Antiques - how do you know if you'r being ripped off or not?

[TeeCee]

I was in an antique shop in London on Saturday.

My parents bought my DD2 a box as a Christening gift for her.

Apparently it is Regency, it's very decorative, silver on copper, it's probbaly about 15 ams in length and is lined with some bright pale blue silk, looks very old but..... cost £180, think they got it for !60.

I bought an old opera style top hat, the style that collapses, in good nic but obviously very old. Paid £50.

Were we ripped, how do you know?

I don't have a clue, it can depend in sooo many factors which include condition, period, person who created it, uniqueness of the piece, how "fashionable" these sort of things are at the moment and where in London/how reputable was the shop your parents got it from.

I thinbk the right price for these sort of things is the one people are happy to pay for them.

TC, Do you know ebay is a really good way of getting a good idea of prices.

I've been eyeing up a few things on there myself but I watch a few of the same thing, if you get me, so that I can see how much they go for and know whether to bother bidding for it.

But I agree with Chandra too.
If you loved the item and were happy to pay that then I dont think you were ripped off.

Hmmm. Hard to know. My parents have been antiquing and going to estate auctions, boot sales, auctions and estate sales for years now, as a sort of hobby.

My mom's been taking art lessons for years as a hobby, too, so she can see things on paintings most people miss and knows about paints - time periods they might have been used, mixing techniques from certain eras, etc. Her dad was a jeweller by trade, and had a keen eye for things and taught her much.

My dad's dad and brother were tradesmen - joiners who loved wood, and they taught him loads, so he can tell much from just examining a piece.

If you've got some friends who are trades or craftspeople, they can often tell a lot about a piece just by giving it a good lookover.

Fantastic family Expat! now, what's your bet?

[sorry, apologies in advance ]

You can check in a number of ways

Look at things like Miller's guide which tells you the price of things

Search auction houses and look at recent prices that things have gone for

Look on ebay

Did you pay what they asked for the items or beat them down by the way?

However condition plays a HUGE part in a lot of antiques. Porcelain for eg is virtually worthless if it has been broken and repaired compared to its value if it is intact. Other things may be ok if restored but restoration costs a lot of money, there are less and less people doing it too which bumps the price up

You could take them to an auction house for valuation or another antique dealer if you wanted verification

cool, ta muchly.

I'd want to see: a) the silver on copper b) the silk

If the box is wood, I'd see that, too, and open it and examine how the bits are put together and the bottom of all the bits.