In this article we will explain several ways  to find out the value of art.

The easiest way to determine the value of your art work is to try to sell it on eBay, however this often depends on how you present it for sale. You will also then know the rock bottom price! In all marketplaces there is the importance of presentation and circumstance in determining price. An art gallery can get more money for artwork than a thrift store or ebay, for example.

Just putting a piece of art on the market is not the best way to achieve the highest price. You are better off having some prior knowledge of its value before releasing it to be sold. Auctions are often limited in scope, some are rigged, art galleries take a fifty percent cut, eBay is a madhouse, you name it each market has its share of unknowns.

We often think that we have an invaluable piece of work and are incredulous when someone tells us that in fact it is worthless. We always hope to have a hidden Picasso. The art world could surely need a good dose of modesty. This applies to the seller and the buyer.

As international art dealers ourselves we use a variety of mechanisms to determine price. Our objective could be to always make a immense profit by buying low and selling high, but that would be very short sighted. We have found that attaining a fair price during the buying stage and selling stage is what matters most to us. So if you have spent 30 hours painting a landscape you should expect it to be worth your while, but it is best to sell several in the future at a reasonable price than just waiting for a single sale in the distant future.

If you are the owner of a piece of art and have no idea of its value, you should start to educate yourself by reading the biographies of the artist, researching their exhibits, visit any website that is dedicated to that artist, search for art sales catalogs that contain artwork from your artist. Basically have fun exploring and discovering what is known about your artist. The more you know about them the better you can represent them when you wish to sell the piece of art or if not selling you will gain an even greater appreciation for your piece art.

There are also some very useful search engines that will help you determine a general idea of the value of the works of some artists. We like to use the search engines Artprice.com and Artnet.com. You have to pay to use their services but they list over 400 000 artists and the results from their art work sold at auction. A real goldmine if your focus is just on price. This is quite useful if you have several piece of artwork from a variety of artists. Artprice and Artnet’s focus is mostly on paintings and prints.

Hunting for antique art is a lot of fun. The secret of effective antiquing is to know where to look. As professional art dealers, my wife and I spend a fair amount of time in the search of the unusual and unique pieces. We cover many fun places here in the USA and in over 10 different countries. Here we will share with you how you can benefit from our experience.

The main secret is to be quick in making decisions, we follow our gut feeling and buy, buy, buy (and then study, restore and research each piece). The problem is finding the right opportunity to buy, as the occasion does not present itself frequently. Therefore when buying we need to cover many venues as quickly as we can, this is why we don’t spend too much time thinking about an acquisition but rather follow as we said: our gut feeling.

Where to go hunting for antiques? In our case we are looking for artwork on paper, antique prints and old maps that date over 500 years old to the present. Old paper such as what we are looking for can occasionally be found in the midst of traditional antiques such as furniture found in malls and antique shows.

The best advice is to map out your itinerary (of course we do this, we sell antique maps). You need to know the opening hours of all the venues you are covering and have phone numbers on hand in case you have difficulty locating a store or market. Start early and carry lots of bills in small denominations. If writing checks, keep a couple of pens handy as well as your driver’s license.

To cover a wide area, my wife and I split up. We will enter an antique mall and head off in opposite directions. We play a game we call Quick Tiq (for Quick AnTIQuing). Whoever finds the oldest, most unusual and unique pieces first, wins. Believe me we are fast.

Keep your eyes focused on the prize, turn off your phone, scan quickly in all directions and give special attention to bottom shelves and higher up. Most people don’t look there.

We will visit antique malls, antique stores, consignment shops, thrift stores and flea markets in search of the prize. There is always a little something.

Now we are not all art dealers and do not have unlimited space to exhibit our finds at home or office, so we need to be selective. This doesn’t mean you can not play a game of Quick Tiq! Set yourself objectives. One of our favorites is to be the first to find something that is over a certain age, such as 200 years old when in Europe and 100 years in the USA. For this you should keep your cell phone on to call or text your opponent with the location of your win. Happy hunting for antique art!