Antique Collector: Fine Art Appraisals

Fine Art Appraisals

Guide to Antique Books

Antique books are a fascinating glimpse into world history and the people who once made that history. Antique book collecting can be a guessing game sometimes since the actual age of the book may have nothing at all to do with the appraised value. We've all heard about that person who found an antique in a dusty corner of their attic, and it was appraised for a whopping sum of money. Books especially may be found just about anywhere because they are and were usually fairly portable and small.

The Skinny on Antique Books

Probably the most important factor when determining the value of an old book is its condition. It is very rare to find a really old book in great condition simply because of how long it has been around. Pages are often dog-eared, missing or may have writing on them. The binding may be loose or the covers may be damaged. All of these contribute to the book's overall value.

The overall availability of an antique book may add to its value, especially if the book is in demand. However, even if a book is rare, it may not be in demand by book collectors. Sometimes it can almost feel like a guessing game trying to figure out if the book you have is old, rare or collectible.

A first edition is often considered the rarest of a book's printing runs. The term first edition can often be used in odd ways and can often confuse a person who is interested in antique books. Most books only ever have a first edition, so you will usually want to have an expert take a look at your book to determine its value.

Often people will assume that because a book is signed by the author it is more valuable. In the 20th century, book signings have been a quite common occurrence, so signed books are not that rare overall. However, generally speaking, a signed book is somewhat more valuable than its unsigned counterpart. Then again, a lot of this will also depend on the demand that is current in the antique book-buying market.

Antique books can be a wonderful item to collect. The overall interest in antique books is fairly steady, so if you are interested in the world of antique books, information is easy to find. There are also book collecting societies that try and help their members become more adept at book collecting. So, look around, you just may find an antique book lurking in a dusty corner.

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Where Can I get a Free Fine Art Appraisal In the Los Angeles Area?

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Why did yahoo answers erase this answer to this question, I'll show you both.?
Yahoo Answers sent me an email telling me I had an answer to what I considered an important question. They then deleted the answer off of here! I do not understand what rules this answer breaks could someone please explain. I had deleted and had to retrieve the email. Then I was maxed out on my amount of questions for the day and had to wait till midnight to ask this. Meanwhile the person that was good enough to answer my question probably got negative points. THIS IS THE QUESTION I ASKED.................. Trying to find how to find value of famous intaglio printing plate (matrix), please help.? I own a old intaglio printing plate. This is on what I believe to be zinc, as I have read they are likely done on zinc or copper, this is silver in color. The plate on mounted on a wooden backing that would likely fit into the press. It is old. Not sure of actual age. Looking at reproduction print this has every detail engraved, down to blades of grass. It is a engraving of "American Homestead In Spring" etched under picture. "Published by Currier and Ives" etched under picture."152 Nassau St. New York" etched under picture.And in fine print, best I can read with a magnifying glass "Entered according to Act of Congress AD 1869, by Currier & Ives, In the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District New York". I am wondering how I would find a value of this and who or what type of collectors would be interested in this type of piece. I can find a ton of things on line with this particular print but none of the actual plates used to make the older ones of this print or any others.I can not find this type of plate on line for sale or view or anything. If you know a direction to go that would be great. Thanks you for reading my long winded question. * 11 hours ago * - 4 days left to answer. THIS IS THE ANSWER SOMEONE WAS NICE ENOUGH TO SEND ME..... You need to contact a local appraiser. Do not contact a museum, because it is ethically immoral for a museum to appraise the object. Search for "fine art appraisals" or "appraiser" near your local area on the internet. Once you have established the price, you may offer it to a museum as a donation. Or you can see if the museum will buy it--this is where the appraisal comes in. They will pay fair market value for the piece, nothing higher or lower. Museums that might be interested in such a piece would be a fine arts museum in your area or in New York (since that is where the plate originated from) or a history museum from the same area (New York, it may be possible that a history museum in your city might want it to). You can always contact your local museums to see if they could give you a list of museums whose specialty that is. Good luck! Source(s): museum intern

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Fine art appraisal for a silk etching called the old clothes dealer Cairo?
Hello, I just acquired a Stephen James ferris on silk etching, with a beautiful antique from. It's called the old clothes dealer Cairo ...any idea what it may be worth Or a good place for a free online appraisal ?

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