An amusing ad has run on TV recently. I don’t remember the details, just the punchline that says something to the effect that the item in question is a rare, American treasure, while its owners thought it was just an “old blanket.” How many of us seek the rare item of genuine value that might just turn up at a yard sale? With more public awareness of antiques than ever before, especially the attention that textiles are now receiving, the chances of “finding” a valuable, antique quilt, (at low cost), are quickly going from zip to nil.
Strangely enough, I receive mail from readers who want to know what their quilt is “worth.” Sometimes, I am expected to make this judgment, based solely on a sketchy description of what the quilt is like. Other times, the e-mail has a poor quality photo or photos attached. I am not an appraiser, but even if I were, it would be illogical to try to determine the value of a quilt, based solely on a picture. For one thing, photos can be altered to erase the mice holes, or a lot of other things that can go wrong. For another thing, to assign a monetary value, the item MUST be seen in person.
Yesterday, I received an interesting advertisement in the mail for a publication called The Antique Roadshow Insider. A brochure, “Pocket Appraiser,” included with the ad, lists seven principles that serve as guides to appraisers, such as how old an item is, how rare, its condition, etc. On the cover is a black and white photo of a portion of a Baltimore Album quilt, draped over something. The following words appear:
“Among the factors that make this quilt worth $50,000, says Antiques Roadshow expert Leslie Keno, are its age, size, rarity, and the fact that it is typical of quilts made in Baltimore around 1850.”
This blanket statement bothers me. Why? I have never heard of a quilt of this type being sold for so low a price. About a year ago, an unfinished quilt top in this style sold for $58,000. Most of the authentic, finished, Baltimore Album quilts, have sold for amounts in excess of $200,000., in recent years. These quilts are relatively rare. At last count, about three hundred of them had been located.
Admittedly, I don’t keep up with prices of antique quilts because 1) I am not an appraiser, 2) I am not a dealer of expensive antiquities, and 3) I’d rather have the satisfaction of making my own quilt, any day, than using or storing a pricey but perhaps poor quality, old quilt, of unknown provenance, just to say that I own it.
Appraised prices of all quilts have been escalating recently. In my opinion, the appraised prices on some newly-made quilts are hard to justify. If you are in the market to buy a quilt, ask yourself a lot of questions first. Is the quilt “an investment?” Realize that new quilts have no “track record” of resale values. Is it your effort to support the arts? Is the quilt a gift? Do you know how to properly care for the quilt so that it is maintained well, over time? Can you trust whomever you are dealing with, as an appraiser, to give you solid and reasonable information about the quilt’s worth?
The “bottom line” is that anything is worth whatever amount someone else is willing to pay for it. Appraised values are simply “educated guesses.” Of course, I look at quilts in a slightly different manner than a lot of people. To read more of my thoughts on the subject, please click on the link below.
http://www.quiltersmuse.com/The_Value_of_your_quilt.htm
Have a super day!
Patricia
