How to Be Sure Your Antiques Dealer is Trustworthy

After a person dies, survivors often seek the assistance of an antiques dealer in appraising furniture, artwork and jewelry as part of the estate valuation process. By doing so, these survivors are trusting the antiques dealer to give them an accurate and fair price for the items to be included in the estate. But how can you be certain that your antiques dealer is honest and ethical. A good place to start is with local or national antiques dealers associations. These organizations work to promote the ethical buying and selling of antiques by requiring their members to agree to pursue the profession honestly and ethically and by enforcing these standards with the help of a standing ethics committee. Member dealers also commit to guarantee the approximate age, origin, condition and restoration of any given piece that they sell in writing. Some associations accept only antiques dealers with a certain number of years of experience and peer recommendation and may also review their members on an annual basis to ensure continued adherence to their standards. This is the standard of excellence you want from the antiques dealer you hire to appraise an estate or potential purchase. There is no formal college level degree program specifically dedicated to antiques dealing; however, a degree in history, art or art history with a minor in business would provide a useful background for such a career. Research experience, perhaps in the form of a museum internship, trains the aspiring antiques dealer well in the techniques necessary to investigating the backgrounds of antique pieces. An internship or some other form of practical experience at an antiques house is equally valuable. Dont forget that antiques dealers typically spend their days inspecting jewelry, art, furniture, books and other valuable items and researching the associated documentation and histories. There is a certain amount of pressure inherent in arriving at the correct value of a particular piece, but if an antiques dealer is honest and ethical and backed up by years of education and experience, you can feel confident that that dealer will give you the fairest possible price. A professional antiques dealers association membership gives added assurance.