Perhaps you have found the perfect piece of sports memorabilia, signed by your favorite sports star, and you are just about to make the purchase. Perhaps the price is perfect, and you are ready to make the exchange. Hold on! Any collectible sports memorabilia needs to be coming equipped with a certificate of authenticity from an appraiser that is reputable. When you buy and sell memorabilia, you will quickly come to realize just how vitally important that memorabilia appraisal can be.

Having an appraiser check the item out in person before you make the purchase is a good option, especially if there is a high price tag associated with the item. You should generally be purchasing the item from a reputable antique dealer or sports dealer rather than some random person at a garage sale if you cannot get your hands on a solid, trustworthy and reputable sports memorabilia appraisal in time for the sale.

How are items appraised?

There are basically five different categories that can be used in order to determine what value to place on an item when you have a professional appraise it. Here are the five categories:

1 – Artistry is the first category. There is not always going to be artistry when it comes to sports memorabilia appraisal, but the item should still hold value in terms of how it was made. The stitching on a baseball should be completely uniform, the wooden golf clubs should all be straight and should not have large gouges in them, items that are autographed should be clean and neat with clear and concise writing, and so on and so forth.

2 – The workmanship of the item is the second category. Is the item a good representation in comparison to items that have similar values? The workmanship in items that are hand carved, hand tooled or otherwise hand made should be completely well made as well as created in order to last through numerous generations. Sometimes the artisan that is responsible for hand making the item will add additional value to that specific item just based on who they are.

3 – The age of an item also matters. The item’s age can definitely play a role in determining its value as well as whether or not it is real or fake. Make sure that an item shows the proper age based on what it is if you want your memorabilia appraisal to be accurate.

4 – Fourth is the condition of an item, another thing that plays a large role in your memorabilia appraisal since used items will determine their value in comparison to new ones. Banged up pieces are not going to be worth as much as newer pieces unless they were banged up by a sports great.

5 – The subject matter is the fifth and final category of criteria for your memorabilia appraisal.

Photo Credits: OPEN Sports

Originally posted 2009-10-06 03:23:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Collectables -> Collectibles -> Beads

Venetian beads are a special kind of bead imported from areas of Venice and Murano. These beads are often called Murano glass beads. The special glass used to make these beads is manufactured on the island of Murano, and the beads themselves are handmade. This gives them a charm and craftsmanship unmatched by an type of mass-produced beads or glasswork.

The chief danger in purchasing Venetian beads is that the seller is misrepresenting the beads. Some people have fallen into the trap of calling any kind of glass beads Venetian or Murano, which is shame because these beads have qualities that set them apart. The methods of producing the beads is so vastly different, in part because each on is handcrafted, that there’s simply no comparison between regular glass beads and Venetian ones.

There are different types of beads that fall under the umbrella of Venetian beads and can help you distinguish them from plain glass. Sommerso beads have a variety of colors suspended within them in tiny flecks. Millefiori beads are also called lace or mosaic beads, and are one of the most popular types of beads, that feature a design within the bead. Often the designs are very intricate, but even plain designs are beautiful. The solid color glass is essentially wrapped around a Millefiori cane which bears the design. These beads are kaleidoscopic and are sometimes also known as thousand flowers.

Fiorato or fiore beads. These beads feature flower designs on the outside of the bead, rather than designs with the beads themselves, like the Millefiori beads. These Venetian beads require a great deal of artistry and skill because the flowers are essentially drawn on with lines of molten glass.

Foil beads are Murano glass beads that are rolled onto sheets of gold or silver foil which is then melted into the bead. Blown Beads are Venetian beads that are made in a Murano glass furnace and created with a glassblowing pipe. These beads come in a variety of shapes and designs. Dichroic beads look different from every angle and in every night because of the coating used on the bead.

Lampwork beads might sound like a type of bead you’ll find on a lamp, but it’s merely a term that means the beads were worked while over a flame. This is the most ancient way of making Venetian beads, done as it had been since the beginning. Furnace glass beads are made by glass blowing but with a more modern type of glass than other types of beads.

Venetian beads are popular in jewelry making and crafts, and much of the appeal of these beads is that no two will ever be alike simply because they are handcrafted. Even Millefiori beads, which are created by shaping glass around a cane that features a solid design, will have differences. While the design cane is uniform all the way through, the handcrafting of the glass and shaping of it will have variations, even if the artisan attempts to make them all exactly alike.

Originally posted 2008-11-18 05:00:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Antiques -> Decorative Arts -> Mirrors

Antique mirrors are a highly collectible item, with many of the frames boasting decorative carving and detail much like elaborate, wooden picture frames of old. A mirror itself is little more than glass covering a reflective surface and not very impressive—many of us carry tiny mirrors with us, they’re one of the most common items found households today. But antique mirrors are set apart by their frames and the work and artistry that went into them.

Mirrors began as hand mirrors, used to look at one’s reflection, and were quite common in households by the end of the middle ages. The first large mirrors, big enough to reflect a person’s entire body, weren’t used until the 1st century AD. Often the mirrors were silver or polished bronze during their surge of popularity in the middle ages. Venice mirrors produced in the 12th and 13th century were of exceptional quality and craftsmanship, with their mirror-making secrets leaking to London and Paris, who became centers of mirror production in the 17th century. Few antique mirrors had survived, but even the new mirrors that were produced were very expensive, particularly the large ones used in places like the royal palace at Versailles.

From then on, mirrors became more than reflective pieces of glass, but rather were prized as decorative items. Frames were typically made from silver, ebony, ivory, tortoiseshell or veneered wood, though other frames like those from beads or crafted with needlework were produced, too. Carved frames became popular thanks to craftsmen like Grinling Gibbons, and soon it because vogue to put mirrors, often those in glass frames, above mantelpieces. Robert and James Adam are recognizable names from this period, as antique mirrors they designed usually stretched from the mantelpiece to the ceiling.

Antique mirrors from the late 18th century will often have painted frames rather than carved ones. And the movement began in France to creative oval or round mirrors with spots for candles on each side. Dressing mirrors made from cheval glass that stood alone also appeared as mirror-makers skills improved. The 19th century saw mirrors used in other furniture like wardrobes, because it was becoming less expensive to produce mirrors. Composition frames became common in less expensive mirrors. These were plaster frames on wire bases, that unfortunately didn’t hold up to long term use because of he easily damaged nature of plaster.

Antique mirrors that you can find today are typically valuable, especially those that are part of antique furniture. Things to watch out for are online auctioneers who use the world “antique” to describe a technique used in making the mirror, like antiquing as a finish. Ask about the history of the piece, and how they know it’s antique, because modern furniture can be made to look surprisingly aged and vintage. If you’re shopping flea markets or antique shops, be aware that a true antique mirror was made with more expensive materials than mirrors today. The glass is thicker, so antique mirrors weight much more than modern pieces.

Photo Credits: Nat Pikozh

Originally posted 2008-10-18 14:00:41. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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