If something is an antique then it's very valuable, right? Scoop it up and sell it at auction for big profits, right?

Oh, if only it were that easy!

While there may be a buyer out there somewhere for virtually any antique item you may find, to really be serious about making money from selling antiques you need to have a discerning eye for what makes an item truly valuable. While there are no hard and fast rules regarding this, there are some guidelines you can keep in mind when choosing your purchases.

One such criterion has to do with the historical importance of an item. You might not think this applies to every item - what's the historical significance of an old television, right? - but to many collectors, finding items that changed significantly over certain time periods make them historically important. Televisions from the 1930's, 1940's, 1950's and so on tell a story of how science and technology have developed over the years. This can apply to items like radios, clocks, kitchen utensils, sewing machines, and so on. The historical significance of these items is that they are living demonstrations of how history has developed.

The desirability of an item is also affected by its craftsmanship and how unique it may be. Many antiques are appreciated because they are typically handmade or hand-carved and used very little machinery to help with their construction; this is unlike today's items that are mass-produced in factories. Craftsmanship comes into play with furniture, artwork, architectural items, and even antique bottles. The condition of the item now has a lot to do with its desirability as well. Details and craftsmanship do not mean much of anything if the item is severely chipped, damaged, rusted, and so on.

It's value at the time of it being new also has a lot to do with the current value. Obviously a twenty-five-year-old bargain car is not going to be as valuable as the sports car or luxury sedan. A porcelain dish that was mass produced 50 years ago isn't as valuable as one that was handmade at the time. If the item was more valuable when it was new it will typically be more valuable as an antique.

If you're serious about antiquing then you need to be discerning with what items you're going to purchase and try to sell. Rather than scoop up all the old items you can find, think of how valuable they were when they were new, inspect the craftsmanship, and think about its historical importance. If you do this you're going to be much more successful in your business.