A recent article in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine (May 2011)
“What’s Hot at the Antiques Roadshow”
has some interesting information related to vintage Native American jewelry. Here’s a quote:
“Call it the eBay effect. Once-scarce items now flood the online auction sites, tipping the scales of supply and demand and diluting values. Throw in the impact of the economic downturn — during which some folks desperately scoured their attics and basements in search of anything to sell that could help them pay their bills — and the result is a perfect storm: a decline in prices for most collectibles and antiques.”
The value of an item is not only determined by its appraised material value but also its history, or provenance. That is the story behind who obtained the item, how, when and where and any other interesting details associated with the piece. When someone asks me to help them identify and value their piece, I always ask them for the back story.
When we first purchase or obtain something, all the details are fresh in our mind and we think we will always remember the story but pull that same bracelet out 15 years later and the details might be somewhat fuzzy. That’s why it is best to write some key info such as date, price, artist’s name, where obtained and so on on a piece of paper and store it with the item. Or keep a notebook with such info. It will come in handy and could increase the value of your piece.
Read my related post.
The Great American Sell Off of Possessions including Jewelry
Native American Jewelry Tips 