etzee

Pricing antiques for a live auction

Price what you can say, not what you hope. The certainty is part of the item.

The Metzee team13 Oct 20262 min read

In most categories you price an object. Here you price an object and everything you can establish about it, and the second part moves the number more than people expect.

Certainty is part of the price

A piece with a maker's mark, a history and no undeclared repairs is a different item from the same piece with none of those. Not a better one — a different one, bought by different people for different money.

So before you pick a number, write down what you can actually say. That list is what you are selling.

Where to start

Decorative and unidentified pieces: start low. The room is often better informed than the seller in this category, and the bidding will find the level. This is also how you learn.

Identified, marked or documented pieces: start where you would be content and set a reserve. One quiet night should not cost you a scarce object.

Do not clean to raise the price

It is worth saying twice. Polishing, refinishing and over-cleaning destroy more value in this category than any courier, and the loss is permanent.

Sets, pairs and parts

A matched pair is worth more than two singles; say whether a pair is matched or made up. A part of a set should say it is a part.

Delivery is part of the price

A heavy or fragile item that has to travel is an item with a real cost attached, and a buyer who has not thought about it will bid as though it is free. Say the delivery position in the listing and again in the show. How delivery is charged.

Questions people ask

Should I get something valued first?

If you suspect it is significant, yes. For most pieces an honest description and a low start work better than a guess dressed as a valuation.

Do I price damage out, or price it in?

Price it in and describe it. Buyers here expect age and accept damage; what they do not accept is finding it themselves.

Is no reserve ever right?

For decorative pieces, often. For anything you would regret losing cheaply, no.

More: how auctions find a price, selling antiques.

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