The most expensive antiques in the world! that's interesting. Things from the era of the USSR, for which antique dealers have been hunting for more than one year. Which antiques are by far the most expensive

I was sorting out the blockage in the apartment and found old spoons. Not some tiny ones for tea, but straight scoops: heavy, solid, long - 30 centimeters each. With monograms. Maybe 18th or even 14th century. Like from cupronickel. “Spoons - an antique shop - a new car - instantly flashed through my head. “We just need to wash them.”

I typed on the Internet "big old spoons." Utensils like my treasures were exhibited for only 1.5 thousand rubles, but I did not find exactly the same monograms. “Let the professionals appreciate it,” I decided. “And at the same time, maybe they’ll buy it right away.” And went to antique shops.

TIME IS NOT WORTH ANYTHING

Naphthalene grandfathers in pince-nez or experienced uncles in expensive suits remained in the vulgar cinema. In antique shops on the Arbat, I was met by hipster-looking young guys. Here is Alexei - by his red beard and torn jeans you can never tell that he is an experienced art critic.

No one needs cutlery, even silver ones. Especially if it's not a set, but separate things. And your spoons are not even silver, they will never be bought. - He appreciated my spoons, not even looking up from the game of tanks on the computer.

Ilya from another shop confirmed the diagnosis:

It's not silver... So what if it's vintage? They do not give money for the time!

Antiquaries work quickly and uncomplicated. Either they immediately determine the value of the item or take a picture of the item and send it to a specialist. And he says whether to take the thing and for what price.

PENSIONERS - MAIN SUPPLIERS

The main resource of antique shops is old pensioners. This is understandable: can you live on a Russian pension? ..

One brought to evaluate the figurine - a boy with a dog. This is the memory of his wife. Left with nothing. Antiquarians have a lot of such figurines, take more - why?

Then an old woman came in. Brought a bag of amber.

When I lived in the Baltics, I bought a lot of this stuff. My granddaughter is getting married, we need help,” she explained.

Lyokha, look, do we need such stones? - Antiquarian Sergey photographs amber and sends the photo to his partner. Lech refuses. The woman nervously puts away her supplies and promises to look at something else interesting at home.

I all hope for good luck. And, reassuring myself that antique dealers-intermediaries will still give less than a collector, I decide to find a buyer directly.

Including crazy and aggressive.

In order for me to take such spoons, pay me first! We'll buy it for just a couple of rubles! they got excited.

I posted an ad on Avito. The girl immediately called, introduced herself as Svetlana and said that she was ready to give 10 thousand rubles for spoons.

I want to make sure the spoons don't go to anyone, so I'll make an advance payment. Give me your card number, I'll transfer the money, - she offered.

“It’s a wiring,” I guessed. Fraudsters are looking for sellers on Internet sites, promising them an advance payment. First, they will ask for a card number. And then, under various pretexts, a code on the back of the card, a password sent to SMS, and so on. This is enough to pay with your money in the online store.

There was an idea to put spoons on Internet auctions like Bag, but there, for registration, you have to take a selfie with a passport, which was not desirable.

I left the spoons at home. I will use it myself.

OPINION OF ANTIQUERS

Treasure under the nose

If one searches properly, it will turn out that many are the owners of treasures.

Modern coins cost decent money if they were produced in limited editions. For example, one five-ruble note of 1999 of the St. Petersburg Mint is sold for 150 thousand rubles, 5 kopecks of the same year - for 200 thousand rubles,

1 ruble in 2003 costs 30 thousand rubles.

Sergei Koronevsky recalls how one day a grandmother brought a vase to an antique shop and asked for at least a thousand rubles for it. And the vase turned out to be a piece of early Dutch art from the early 18th century, which was eventually bought for $15,000.

The inexpensive segment of antiques will rise in price only if the dollar grows very strongly, and that is unlikely, - sighs antiquary consultant Grigory Pyatov.

And he cites the example of Soviet postage stamps, which were issued in millions of copies. There are so many of them that they will never be expensive.

What old items can be sold at a high price now?

