Guides · Collectibles and antiques
Collectibles and antiques
Collectibles and antiques at auction: what to check, maker's marks, red flags, and free sold-price and identification resources.
What to check
- Maker's marks, signatures, labels and patent numbers.
- Condition: chips, cracks, repairs, replaced parts and refinishing.
- Materials: solid silver versus plated, solid wood versus veneer.
- Sold prices for the same maker and form, not asking prices.
Key marks and dates
- "Sterling" or 925 marks solid silver; EP, Electroplated Nickel Silver (EPNS), "silverplate" or "quadruple plate" mean plated.
- Country-of-origin marks such as "Made in Japan" help with dating.
- Patent numbers can help date an item's design.
- Reproductions often have crisp, even wear and modern fasteners.
⚑ Red flags
- "Antique" with no maker, date or provenance.
- Fresh paint or finish on "original" pieces.
- Signatures that look added.
- Prices based on one high asking price rather than sold results.
Common fakes: collectibles and antiques →Sourced screening tips.
Free lookups
LiveAuctioneers ↗Past auction results for comparable lots.Heritage Auctions ↗Past auction results (free account may be needed).Kovels ↗Marks and price guides for antiques.Antiques Roadshow archive ↗Appraisal segments by category.Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks ↗Identify silver hallmarks.Google Patents ↗Look up patent numbers to date a design.eBay sold listings ↗Search completed sales, not asking prices.
These guides are general information, not appraisals. Links go to independent sites we don't control and aren't affiliated with.
Let us do the homework
Bidding on a whole sale?
We identify every item, flag the standouts in the photos, and set a max bid on every lot.