Browse 876 categories with auction records, valuations, and identification guides
An antique price guide answers a deceptively simple question: what has this type of item actually sold for? Not what dealers are asking, not what an appraiser estimates, but what real buyers paid at real auctions for comparable pieces. That distinction matters enormously. Asking prices on dealer websites and online marketplaces can be 30 to 100 percent above what items realize at auction, because sellers price optimistically and buyers do not always have access to market data.
Each price guide on Appraizely is built from verified auction realized prices drawn from 500+ auction houses worldwide, including Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, Heritage Auctions, Phillips, and specialist houses covering ceramics, silver, watches, art, furniture, coins, books, maps, and more. The guides show price ranges derived from actual hammer prices, not estimates or retail asking prices. Where sufficient data exists, guides include condition impact, maker premiums, and seasonal price patterns.
Price guides are most useful when you understand what they measure and what they do not. They reflect the fair market value of items sold under normal auction conditions — not forced sale value, not insurance replacement cost, and not the price a dealer will offer to buy from you directly. Dealers typically offer 30 to 50 percent of auction realized value because they carry holding costs, overhead, and resale risk. If a dealer offers you $400 for an item and the price guide shows $900 at auction, neither figure is wrong — they reflect different markets and different conditions of sale.
Knowing what an antique is worth requires knowing what comparable pieces have actually sold for — not what sellers ask, not what price guides estimate, but what a real buyer paid at auction after competitive bidding. These price guides are built from verified auction realized prices across 500+ auction houses worldwide, including Sotheby's, Christie's, Bonhams, Heritage Auctions, Phillips, and hundreds of specialist houses. Each guide covers a specific category of antique or collectible with sale data, value ranges, and identification context drawn from actual market results.
Auction realized prices are the benchmark that professional appraisers, estate attorneys, insurance adjusters, and IRS reviewers rely on for personal property valuation. They reflect genuine demand from informed buyers in a transparent, competitive setting. An eBay asking price or a dealer's retail tag is not comparable — only what something actually sold for tells you what the market believes it is worth. This is why IRS Publication 561 and the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) both specify the comparable sales method for establishing fair market value of personal property.
The guides below cover more than 870 categories — from American art pottery and Bakelite jewelry to Tiffany glass and Victorian silver. Each category links to a dedicated guide with pricing context, identification tips, and filters for exploring auction records by date range, condition, and sale house. Use the search bar above or browse by letter to find your category.
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