Lifetime editions of the classics - Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov. The price of a book can range from $2,000 to $3,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Chekhov's lifetime editions, but not all. This is because during his lifetime he was produced in large numbers. The first lifetime editions are highly valued, - says the antiquary.

He advises to pay attention to the books of the 20s of the last century, which were illustrated by eminent artists. The thicker the book, the worse. More rare specimens are found among thin editions.

Look on your bookshelves - maybe there are books by Mayakovsky with illustrations by Lissitzky. They can be sold for 300 thousand rubles. and more expensive.

Pre-revolutionary publications on history and military affairs are valued.

Grigory Pyatov spoke about ephemera - one-day things. For example, a ticket for the opening of the Moscow metro can now be sold for several hundred dollars. There will be a demand for an advertising napkin of a pre-revolutionary confectionery, old candy wrappers.

Many have preserved old photo albums, can there be something worthwhile there? - I ask the antique dealer.

He says that 30 years ago such things went with a bang. In the 90s, the new Russians wanted to "make a biography for themselves" and bought various old portraits for a lot of money. Now no one except her descendants needs a pre-war snapshot of some aunt Moti on vacation. Of course, the portraits made by Rodchenko, Nappelbaum, Khaldei (famous photographers of the 20s and 30s of the last century) will always be in price.

Porcelain Soviet figurines cost from a couple of hundred rubles to several tens of thousands. Size doesn't matter. In an antique shop I saw a modest figurine of a sailor for 20 thousand rubles, and next to it a large sculpture of two lovers for only 5 thousand rubles.

This one was made in Ukraine, they are not valued, - antique dealers explain.

Figurines of the first edition and products of the LFZ (Lomonosov Porcelain Factory) are valued.

The first series of LFZ figurines are easy to identify. At the bottom there is a hole through which porcelain is blown. It should be no more than 3 mm in diameter. If it is wider, it means that you have the third or fourth edition in front of you, - adds Sergei Koronevsky, an expert on antiques.

1. This 32.01 carat square emerald cut diamond was sold at auction for $7.7 million. Billionaire and philanthropist Leonor Annenberg, who passed away in March, bought it for his 90th birthday. Auction house "Christie" s "did not want to disclose the name of the buyer. The ring was expected to sell at a price of 3 to 5 million dollars.

2. Painting by artist Lucian Freud "Benefits Supervisor Sleeping" was sold at Christie's auction in London on May 13, 2008 for $33.6 million. The painting became the artist's most expensive work of art during his lifetime.

3. This globe, once owned by Adolf Hitler, was auctioned off by Greg Martin in San Francisco for $100,000 in October 2007. An American soldier stole this memento from the Fuhrer's house in 1945.

4. A rare Audrey Hepburn cigar stamp went up for auction May 26 in Berlin for $93,800 - more than two bottom prices. There are only five copies of this stamp. Most of them were destroyed after Hepburn's son refused to sell the copyright to the image in 2001.

5. This 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso, once owned by actor Steve McQueen, sold for $2.31 million to an anonymous buyer in October 2007.

6. This rare 7.03 carat blue diamond went up for auction in Geneva on May 12, 2009 for a record price of $9.49 million. This lot has become the most expensive of the precious stones. The stone was discovered in 2008 in the historic Cullinan Mine in South Africa.

7. A rare Abraham Lincoln stamp went on sale in New York for $431,250 on June 13. The lot is known as the "Refrigerator Stamp" because the envelope containing this stamp was sent from Boston in cold stores to India in 1873. The stamp was stolen from its original owner in Indianapolis in 1967 and found 39 years later in a home in Chicago.

8. A rare miniature of Peter the Great in a frame encrusted with diamonds was sold at an auction in New York on November 2 for $1.3 million. George Roberts of Arizona bought it from a London dealer in 1951 and was unaware of its importance until he appraised it that summer.

9. A New York surgeon paid $12,713 for a September 1966 Datebook signed by John Lennon. The paper has Lennon's famous quote about the Beatles being more popular than Jesus.

