Looking to sell antique furniture. Best options? (repair, purchase, prices)

[marckres]

I live in Malden MA and am looking to sell my home and downsize. I want to see about selling some antique furniture. Do most dealers come to the person's home for an appraisal? I was looking for my best options in the Massachusetts area, I am not that far from Boston. Would anyone know of any reputable dealers in the area?

Looking to sell a writing desk, sofa, 2 chairs, some end tables, coffee table, bedroom vanity and bureau.

Would appreciate any feedback.

Thanks

[Bumby88]

Mass has tons of antique dealers but 100x more in antiques. Let them know what you have first by emailing pics. If none seem interested I'd consider calling an auction company. They will pick the items up.

Or just list the items on Craigslist if you know what you want for them.

[miu]

Post some pictures here of what you are trying to sell.

There is no such thing as a free appraisal. A dealer or auction house will stop by your house, but usually the deal is... is that they will charge you for the appraisal, but waive it if they are interested in buying it or taking it for an auction.

But if the furniture is not for them or you decide not to let them take the pieces, then they will charge you for their time.

So the only issue with calling in a dealer, is that most people will sell to them because they don't want to be charged a fee AND they are happy to sell their items. HOWEVER... if the owner doesn't have a clue as to what they are trying to sell, there is a chance that they could sell a treasure for cheap. Andy dealer that is called in for that free appraisal is really working for themselves and THEIR best interests, not the best interests of the owner.

Calling in a licensed appraiser and paying them their fee is safest for an uneducated owner of antiques. And that licensed appraiser is also not allowed to purchase anything they appraise. So no conflict of interests would occur.

[Coldjensens]

Anyone giving you an appraisal has an ulterior motive of getting the thing from yu for a tiny fraction of what they can sell it for. That is certainly true with any free appraisals.

You are generally better off figuring it out for yourself. If you can figure out exactly what you have, look at closed auctions on E-bay to get an idea of pricing.

The best way to know is to the history of the furniture. Who bought it where and when. However it you have that much family history for something it woudl be a shame to get rid of it.

The demand/desire for antique furniture has dropped off considerably so prices are down. You need to look at recent pricing. It can be difficult to figure out what you have. Very frequently that camel back sofa that looks just like the 1860 one in a picture is really a 1950s reproduction. Anything made in the 1970s is easy to tell. Is it incredibly ugly? Then it is probably from the 1970s.

About 25 years ago, someone did a study of all the "victorian" era furniture on the market in the US. Even after accounting for the shipment of European antiques to the USA, they concluded the US population would have to have been 400% larger for that much actual Victorian furniture to be available. In short, most of it is reproductions that people honestly (or not) believe to be original because it looks old. It looks old because it is old. They were making reproductions of antique furniture in the late 1800s. So you might have a 100 year old sofa that was made to look like a 200 year old sofa. Or it may be a 50 year old sofa made to look like a 200 year old sofa. Usually you can discern the reproductions, but not always. Here are some clues to look for:

Manufacturer's sticker - usually no date but you can find out when they were in business.

Patent dates. However an 1890 patent may appear on an item for decades. So it only gives you a ballpark.

Types of fasteners. Phillips head screws. - Modern. If the screws were original to the item it is a reproduction not an antique.

Flat head round top screws. Indication of age or a really good reproduction. But these cover a huge time span.

Square nails - if you can pull one out and discern how they were made it can give you a lot of information. They may also be used in some really good reproductions, but they are generally cut not forged.

Pegged/doweled. Again this type of fastening was used for a very long time. Doweled and glued is generally newer. Really crude pegs may be indicative of older.

Wood types. While veneer goes way back it became more prevalent later. Some woods have not been available for a considerable time except from specialty mills.

Upholstery type and stuffing. Some upholstery types like Mohair were popular during certain early periods and only used rarely later. Stuffing consisting of hair, fabric rags, or what appears to be miscellaneous junk can mean it is old or it can mean it was a DIY repair at some time.

Height. Older furniture tends to be lower than modern furniture, not all of it but much of it is. Still a lot of reproductions also reproduced the low height.

Legs. Again reproductions will have them too but upholstered couches and chairs on spindly legs have been out of vogue for a long time.

Upholstery tacked or stapled or glued, or ____. this can be helpful but does not likely mean a lot. Anything more than 50 years old has likely been reupholstered.

Odd configurations. Things like Tete a Tete chairs (courting chairs) have not been made for a very long time, at least not mass produced. The only ones from the last 60 years I have seen were outdoor furniture. Fainting couches are still made, but most are in exaggerated proportions or made in modern styles.

[gentlearts]

Is it antique (over 100)? Do you know the history of the pieces? If so, set up an email to everyone in your area....dealers and auctioneers, and include a photo and description, and see what they say.