Internet Resources for Pricing Vintage Collectibles
Hi there! I hope you had a great weekend. I spent some time recently researching a vintage piece that I would like to sell soon. The process was so interesting, I thought I’d walk you through it today and let you know about some of the internet resources available to help you with pricing vintage collectibles.
Do you remember this large, unmarked pitcher that I picked up at a garage sale last summer? Having no idea what to even call it or artwork on it, I was at a loss as to how to begin researching it online. I finally decided that the decoration had an Art Deco feel to it.
Realizing that I didn’t have enough information to find similar pieces on any of the sites I like to turn to, I decided to do a google images search. I typed “Vintage Art Deco Water Pitcher” into the Google search bar and pressed “Enter.”
Then I pressed “Images” up at the top of the page. Immediately, my screen filled with hundreds of images, which I started sifting through, looking for a pitcher similar to mine.
After a few minutes of searching, I found one with decoration that had a similar quality. It was described as Art Deco, too.
When you click on an image in a gallery like this, it pulls up some information about the picture. In this case, I learned that the piece was Czechoslovakian. A clue!
I headed over to eBay, which I often use for research, but when I searched “Vintage Art Deco Czechoslovakian Pitcher,” none of the results looked anything like my water pitcher. I changed “Pitcher” to “Pottery” but still no matches.
Worthpoint Auction Reports
That’s when I decided to go to one of my new, favorite sites, Worthpoint, to see what I might learn there. My search revealed this 5 1/4″ vase with a geometric design very similar to the design on my pitcher. I learned that it sold for $58.00 on eBay in February 2013.
Continuing to look through the Worthpoint listings, I came across this stunning Czechoslovakian pottery clock and another clue was revealed: airbrushed. This piece, remarkably, sold for $1800 in August 2013.
I entered “Vintage Art Deco Airbrushed Czechoslovakian Pitcher,” and a total of fifteen pieces came up, including the one you see here–a 5 1/2″ creamer that sold on eBay in 2015 for $49.00. I also learned yet another term used in relation to objects like this one, Spritzdekor, which means “spray decoration” in German.
This attractive, 7″ piece (with a chipped finial), which I also found on Worthpoint, sold on eBay, in January 2017 for $102.50. I now had enough information to identify and price my pitcher.
My Worthpoint research confirmed that my water pitcher dates to the Art Deco period in the Spritzdekor-airbrushed style commonly attributed to both German and Czechoslovakian pottery. It’s a very nice example, in absolutely perfect condition, and I would value it at between $80 and $150.00.
Many thanks to Worthpoint for giving me a free, three-month membership so I could experience all their site has to offer. For this and several other searches I’ve conducted over the past few weeks, it has proven both easy to use and invaluable.
Worthpoint offers the opportunity to try out their site free for 7 days (up to 7 searches). If you use one of the affiliate links I’ve provided in this post, my blog and I will receive a small commission. Thank you!
Worthpoint Price Guide Books
Though I’ve known about Worthpoint for several years, I only recently began to explore all it has to offer. In addition to the thousands of auction sales listings (that I used to price my pitcher above), they also have a library of over 1000 price guides and other books to help you learn more about your collectibles.
You’ll find books by well-known publishers like Warman’s, Antique Trader, and Schroeders, covering topics from dolls to carpets, glassware to toys, and knives to quilts. You have access to every single one of them and can read them at your leisure from cover to cover in the comfort of your own home! I’m looking forward to reading more of them myself.
Adirondack Girl Resources
You may or may not know that I’ve developed several resources over the years for your use, including my Price Guides, my list of category-specific online articles, and my articles about various “cool collectibles.” I hope you will make use of them whenever you like.
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Great sleuthing Diana. There are some pieces you pick up and you know exactly what they are and others you like the way they look and you know they are old but geez Louise you’re clueless on their origin. And sometimes Etsy or eBay have exactly the identifying piece but more often than not, you’re clueless. Sometime I just price things and sell them hoping I am not losing lots of potential revenue, so this is a great resource to turn to. Ever have something that you really didnt know it’s value and it sells immediately? That’s happened to me and I wonder if another dealer bought it and is reselling and many times more than I was!
It’s those clueless ones that are the most fascinating, right? That’s one of the reasons I’ve been enjoying WorthPoint, because their listings go back ten or more years, often they’ll have at least one listing that’s close to what I’m looking for. Whereas eBay’s sold listings only go back a few months.
Yes, I’ve had things I wasn’t sure of sell right away, making me figure that I under-priced it. But if I made money on it (which I most assuredly did), then I’m happy with letting someone else make some money off it too. But it would sure be nice to know what the “real” market value is so I don’t under-price it the next time!!
Take care Laura 🙂
Dianna, I use to go to Worthpoint for pricing. At that time they had current ebay listings that you could go to but lately I’ve not seen that. My sister and I are having a sale at her home to sell off her items she had left from her Etsy shops. The ones I use to partner her in. She has tons of it left! I have been looking for help in pricing items. Thanks for these tips.