10. A bottle of Lowenbrau beer and a milk jug from the wreckage of the Hindenburg airship, which burned down in New Jersey in 1937. Andrew Eldridge of the English auction house Henry Aldridge and Son says that about 80% of the drink is left in the bottle. This bottle is said to be the most expensive bottle of beer in the world.

11. An unused life jacket from the famous Titanic went up for auction in New York for $68,500 on June 25, 2008. The vest was found on the Halifax coastline after the ship sank off Newfoundland in 1912.

12. Claude Monet's Water Lily Pond went on auction in London for more than $80 million on June 24, 2008. This 1919 artist's masterpiece is one of four paintings in a series dedicated to water lilies.

13. This golden cup, stored for years under the bed of the grandson of a junk dealer, was sold at auction in the UK for $100,000 on June 5, 2008. This bowl is a Persian artifact depicting the two-faced Roman god Janus.

14. A 1961 Ferrari California Spyder once owned by actor James Coburn was sold in Italy on May 18, 2008. The car left at a price of $10,894,900 and became the most expensive vintage car.

15. Claude Monet's painting "Railway Bridge at Argenteuil" went off Christie's auction in New York for $41 million on May 6, 2008. This price broke the auction record for a French impressionist painting. The previous record was set last year for painting "Nymphaeum" - she left the auction for 36.5 million dollars.

16. A rich man from Abu Dhabi forked out for a license plate for a car with a single digit "1". He paid $14 million for it, breaking the previous record of $6.8 million for a "5" license plate.

17. This copy of the Magna Carta of 1297 was sold at Sotheby's in New York. She left the auction for $ 21,321,000 in December 2007.

18. This prototype 10 cent coin was created by the US Mint in 1792. She left the auction along with other rare coins in the collection of a private buyer for $30 million in November 2007.

19. This 1804 Adams-Carter silversmith is one of 15 coins never minted. The coin, bought for 2 million at a private auction two years ago, left the Cincinnati auction on April 30 for 2.3 million.

20. This 1848 daguerreotype shows a lone house on what is now known as the Upper West Side of Manhattan. This one of the oldest photographs in the world was auctioned for $62,500 to an unknown buyer on March 30 in New York.

It is believed that the rarest mineral of organic origin is the little-known painite: this orange stone was first discovered in Burma in the mid-50s. Since then, there have been only two Painites in the world. However, a couple of years ago, its deposit was discovered, and now about a hundred polished rarities are at the disposal of mankind. The most famous rarity stone is the famous red diamond.

In 2006, at Sotheby's New York auction, a mid-14th-century Chinese porcelain vase went under the hammer for $4.72 million. It last appeared at a public auction in 1993: then it was bought for $1.2 million. the small (34 cm) vase is an example of the classical Yuan style, dominated by cobalt blue underglaze painting on a white background, and is the only one of its kind that has survived.

One of the rarest comic books in existence today is the first edition of the famous Spider-Man titled Amazing Spider-Man #1. Its rarity lies not only in the serial number, but also in the fact that for a book of 1963 edition it is amazingly well preserved. The approximate value of the rarity for collectors is about 40 thousand dollars with an original retail price of 12 cents.

The Guinness Book of Records claims that the most rare and expensive jeans are the famous 501st model of Levi Strauss & Co. For vintage jeans, sewn 115 years ago, a collector from Japan laid out 60 thousand dollars to the owner of the lot on the eBay online auction. A huge amount, considering that new jeans of the same model cost only 46.

According to Wikipedia, the rarest and most expensive postage stamp in the world is the Yellow Crackkilling from Sweden. Its approximate cost is 2.3 million US dollars. What is its rarity? In 1858, Sweden issued a series of blue postage stamps worth 3 skilling (hence the name - Treskilling) and yellow - worth 8 skilling. The printers mixed up the colors, and due to this mistake, several copies of yellow stamps worth 3 skillings were produced.

There are a huge number of rare books in the world, but perhaps the rarest is the famous Gutenberg Bible: the first printed book appeared in 1456. There are several hundred copies of the same Bible, but the very first copy in two volumes - if found - will cost the collector of antiquarian books about 20-25 million dollars. What can we talk about if one page of this book goes under the hammer for 25 thousand dollars, and for one of the volumes of the two-volume edition sold last year - not the first edition - someone forked out 5.5 million!

