Curious about Your Curio?
Check out these tips from antiques expert Barbara Eash.
Barbara’s been thrilled by the antiques photos readers have sent to Country Woman. She offers these tips for you to help her provide the most accurate, helpful verbal appraisal of your heirloom:
Photos are critical! It’s okay to send several. Make sure they’re sharply focused, against a simple background and well lit. Show the entire item—don’t cut off a top finial or bottom foot. Include close-ups of any details. Show dolls both dressed and disrobed so I can see structure, markings and condition.
- Give measurements. Size can affect the value of some items, and can be difficult to judge from photos alone.
- Describe any markings or imprints—even partial ones—and damage. Use photos if possible.
- Include other information about the piece, such as dates, places, known history or even hearsay. If your mother said that soda-pop clock came from her uncle’s 1930s diner in Pennsylvania, I want to know!
- Be patient, and keep reading. I can’t answer every one of the hundreds of inquiries. But I aim for a good, representational mix of items in each issue. Even if I don’t show your amethyst carnival glass bonbon dish, you might recognize the pattern and manufacturer’s markings from my comments about a similar piece in another color.
- Finally, keep your eyes open! When people think “antique,” ceramics and glassware often get the glory. But don’t overlook clocks, furniture, toys or textiles when checking your attic. Collectors are often interested in these items, too——and many of them have intriguing histories I’d love to share with you!