Three Things Professional Appraisers Look for When Assessing an Item’s Value

Knowing whether or not you have a valuable item on your hands can be tricky for the untrained eye. It can also make it difficult to know whether or not an item is worth getting appraised or even sending to auction. If you think you might have a valuable item on your hands, these three indicators used by professional appraisers can help you determine if your item might (or might not) be worth something of value.

Maker’s Marks or Names

The first thing you’ll want to look for on an item is a maker’s mark or brand name. For handmade items, you’ll be looking for an artist’s signature. The two most common places to find these are either on the bottom/underside, or the back of the item. For pieces of art like paintings, the signature will typically be on the front. It’s helpful to use a magnifying glass or a loupe to get a closer look, as the markings can be very small or faint from age. Maker’s marks can help determine whether or not you have an item of high quality versus a reproduction or imitation. Sometimes these markings will be a fully spelled out name, an abbreviation, or (particularly with antiques) an old hallmark or symbol used by the maker.

The majority of the time, this is the first step in determining if you have an item of high value or not. The name can mean all the difference when it comes to value, since originals tend to have much higher quality versus their knock-off imitations that have a much lower quality due to mass production. For instance, take a set of Sterling silver flatware – the brand name Rogers versus Tiffany can mean the difference of thousands of dollars. The same can be said for artwork when comparing paintings signed by the likes of Picasso versus a John Doe or someone’s long lost uncle. There are huge variations in value between certain names versus others. If your item has the maker’s mark of an original, high end manufacturer or known artist, it may be worth contacting a personal property expert to appraise or assist with auction placement.

Precious Metal and Crystal Hallmarks

Many people own items that appear to be gold, silver, or crystal – only to find out they’re actually gold-plated, silver-plated, or glass. Certain markings on the items indicate the purity of the metal or authenticity of the material.

Silver looking items are often mistaken for being Sterling silver when they’re actually commonplace silver-plated items that don’t hold much value. The two most common silver markings are “925” and “Sterling.” 925 is an indicator for Sterling silver, which is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other base metals. There are also other European and antique designations for silver that contain less than Sterling but more than silver-plated pieces. The markings “800” and “900” indicate 80% and 90% pure silver, respectively. The word “Coin” also refers to 900 silver, also known as Coin silver, and may show up on some pieces. If an item doesn’t have any markings, it’s more than likely silver-plated. 

When it comes to gold items, you’ll want to look for karat markings, which indicate the purity of gold. The most common karats are 10K (41.7% pure gold), 14K (58.3%), 18K (75%), and 24K (99.9% pure gold, which is the highest purity of gold). You may occasionally see the marking “KP,” signaling the karat is “plumb.” This means the gold purity has been measured and made to exactness, as opposed to a slightly imperfect amount of the stated karat, which is more typical of gold items.

Conversely, gold-plated items will also have their own set of markings. These markings include the word “plated” or “GP” (gold-plated), “GE” (gold electroplated), “HGE” (heavy gold electroplated), and “RGP” (rolled gold plate). “GF” (gold-filled) can also show up, which may sound like it has significantly more gold content, but it’s actually just a designation for a slightly higher percentage of gold plating. You can also check if your item sticks to a magnet. Magnets will not stick to solid gold, but they will usually stick to gold-plated items with magnetic base metals. Gold-plating can occasionally be thick enough to prevent the magnet from sticking, so this test is best used as a guide.

Some of the other common materials that are easily confused are crystal versus glass. You’ll want to look closely for either the word “crystal” or a well-known crystal manufacturer’s maker’s mark on the item. Another test, particularly when dealing with stemware, is to listen for a ringing sound when lightly tapping the item with your fingernail or with an item you’re sure is glass. If the item being tested is actually crystal, it will produce a clearer, longer lasting ringing tone compared to regular glass which will make a dull thud. You can also try running your finger gently around the top rim and listening for the ringing.

Contacting a personal property expert who can test items for their purity is the best way to confirm the makeup of your items.

The Item’s Condition

As professional appraisers, we often see people get excited to search their item online and find it has high value, only to be disappointed when they find out their particular item holds significantly lower value because of its condition. Buyers, and especially collectors, are typically picky about the condition of the items they choose to buy. You may think your item is in good condition, but there are many nuances that buyers look for when it comes to particular items. This is one of the reasons it’s worth contacting an expert who understands and can identify the many nuances of condition. These nuances – and the importance of them when it comes to value – depend on the type of item being dealt with, including art, jewelry, stamps, coins, crystal, precious metals, and much more. 

Final Thoughts

There are many factors that come into play when determining if an item is of high value or not. These three indicators – maker’s marks, precious metal and crystal hallmarks, and condition – are key factors that professional appraisers will look for when determining the worth of various items and that will hopefully point you in the right direction. Ultimately, the best way to confirm if you have something valuable on your hands is to get it assessed by a personal property expert. If you’re looking for more guidance, guaranteed accuracy, or a certified valuation, reach out to the experts at Valuables Appraisal Service to learn more about the personal property services that we offer.

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