One of the rarest and most exotic dishes on the planet is the famous Chinese swallow's nest soup. Over the 400 years that have passed since the invention of the dish, it has risen in price at times: the broth from the nest of sea swifts-salangans can cost gourmets up to 10 thousand dollars.

The rarest and most expensive sea salt in the world is produced in Japan and is called "Amabito No Moshio" - "ancient salt of the seas". Due to the complexity of extraction and the delicate method of evaporation and centrifugation, the cost for 1 pound of salt reaches 40 US dollars.

Baseball cards are a popular collectible in the United States, Canada, and Japan. The "T206 Honus Wagner" card, issued in 1906 by the American Tobacco Company, is said to be the rarest baseball card in the world. It was printed in only 70 copies, and then its release was discontinued at the request of Onus Wagner himself, who was against smoking and did not want the American Tobacco Company to use his name. In 2007, the card was sold for a record $2.8 million.

One of the rarest bottles of wine sold at auction was bought by Christopher Forbes - "only" 160 thousand dollars. An unmarked green bottle labeled "1787 Lafitte Th. J." supposedly belonged to Thomas Jefferson.

The rarest breed of domestic cats is the Ashera. She was bred from an African serval, an Asian leopard cat and a common domestic murka. The weight of a cat can reach 14 kg, and you can buy a kitten for "only" 22 thousand dollars.

Scientists say that the horses of the rarest breed of Sarraia are direct descendants of the wild horses of Southern Iberia. There are only 200 of these horses left in the world. But in terms of characteristics and qualities, the Austrian Lipizzaner breed, bred for military purposes, is considered the rarest breed. The price for one such horse reaches 100 thousand dollars.

Having decided to start collecting jewelry rarities, stock up on patience and money: a measly five million dollars will not help here. The most expensive piece of jewelry in the world is a necklace with a rare blue diamond weighing 14 carats. The pear-shaped stone is framed with white diamonds and encased in a white gold necklace. The total cost of the product is 16 million dollars.

In 1999, the same copy of John Lennon and Yoko's album "Double Fantasy" was sold at an auction, on which the singer signed an autograph for his future killer Mark Chapman 5 hours before his own death. The record was found in a decorative flower pot near the crime scene. The envelope contains Chapman's fingerprints: at one time the album served as one of the evidence against the murderer. Rarity price: 460,000 US dollars.

On July 30, 2002, a rare gold coin of the 30s of the 20th century was sold at Sotheby's auction for $ 7.9 million. A unique $ 20 coin is called the "double eagle." the withdrawal from circulation of coins from this precious metal, and almost all the "double eagles" were sent for melting down. Ten coins of the release of the spring of 1933 were stolen from the Treasury Department store. American intelligence agencies managed to find and return all but one - this very one. "Double eagle was found almost half a century later - the British collector Stephen Fenton bought the coin in London and came with it to New York, where he was arrested by US federal agents. After five years of litigation, the American government reached an agreement with him: the coin is the property of the United States, but it can be sold.

The oldest and rarest property for sale is a castle in Transylvania, famous for the fact that Count Dracula, the real prototype of the famous literary character, allegedly lived in it. The market value of the castle is close to $135 million.

Despite the vast literary heritage he left to his descendants, there are not so many handwritten evidence of his activities. There are only 6 "autographs" of the great Shakespeare in the world. The most expensive of them - the writer's signature - is estimated at 3 million US dollars.

In this section, we answer the questions: how to sell antiques in Moscow for the most expensive and comfortable way, how to correctly evaluate an antique item, what antiques or items antique shops are interested in buying, what can be safely attributed to the concept of "antiques", and what after 200 years never will be.

Where to start if you want to sell antiques

Where does every sale start? That's right, with an assessment of the value of the item itself or the market value of copies similar in parameters and condition on the market, in our case, antiques.

What are the options?