We will be advertising her sale as an Estate sale beause we know the value of her items for the most part and although she and I paid garage sale prices for them, we need to make a better profit. We will still be well under Estate Sale prices though!
Also, I picked up a vase about 15 years ago at a garage sale for 25 cents that has all of the same identifications as yours. I searched hours, days really and never found anything like it. I had to get rid of almost everything I owned when we moved in with Mama. I couldnt sell it because I just had a feeling about it so I gave it to my other sister because she collected unusual pottery pieces. I will now get her to send me a pic so I can use your search terms to help identify it. It was also unmarked. Maybe I really blessed my sister more than I imagined!
Sorry this was sooo long but I just had to share all of this with you! Thanks again for your tips!
God bless you!
Jeri
Hi Jeri! I’m not sure if this is what you were referring to, but WorthPoint has loads of eBay’s sold listing, going back a decade or more. That’s one of the reasons they can be very helpful with unusual items. I’m anxious to hear about your vase and whether it’s a piece of air brushed Czech pottery. I’d love to see a picture of it when/if you get the chance. Have you joined my Facebook group (Your Vintage Headquarters) yet? Lots of readers have joined and we post photos there and chat about them regularly.
Sounds like you and your sister have your hands full! Good luck with all the items you have to sell 🙂
I will have to go back to Worthpoint and check it out. Its been awhile. 😳 My sister has been sick and unable yo reach the vase. It’s on top of her kitchen caninets. I will definitely send you a pic when I get it. My other sister and I are almost finished pricing. Whew! We tackled the jewelry yesterday. I kept all of the better pieces. I’m eventually going to sell it online. I have 3 plastic shoe boxes full of vintage and antique necklaces, bracelets and brooches. I have 2 brooches that were my grandmothers. She passed 2 years ago at almost 103 years old. They are so pretty! I have liked your Facebook page and go to it often. Thanks again for your response and I’ll let you know how the sale goes.
Thanks for another informative post, Dianna. So many times, after cleaning a piece, I will sit at my computer and try to identify what I have purchased. I have been very successful using many of the tips you mentioned, though I haven’t used Worthpoint yet. Starting out with a general clue and sifting through information has further educated me when I have new, unknown products to research. While researching, I have expanded my knowledge of terms, styles and trends.
Isn’t the internet just an amazing place to learn and research?
I agree 100%, Susan!! I LOVE the internet and learning new things, especially when those things are related to vintage and antiques 🙂
This is much like the process I go through for research, except I haven’t yet used Worthpoint. I might give it a try. Congrats on finding out about your pitcher though. It’s a wonderful find!
Let me know if you end up trying it out and whether you like it or not, Florence 🙂
This is some great info. I have plans to sell some of my more valuable collections and this will help me price them. Not sure when I will do the sale, but sometime in 2018 I hope!
I’d love to hear what you think of it, Linda. Good luck with your sales; I know you have some truly lovely things 🙂
Thanx for another informative post! I hope you have enjoyed the pitcher for a while before selling it. We hit NH this weekend re my mother’s estate. GW and Savers didn’t have much for vintage treasures, but I got clothes for the grands and sewing projects! Savers had 50% off winter and long-sleeved clothes!
So glad you liked it, Kathy! I’m glad you were able to score some good finds in the clothing department at least 🙂
Diana, glad to have this information. I have a couple of pieces of Peter Max dish ware that I’d like to learn the value of. Sounds like i might be able to on the Worthpoint site. This was an interesting post. I’d never heard of that type of pottery.
Hi Naomi, I think WorthPoint would be a good place to find out about your Peter Max dishes. In fact, I have a Peter Max poster, so I might check it out and get back to you 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the post–thanks for letting me know 🙂
I can see you someone with a shop signing up for Worth Point, however, I have had pretty good luck with finding things by image search on my browser. It is the unmarked pieces that are the hardest of course. Once you have the approximate location, you can do a history search of the area. I have found that very useful in finding Bavarian porcelains and ceramics. Then manned with at least approximate dates and makers, I can usually find an ebay or other ‘shop’ search with a listing. Worth Point is excellent for very high end ‘selling’ prices, though. Great article.
I’ve gotten great information via Google as well, Sandi–such a blessing to be able to research so easily in the comfort of our own homes, right? Worthpoint has helped me with a number of hard to find pieces and you’d be surprised at the vastness of their resources–they cover collectibles to vintage to antiques. I recently searched “Raggedy Ann doll” and thousands of listings showed up(!). I’m so glad you liked my post 🙂
I smiled as I read this, I do something similar all the time. Besides the Thrill of the Hunt itself I love doing the research the best. You must have been thrilled when you found out the value of that pitcher! Great find for sure. xo Kathleen |Our Hopeful Home