A Comprehensive Guide to Assessing the Value of Antique Ceramics

Antique Ceramics look good in any setting or part of the house. Whether in your bathroom, kitchen, or living room, it fills every space with its ageless beauty. These may be centuries old but remain in fashion for every interior designer enthusiast or anyone who desires a traditional design and appreciates it. Antique ceramics are available in three categories: delicate, fine porcelain, coarse earthenware, and hard stoneware. These are the most varied antique items among so many collectibles. Don't you wonder which one piece is precious or not?

If you want to assess the scalability of your antique ceramics, experts call out five things. These are in good condition, rarity, aesthetics, desirability, and authenticity. Its acronym is RADAR. If your antique piece falls under these criteria chances are high that its value will only increase over time. In this blog, we will take a further closer look at these criteria.

The Rarity of the Antique Ceramics

When do you consider any time as rare? When it has very few of its kind. And the case of a rarity with antique ceramics is when there are small numbers of these pieces, only a few original pieces of these ceramics remain, or that it has an unusual size and shape. One of the examples of an unusual shape and size of ceramics was a vase of Chinese tri-lobed double gourd from the mid-18th century.

Aesthetics of the Antique Ceramics

The Aesthetics of aesthetic ceramics is a subjective question. While a person may like one aesthetic ceramic, another person may not consider that aesthetic. If you want to understand the aesthetic of antique ceramics, you can refer to references, books, or museums to better understand this topic.

Desirability

The desirability of anything is measured by its scale of popularity in the current times. The case of desirability with antique ceramics is seasonal. While at one time you would see Majolica in fashion, at another time, Moorcraft pieces will be at the trough in popularity. The fashion in interior designing is very seasonal, so the demand for antique ceramics is seasonal, too, which determines its desirability factor.

Authenticity of the Antique Ceramics

With so many fake replicas of the original antique ceramics, it is imperative to distinguish the real antique ceramics from its various replications in the market. There are plenty of ways to check the authenticity. One of the prime ones is checking the maker's mark. Know about the producer's mark, their logo, backstamps, and the artist's initials over the years. Various identification guides are produced by reputable ceramic houses to check the authenticity of the antique pieces. You should become alert if you notice that the piece is too new and has no wear and tear marks. Get a second opinion on that, for sure. Sometimes, the wear and tear marks are not noticeable so you can use the backlight testing for that particular porcelain. In this ultraviolet, rays are passed over the pieces in the darkroom to determine any cracks, chips, or signs of restoration.

Really Great Condition

An antique ceramic or any antique piece goes through a lot in its lifetime. It does not remain the same ever. The piece’s history is broadly defined in the following ways. The mint condition indicates that the piece has no cracks. Chips or break marks. Excellent condition talks about its minor flaws, such as a flake in the glaze of the porcelain vase. Good conditions indicate that the piece has age and a story to tell. For example, a figurine lost its arm and has been restored at some point. It is worth mentioning that while looking for antique ceramics, you should find one with signs of cracks, chips, fractures, and repairments, as these increase the value, unlike glassware, which will reduce it.

Wrapping Up

Sticking to the formula of RADAR is the best way to check the scalability of antique ceramics. These look beautiful and the value increases if it has signs of crack and repairment. If you want to decorate the spaces of your home with antique ceramics, you can find them at auctions or learn more from the books. You can also find out about them on sites like eBay. TrueGether, an eBay alternative, also gives information about antique ceramics. You can view many options regarding the same.