• 1. Find a similar an icon, a porcelain figurine or a silver cigarette case on the Internet. On the forum or on Avito. And see how much they are trying to sell for. A small caveat: "trying" is the key word here. Because, it is not known how long they have been trying to do this and with what success.
• 2. Write out addresses all nearby pawnshops in the area and call around with the question "how much will you give for a porcelain figurine?"
  The answer is predictable: until we see it with our own eyes, we won’t say anything, bring it on.
• 3. Take with you your antique masterpiece and drive through the pawnshops of your city.
  Already warmer. But unfortunately, in most pawnshops, which mainly practice buying up gold, watches and phones, there will not be a connoisseur of Soviet porcelain or, say, an expert gemologist to appreciate a figurine, icon or amber jewelry. The key word here is "worthy". And not "for a thousand."
• 4. Calculating person going straight to the antique shop. And he is on the right track. Why? Because antique shops are focused on selling expensive antiques. Phones and gold chains are of little interest there. For that, there is a customer base that has been accumulated over decades.
  Under a certain client-collector of porcelain or ancient royal coins, your copy has every chance of being bought five times more expensive than the price named in the buy-out "from the metro".
• 5. Save time. Before you take your samovar on a journey through antique shops in the center of the capital, it makes sense to take a picture of it and send it to the antique store's email address. Thus, finding out for yourself - is there any interest on the part of antique dealers in your good. If there is, great. We find out the order of prices and hit the road.

Evaluation of antiques by photo online

With the advent of online valuation of antiques from photographs, selling antiques in Moscow has become incomparably more comfortable. Instead of going to all the antique shops and pawnshops in Moscow, it is now enough to take a picture of an icon, figurine or piece of silverware with a camera or smartphone and send the photo to the website of the antique store. After that, wait for 10-15 minutes for an answer. Having chosen the maximum purchase price among the stores that responded to the offer, go to the address with confidence.

What do antique stores buy?

1. Antique icons. Yes, the Russian icon at all times is in enviable demand from collectors and ordinary people who want to join spirituality.

2. Gold and gold jewelry. Let it be known to the reader that in some places gold jewelry is ready to be valued not "by the gram", but by their antique value. And this is many times higher than what they are ready to give for an old brooch in the nearest buying or pawnshop.

3. Soviet porcelain. It is collected and willingly bought by people "in the subject." And antique shops, acting as intermediaries, willingly buy porcelain figurines from the times of the USSR.

4. Silverware: Forks, spoons, coasters, stacks, salt shakers made of silver - all this has the highest liquidity among connoisseurs of hoary antiquity. The antique shop is right there. And I’m ready to buy expensive antique silver and put it up for commission at your price. Antique silver collectors are frequent visitors to antique commissions. And the exhibited thing made of enameled silver will not stay on the store shelf for a long time.

5. Tula samovars: These are those with a pipe. They were heated, in those ancient times, with coal or firewood. Not to be confused with electric ones (no one needs them except summer residents who want to add the surroundings of a tea ceremony in a garden plot). They have value. And, sometimes, a lot.

6. Amber beads:. It would seem that,; amber is not a diamond. It is not expensive. The result of evaluating antique amber beads will pleasantly surprise you. We promise:) Yes, but the key word here is "antique" and not just "amber beads". Ancient, by the standards of the antique market, these are amber beads produced in the last century. A characteristic, visual sign are beads made of opaque amber.

7. Bronze Buddha figurines: they used to be brought to us from China. There are very few of them in the hands of the population. The owner of such a figurine has every chance to change it for a solid capital. Collectors of Buddhist themes highly value Buddha statues and are ready to offer a good price. Throughout Moscow, only in 3 places there are specialists who are able to appreciate the 19th century bronze Buddha statue and charge a high buying price for a well-preserved copy.

8. Paintings: due to the impossibility of promptly, on the spot, to find out the authenticity of the canvas, the cost is assigned, as a rule, underestimated. There is a great risk of acquiring a fake and staying with it forever. Therefore, it is very difficult to sell a painting urgently, even if it is of the 19th century "at a high price". And the examination, most likely, can cost more than the painting itself. No, unless of course you are sure that this is Savrasov in the original ...

