Antiques and Estates - What’s Hot and What’s Not!
Tehachapi, CA - 18 years of appraisal experience does reinforce the old saying, “What goes up must come down.” Luckily, what was down comes up too. The past decade has been full of changes and new trends for liquidators and personal property appraisers. The antique market has been flooded by retiring baby boomers who are downsizing, and by folks who are forced to move and sell due to economic or health issues. A lot of buyers are finding out that there is more for sale than there used to be. And internet searches make things a lot less rare - something you would have to visit twenty shops for can be pulled up on eBay, Etsy and Amazon in a matter of seconds these days. Buyers are spoiled.
In spite of this, at Expert Estates, we know trends, we know quality and we can research and liquidate things for fair and even shocking prices. Over the last two years, we have secured sales that might seem shocking:
- a custom dining table sold for $1400,
- a set of ten teacups sold for over $5,000,
- a set of Venetian glasses sold for over $2,000,
- a 19th century painting auctioned for $4,250
- and a recent eBay sale for a painting by a living artist that sold for over $4,900.
We always want to get the most we can for our clients. And I want you to know what’s going on right now in the ever changing antique and resale world.
Your family might own items on the hot list that you think of as ordinary and other treasured items might not sell for much at all in this tough market. Finding a liquidator who can price your estate items right will be the key to a successful estate sale. Even in a down market, the right price will overcome all obstacles, and in the end your goal is a fair price and an empty home ready for sale or rental!
Hot items right now in Southern California and our area include:
- Newer furniture from brand name stores: Pottery Barn, Thomasville
- Antique Chinese Art and Pottery
- Danish modern, and good mid century designer furniture
- Hand carved, custom and solid wood rustic furniture
- Western goods
- Industrial design
- Mantiques
- Original art by listed artists
- Tractors and Trailers
- Cars, RVs, Boats
- Period and new quality jewelry
- Good vintage costume jewelry
- Precious metals
- Vintage toys
- Classic rock albums: classic rock, jazz, blues.
- Vintage electronics, guitars and stereos
- Useful things like kitchenware and good tools
- Vintage iron, rattan garden and patio items
- Guns
- Good vintage dresses and suites from the 1940s-60s - condition counts!
- Signed first edition books by classic authors
What’s NOT selling well?
- Everyday used wood furniture
- 1980s laminate and upholstered furniture
- Heavy and ornate antique furniture
- Collector plates and limited editions
- Vintage and antique rugs
- Upholstered furniture, unless it is neutral and like new
- China sets
- Crystal, cut and pressed glass
- Common antiques
- Armoires
- Media Centers
- Numbered prints, mass-produced art items
- Vintage linens
- Furs
- Ivory and other banned goods can't be sold
Trends change all the time. When it is time to sell, someone with their finger on the pulse of the market right now - not someone who is stuck on the market that was hot 20 years ago, is what you will need to ensure a good sale! Relying on information or news clippings about trends that a loved one stuffed into your heirlooms can lead to disastrous results for a family. A nightmare sale is a liquidation where the hottest items in today’s market are sold for too little and items that were thought to be worth the most are left over because hardly anyone has a use for it these days and it was over valued. We only get one chance to put a price on an item for our buyers, so we want to make sure it is the right one for a fast but fair sale.
Call my store at 661-823-1635 if you want a free and honest consultation about your estate or moving sale. I love helping people through this process. My team is honest and vetted. We don't hire under the table workers or dealers who are just looking to get into your sale ahead of everyone else. You can trust us to do the right thing, keep you informed and to sell your things from one good home to another.