Get ready for another great year in the antiques and collectibles industry! Dr. Lori Verderame, PhD, Antiques Appraiser, says that the antiques and collectibles industry will do very well this year as proven by the interest in these objects in past years. Historically, at the start of any new decade, it’s been seen that antiques and vintage objects’ sales increase.
Dr. Lori is a well-known antiques appraiser, starring on the History Channel’s The Curse of Oak Island, Discovery Channel’s Auction Kings and also appearing on FOX Business Network’s Strange Inheritance. Presenting more than 150 events every year and conducting in-home appraisal visits, Dr. Lori reviews approximately 20,000 items a year, and she has a lot to say about the industry in 2020:
Popular Antiques & Collectibles in 2020
“In 2020, the most popular antiques, based on my decades of appraisal and museum experience, will be Art Deco pieces, particularly furniture, fine art, china, home accessories, and jewelry,” Dr. Lori said. Additionally, a long-time topic of interest and research area for many collectors is American art of the post war period.
Dr. Lori suggests that collectors take a hard look at Abstract Expressionist paintings and sculptures from the late 1940’s to the early 1960’s. This collecting category has enjoyed great movement, unexpected sales records, and market watchers expect this category to continue to forge ahead. On the contrary, Dr. Lori says there will be waning interest in Victorian and Edwardian period antiques dating from the late 19th Century and the first decade of the 20th Century.
Working Their Way Up the Ladder
In order for an object to be considered an antique, it needs to be 40 to 50 years old. Now that we’re into the 2020’s, items from the 1970’s are starting to be widely accepted into the pantheon of antiques, according to Antique Sage. Even objects from the 1980’s will begin to acquire the aura of antiqueness, as crazy as that may sound.
Antique Sage also predicts that precious metal prices will increase, ultimately affecting the antiques market. Although no one can say exactly how high gold or silver values might go, it’s certain that the trend will be upward. Many investment grade antiques, including coins, jewelry, silverware, wristwatches, and fountain pens are made, either partially or completely, from precious metals. So it isn’t a stretch to infer that an increase in the price of gold and silver will also put upward pressure on the value of these investment quality antiques.
Determining the Value of an Antique
Spotting a good antique at a flea market or antique show can come easy to some, but determining the value of that piece can be a little more difficult. “The only way to determine the true value of an antique is to have an honest appraisal conducted by a professional appraiser with education and experience who does not have a financial interest in buying or selling the object that they appraise,” Dr. Lori said. “The appraiser must have no interest in your object and must base his/her appraisal on actual sales records where a similar piece has sold recently and not on price guidelines, listed prices, or asking prices.”