Let's say more: even having an expert opinion from an authoritative commission, the chances do not increase one iota. What to do? There is time and desire to put up for sale "to the maximum" - we agree on a commission sale. In a reputable antique shop located in a crowded area, the chance that the painting will quickly find its new owner is quite real.

How to evaluate antiques in our antique shop

There are several options:

• 1. You can easily find out how much antiques cost by calling the phone number listed in the "contacts" section. If both parties decide in an oral dialogue that cooperation is interesting, we ask you to send a photo of an antique item by e-mail or through one of the mobile applications (WhatsApp, Viber) for a more accurate assessment of your copy.
• 2. Send a photo of an antique item to the mail [email protected] . Please include your phone number for feedback.
• 3. Ask a question through the "question-answer" form in one of the sections of the site on the subject of your copy.
• 4. Use the blue button "Callback", located on the right. In the daytime and evening, the expert calls back within 5-10 minutes

The assessment is made at the seller. Takes time from 5 minutes to an hour. The assessment of an antique item of great historical and artistic value can be increased in time.

If you live far from Moscow

• If you live in the near or far suburbs of Moscow and do not want to spend time traveling to the center of Moscow, but at the same time have a strong desire to sell an old, antique item at a purchase price in Moscow antique shops, contact our manager. The appraiser will come and meet you at a place convenient for you absolutely free of charge.
• This offer is valid for owners of valuable and rare antiques.

How to sell antiques profitably

Directly to an antiques collector? But where to find it. Generally speaking, serious collectors are, by nature, very distrustful people and prefer to replenish the collection only in trusted places and from people with a reputation.

Accordingly, you are not their client. A private person who wants to decorate his apartment with an expensive figurine or an attribute of spirituality? But without being an expert, who is willing to charge a high purchase price? Without wasting time, bypassing small resellers from bulletin boards, you can turn to an antique salon specializing in the commission trade in antiques. Which, in fact, you have already done.

How can we be useful to you.

A group of specialists in the field of ancient Russian culture and art works in the acceptance department of the store. Everyone has a unique experience. To date, our experts advise about 30% of antique shops and stores throughout the country, constantly participate in all Russian exhibitions and antique auctions. Many well-known collections were formed with their direct participation. Often, absolutely free of charge, we are ready to give you all the comprehensive information on your copy. Give an initial assessment of the market value of antique porcelain or icons, directly in your presence. Masterpieces of antiques, of course, require a more detailed analysis and, accordingly, time.

Payment and transaction confidentiality

Payment is made in cash or, at the discretion of the client, by transferring funds to a bank card. Payment of the entire amount due for an antique item is carried out immediately after the agreement of both parties on the mutually beneficial acquisition of the subject of the transaction. The purchase agreement is accepted after a visual inspection and evaluation of antiques within the walls of this antique shop in Moscow or at the meeting place of our representative with the client.

The Antiquarian store strictly follows the policy of non-disclosure of personal data and commercial information about the transaction. The content of the correspondence with the client and his contact details are not stored in the database of the antique store for more than 3 days and are not transferred to third parties under any pretext.

You can find out where and for how much to sell antiques both online by sending a photo in any way, or come to the office. Here you can sell porcelain, silver, coins, icons, orders and medals, watches, antique books and jewelry. Buying antiques is our guideline! Therefore, we have the best conditions for the evaluation of antiques.

Antiquities and household items of antique value. Jewelry, bronzes, crystal, porcelain, silverware, paintings and wristwatches, antique crockery, silverware, ornaments, home furnishings, silver and gold jewelry, icons.

Free appraisal of the market value of any antiques

The evaluation of antiques allows you to determine the exact value and authenticity of the item. It includes the following criteria that affect the cost:

• Determination of the state of the product.
• Establishing historical value as in implementation chervonets sower, sell which can be done in the shortest possible time.
• The correctness of the content of metals, precious stones.
• Availability of documents for an award, medal, etc.

All these indicators are set by an expert during an individual meeting with a client or through a quick assessment of the value, for example, if you need to sell an icon.

