More than half of the people visiting this site are looking for a free antique appraisal or valuation and do really have no idea of antique Chinese porcelain. Many are not even sure whether their item is Chinese or antique at all. An identification is the first step to decide what to do next.
The majority of requests received through the site need information on the following: The value and where an item was made, in most cases the question whether it is an antique, or if it is old at all, is not even asked. Usually, we would expect that to be the first concern. However, most of the items presented are either vintage or recently made (new). Please view our home page for our definition of "antique".
With Chinese ceramics more often than not it is impossible to know the location or manufactory of a specific item, unless a shop name is mentioned in the mark. With Chinese porcelain manufacturer's marks or factory marks in the western sense did not come into existence until the repbulican period, that is in the 20th century. But, even today many porcelain items do not have manufacturer's marks that would allow for the identification of a specific producer.
In the second half of the 20th century the major part of the Chinese porcelain manufacturing industry transitioned from manual to machine processing. Today, there are hundreds or thousands of ceramics factories in China alone, creating probably tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of different products ever year. A myriad of products exists and unless someone has a database on all those manufacturers' products, new and old, it is almost impossible to identify or find a specific manufacturer or their products.
Sometimes, newer marks may provide a hint, but often this is not the case.
Many vintage items look beautiful, but the beauty of porcelain does not necessarly increase its value in the eyes of an antique collector. Vintage items are only sought if they were handmade by a famous potter or porcelain painter.
Here again, many people new to Chinese antiques or porcelain in general appear to have the misconception that any collector or appraiser can look at an item and instantly knows what it is and how much it is worth. Maybe such misconceptions come from watching TV programs like the Antiques Roadshow? The appraisers in those programs are mostly specialized in a single or a few item categories and/or periods only. If they encounter something unfamiliar, they must consult with colleagues. They may not be able to appraise items outside their range of knowledge. Researching an item can be time consuming, and these TV shows will be able to provide free appraisals only because it is important for selecting the final few appraisals people see on TV.
Free antique appraisal? Anyway, a free antique appraisal that is for real is not that easy to get, we would be interested to know if anyone "knows" otherwise. :-)
An appraisal is the process of identifying and authenticating an item, and possibly its source, age and market value. The whole process may take hours and, depending on the item at hand, it may require combing through all the data resources or books to find information on an item that may have little real value, except in the eyes of the owner. Would a capable appraiser do that?
An informal verbal appraisal done by a dealer at an antiques fair seems more feasible, but it does not have the value of a professional appraisal in writing. It is really just the identification of an item and an opinion of its value from memory, hardly very reliable information.
What is easier to get for free ... What may be easier to get for free instead could be an antique identification, but perhaps not its value, because again, the latter may need a database or knowledge of the specific market, or books and records of past sales or auctions, etc.
If you get your item identified, then you can try to research the approximate antique value yourself online. This way you may be able to get an idea what you have or what its value could be before requesting a formal appraisal. Be sure to get a paid appraisal, or even more than one, if you find that your item could be something of greater value.
