Antiques and Collectibles Requests

Local Search

The amount of information any library can provide about antiques is limited, and the Reference and Loan Library staff ask local librarians to inform their patrons of this when referring these reference requests. The following steps are suggestions to local librarians when helping patrons search for information about antiques and collectibles.

• Check the local library collection for books on the subject. Go through both specialized and general books--specialized books covering Fiesta ware or mechanical banks as well as general books on pottery or toy collecting--that might include relevant information. Check general dictionaries and encyclopedias of antiques for clues. If a reference work describes an item as having been popular during Victorian days, for example, this is a clue to consult books on Victorian collectibles.
• Check specialized or general price guides such as Kovel's Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide or Warman"s Flea Market Price Guide. Price guides may include addresses of collectors' clubs and museums and references to other sources of information. Patrons should be informed price guides are exactly that, guides to item values. Prices for collectibles vary across the country, and a library cannot possibly make current editions of all price guides available to its users. In addition, price guides cover only a small sample of items collected. The exact item a patron owns will not always be listed, even in a specialized price guide. Reference and Loan Library staff may send photocopies and information from price guides potentially helpful in ascertaining a general value.
• Check the Reader's Guide and other periodical indexes for articles about the item, about the maker/manufacturer of it, on collecting the specific item or its type, etc.

Referring a Request

When the local library cannot provide sufficient information to satisfy a patron, the librarian may refer a request to the Reference and Loan Library through the reference referral network. Each such request should include a complete description of the item with a photo or sketch if possible and notes indicating size, color, shape, and material.

All markings, names, and numbers should be listed exactly as they appear on the object. These can sometimes be copied by placing the object on a photocopy machine. The Reference and Loan Library staff also asks the librarian to include in any information obtained from the patron about where the object was obtained (an aunt"s attic in Wild Rose or an estate sale in Chicago) and whether s/he has any idea of where and when it was made.

Even when patrons provide a photograph and detailed information about an object, librarians should still inform them only an expert can accurately assess its value. The condition of the object and the availability of others like it are factors that can significantly raise or lower its current worth.

When possible, Reference and Loan Library staff often supply names and addresses of collectors or museums for a patron to contact directly.

Other Sources

Local librarians may also want to suggest to the patron some additional ways of gathering information. For example, a patron could try contacting a reputable antiques dealer in the area or a group of enthusiasts who collect particular objects. Checking antiques and collectibles magazines for advertisements listing prices or other collectors" names to write to, may prove useful; or writing to an antiques advice column.

There are nationally known auction houses that will return a free, informal appraisal by mail to anyone who sends in a photograph and brief written description of an item if a stamped, self-addressed envelope is included.  Most of these have a form available on the internet to print out, complete, and mail. The items are evaluated if they are of the type usually sold by the auction house and meet minimum consignment value requirements. No response from an auction house will likely indicate the item did not meet those two requirements. Several of the auction houses are listed below.

Christie's
Auction Estimates Service
20 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10020
http://www.christies.com/consignments/how_to.asp

Sotheby's
Attn: [Choose a Category Name from the list on Sotheby's website]
1334 York Avenue
New York, NY 10021
http://auction.sothebys.com/about/contact/as_auctionest.html

For more information about requesting information on antiques from the Reference and Loan Library, Wisconsin librarians may call the library toll-free at 1-888-542-5543 (Choose 5 for Reference Services). Individual library users should contact their local public library.

For questions about this information, contact Shiela A. Pollock (608) 224-5395

Last updated on 2/25/2008 1:35:50 PM