We evaluate the following items for FREE:

• Antiques and antiques. This includes cigarette cases, boxes, icons, cutlery.
• Gold and silver products: candlesticks, foreign or domestic antique silver, gold rings, bracelets, pendants, watches.
• Wartime items: signs, tokens, orders and medals, edged weapons, etc.

The difference between a collection buyout and a pawnshop

The look of an expert is capable of appreciating a thing at its true worth, without at all diminishing its significance in material terms. When selling, you can be sure that the coin or antique will be in good hands, replenish a capacious collection of valuables, and possibly go to a museum or exhibition.

In addition, do not forget about security. The purchase is carried out only with the relevant documents confirming the value of the coin, order. When selling, the client receives the agreed amount strictly on time. All transactions are carried out legally with the provision of the necessary documents.

Buying antiques is one of the activities in which our professional club specializes. If you want to sell silverware, porcelain, antique porcelain quickly, profitably, anonymously, we will be happy to help you with this. Come to our offices, call or write for free consultations and discuss the details of a possible transaction. Thanks to a large number of clients among collectors, we will find a buyer for your rarity.

Catalog of antiques on the site

The antiques section of our collector's portal includes the following subsections:

The purchase of silverware, antique porcelain and glass has been carried out by our club for over 25 years. So, by contacting us, you can count on the professional provision of services.

How does a free antiques appraisal work?

To get a price on your rarity, you can use several options:

Send a high-quality photo of the product through a special form on this site, mobile messengers or social networks. You will receive an answer with the exact cost in a minute.

Come to one of our offices located in 4 cities of Russia and "live" to communicate with the appraisers.

When assessing, the presence of hallmarks and marks of the manufacturer, an indication of 84 samples (if we are talking about silver items), craftsmanship, and the state of today are taken into account. An erased pattern, gilding that has faded or lost over time, mechanical damage, deformation, traces of cleaning can reduce the cost of antiques by 20-30%.

How to recognize a fake

Whether you're just starting out with your antiques collection or you've found an old item at your grandma's house, it's important to acquire at least the bare minimum of skills to tell a genuine old item from a fake. Professional assessment of antiques and identification of authenticity is carried out by specialists with extensive experience, so if in doubt, come to our offices for competent advice.

First of all, it is worth making sure that the silver item is really made of silver. This can be done at home as well. For example, use a magnet: silver will not be magnetized. Also, silver quickly heats up even from the heat of the hand and cools down just as quickly. Under the influence of a simple sulfuric ointment or chalk, silver will turn black. More sophisticated verification methods are used by specialists.

There are cases when truly antique items are aged, adding several tens of thousands of rubles to the price. And it's not just about applying an artificial patina, but also removing old coats of arms and soldering new ones, rubbing initials and applying others to silver dishes. On closer inspection, you will notice traces of stripping and thinning of the metal in the processing area. Even if it is carefully cleaned, it is enough to breathe on this place, and all scratches will be clearly visible.

Pay attention to the clarity and depth of the stamps - the original ones are made of hard metal, fake cheap ones are made of soft. There are cases when brands are cut from cheap antique items (spoons, for example) and soldered onto expensive ones (coffee pots, creamers, etc.). Carefully examine the area around the stamp to find the place of soldering. It is also worth comparing the brand of your item with the brand from the catalog - even many years after the release of the product, the brand on it retains proportions and lines.

Brands, stamps and others are also cleaned on porcelain and glass products. As the years pass, the stamps lose their clarity, so a “fresh” print should alert you. Examine the stamps of the factories - on the original product, all proportions and the nature of the lines, numbers and designations must be observed.

Remember that the more expensive the antique, the greater the temptation to fake it and sell it for a fortune. Therefore, when buying antiques from tsarist times or propaganda porcelain (and the cost of such items sometimes amounts to hundreds of thousands of rubles), do not take risks and contact professionals.

Our Acquisitions

We are proud that our club has many clients who turn to us to sell porcelain, silverware, antique glassware. If you are looking to sell silver spoons or old jewelry, come to our offices in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh or Yaroslavl for a free live evaluation. You can also use the feedback form on this site or send a photo of the item through mobile applications, social networks. Free assessment of porcelain and silver is carried out by our specialists on an ongoing basis.