campbell 