Tips for Buying Antique Pottery

Buying antique or antique pottery is actually easier than you think and being able to determine dates, companies, and value can be achieved just by following a few simple research tips.

Many people around the world spend their weekends at local antique fairs or digging through garage sale boxes, thrift stores, and thrift sales, looking for old pottery that people might accidentally dispose of. Being able to identify older pieces compared to more contemporary designs will help you know which ones to look at and which ones don’t deserve further investigation. Many people have no idea how to identify the different types of pottery. Once you can do this, shopping at these types of places becomes much easier and you will be able to find a bargain almost immediately. The following tips will help you become familiar with ceramics and thus also help you through the purchasing process.

This is actually pretty obvious advice, but the best way to gain experience and knowledge about the different types of pottery is to use a book. A good ceramic book will help you distinguish between stoneware, porcelain, and the different styles that have come from different times and countries. Japanese pottery is totally different from Polish pottery and you should be able to tell the difference. There are so many different styles and forms of pottery that a book will be your best friend and will teach you a lot. If you can spend a small amount on a book but save on accidental or misinformed purchases, then it was a worthwhile purchase. There are many books available on websites like Aardewerk uit Tunesiëthat have pictures and descriptions of the ceramic pieces.

The next tip is to use the internet to search for types and styles of pottery. There is one place on the internet where thousands of parts are listed and sold every day: eBay! You’ll find almost all types of pottery on eBay, from everyday types to real antiques that are worth a lot of money. eBay is no longer just the place to buy cheap batteries and DVDs, the antique market is huge! eBay can also tell you how much the items have sold for. Simply select the “Completed Items” option from the “Advanced Search” and you can see the final sale value for each type of ceramic being sold. It is a great research tool. Also, eBay is a good place to make a bargain. Most things sell for less money there, making it a great place to start your collection.