How Much Are My Collectibles Worth?

Those involved in the world of collecting are somewhat familiar with the dynamics of pricing. Demand for the product is usually confined to what is known as the secondary market; that is, a set of prices independent of the retail world and highly divergent depending on the buyer. The nature of collectibles and antiques means that the price that the product is worth can be substantially higher or lower than what the collector originally paid for the item. A few things come into play when determining how much your antiques and collectibles are worth, but there are guidelines and documentation that can help you determine how much your collection is worth.

If you've ever looked at your own personal collection and wondered 'how much is my collection worth?' you are not alone. Many individuals began collecting at a young age, fulfilling an interest in the items without a plan or expectation of any real profit. Some collectible items have become highly valuable, while some aren't even worth the amount initially paid. Although the science of pricing antiques and collectibles is not a definitive one, here is how prices in the secondary market are determined, and a few factors to keep in mind.

• The retail price is how much your collectible item sells for in a store
• The wholesale value is the price that a retailer pays for the vintage collectibles and it is usually about 33-50% less than the retail price
• A price in the secondary market is determined by the buyer and the seller reaching an agreement. All aspects of the item should be revealed to the buyer and the seller should be offered a fair price for their collectable.
• Collectibles insurance is normally the highest value given to a collectible and represents the cost of replacing the item if it were damaged or stolen.
• The tax or estate value is determined by an average auction price of the same or similar pieces.
• Auction value is how much the piece would normally go for at auction if neither the buyer or the seller were in a forced position to buy/sell.

This gives you a basic set of guidelines in which to determine the price of your collectibles. Items such as comic book collectibles are only valuable within a certain niche market. Most of the value lies within comics collected before the boon of the 1980s and 1990s, when the begun being produced and high volumes. Generally, a great deal of the profit is found in rare items such as misprints or editions of items that have been lost throughout time with only a few copies surviving.

Other items such as antiques have a greater potential to fetch the big dollars because of their ability to survive many years and their practicality. Antique furniture usually makes a killing in the secondary market depending on the age and model, while collectibles such as stamps, coins, and comic books appeal to a more narrow demographic. No matter what vein of collecting you decide to participate in, there are universal guidelines that help determine the price of your collection.

• The price the owner of the collectible thinks it is worth.
• The price the buyer wants to pay for the item.
• The price that is listed in a current Price Guide.
• The actual price the item sells for regardless of whether it sells at an auction, is sold to a private buyer or is sold to a dealer.

Other universal aspects to the condition and nature of collectibles apply as well. Items such as art, vintage posters, comic books, action figures, and other visual pieces generally adhere more to these guidelines. These are the constraints put upon collectibles that are showcased in stores or households. These niche markets are quite popular and can be extremely profitable provided the items are kept in pristine condition and are still popular among the target audience.

Items such as collectible card games and certain pieces of art gain or lose cultural relevance and sway in popularity quite often. Whether items are reprinted, redistributed, or undergo factors that decrease their rarity is one of the best ways to diminish price. Research these topics and check your own collection for these factors to help determine a rough estimate of the price of your collectibles.

• The law of supply and demand
• Condition
• Provenance
• Rarity
• Aesthetic appeal

Finally, these are how prices within the secondary market are set. Think of it as a sort of average of prices that items sold for in previous transactions via many different mediums. Since there is no concrete price set, the best one can hope for is individual itemization of products and their rough estimate in price within the secondary market. One of a kind pieces are incredibly difficult to dictate in this instance, and it usually depends on an agreement made between the buyer and the seller. For other rare items that have duplicates lurking around the world, the process becomes slightly easier.

The trick in determining the price of your collection is being able to take advantage of trends in the market. Many collectible items swaying toward the artistic side of vintage collectibles will soar and plummet in price depending on cultural trends. Comic books can fluctuate in price depending on Hollywood films, as can classic albums depending on inductions to the hall of fame, reunions, etc. Here are some elements that determine the prices of collectibles:

• Auction selling prices
• Online price guides
• Written price guides
• Appraisal services on and off line
• Local antique and collectible dealers

With over 600,000 collectible price guides available, one can get a rough estimate of what their collection is worth. Many veteran collectors have run the gamut of pricing antiques and collectibles and come up with a high and low end price for most collectibles. Many online versions of these guides are available and constantly updated, while some come in print form and are updated at different increments.

• If you can't find a collectibles guide that fits your items, there are other ways to see if the price is documented using identifying marks, serial numbers, or artist signatures. If you're dealing with antique models, you may not fight your exact product, but there may be similar pieces out there that will fetch similar prices.
• Use the Internet to search your product and see what it generally sells for. Oftentimes, Google indexes or images will return your product or similar products and offer all of the documented information.
• Scan the item for a patent number. Many items come with a unique patent number and information can be collected at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website.
• Check the books. With an extensive library on collectibles price guides, it is easier than you think to obtain the correct book needed to find out how much your collection is worth. Checking Ebay, the leading online auction service is also a good way to get a rough estimate on prices.
• If these options fail you, search forums for users who have had similar problems. It can safely be said that if there is a collectible, someone has tried to figure out how much it's worth. Chances are that someone somewhere in the world has gathered useful information and posted it on a forum.
• Contact an expert. If all of these options don't give you a good idea on how much your item is worth, there are many collectors that offer their services or have establishments to assist you. Most would say to use this as a final option, but sometimes it's the only way to have an extremely rare item appraised.

With such a wide expanse of ways to derive the price of collectibles and different trends deciding what's popular or not, it's hard to answer the question of how much your collectibles are worth empirically. As a collector, the best thing to do is begin collecting for enjoyment and take care of your collectibles. Many antiques and collectible items are stumbled upon by accident, handed down by family members, or purchased at unlikely venues. The best one can hope for is simply learning all they can about what they have, how to preserve it, and where to look for the best pricing information.

It's a matter of devoting the time in order to research your collection and seek those with similar interests to turn a large profit off of collecting. The joy of collecting does not always end with extreme financial success, but on rare occasions your hobby may become your career.