Keys to Buying Previously Owned Pottery
One of the most popular and fun items to search for in thrift stores is pottery. Previously owed pottery is also a great item to sell in your online store and can be a consistent resale item. Pottery was the earliest form of artistic and functional expression by human beings, and pottery carries an innate attraction for all of humanity. Previously-owned, quality pottery sells well online!
Pottery is made up of ceramic materials and encompasses three major types of pottery wares (1) earthenware, (2) stoneware and (3) porcelain. Some experts also include ball clay as a fourth pottery type. To be considered pottery, a piece must be a fired ceramic ware that contains clay material when formed.
To establish a fair online price for your previously owned pottery, either you, or a third party, need to establish a base value for the pottery item. Most experts look at certain factors, all in varying degrees of importance, to determine the value of your pottery
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Pottery Value Factors
1. Look, Feel and Aesthetics of the Pottery
This first factor is fairly easy to determine by most thrifters, once you have a little experience examining pottery pieces with purpose and with an eye to detail. Artistically rendered pottery has a look about it that distinguishes it quickly from manufactured pieces.
Look to see if the pottery has an aesthetic quality that produces an artistic blend of shape, color, and texture. Does the pottery possess the ability to make you feel some emotion. These are all attributes that point to an authentic piece of pottery, as opposed to a mass-produced item. Some mass-produced pottery definitely has value, and may be worth buying and reselling, but generally the value of a piece is higher in original artistic pottery.
It is pretty easy to determine if the pottery is merely functional or fun, or whether it was produced to delight the senses and inspire emotion as well as provide functionality. Slip cast pottery, made in a mold, has a common look to it that shows in industrial-looking design elements and decoration.
2. Authenticity
As you learned above, original pieces of pottery, or collections of pottery that are one-of-a-kind or rare, are more valuable than factory manufactured pottery that is designed for mass consumption.
To determine the authenticity of pottery that meets the aesthetics tests above, the first step is to determine if the pottery has a signature or markings somewhere on the piece. It is usually on the bottom of the pottery, but the mark could be anywhere on the piece.
Second, after making a preliminary determination of the pottery maker, begin your research and see if the piece has been listed for sale before, or been in past auctions, and find out about the maker/artist. Compare time periods and materials to see if they match. If the pottery was previously sold, the past sold prices give you a great starting point to place a value on your item. Check to see if any forgeries or poor replicas of the pottery are being reported on line. All of these steps help properly identify your pottery.
3. Rarity
Just because you have an original piece of properly identified pottery, does not necessarily mean that the piece has great value. Artists sometimes produce pottery through mass production techniques in order to sell enough of their creations. The rarity of an item is another critical factor to consider.
An item may be rare if the artist only produced a few such items, or if the pottery was produced a long time ago and few example still survive. The item may be rare simply due to its artistic shape, color or design. Rarity adds value and is an important factor to consider in valuing your pottery.
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4. Condition
The condition of a piece of pottery will dictate its value. When the piece is in perfect shape, it is said to be in mint condition. This means that it has no cracks, no chips, no breaks, and basically, it is as good as new. Pottery that is in mint condition is extremely valuable.
Check the condition descriptions of the pieces. The rule of thumb is that damaged pieces usually fetch 50-75% of their value when in good condition, and this includes even the smallest damage. While you are still there, look up the artists behind your pottery and check the value of their art, as this will help approximate the value of your pottery.
Old pieces that are still in mint condition tend to attract high prices in the market and during auctions. These pieces have an original finish and have not undergone repair or restoration, hence the high value.
No matter how minor it is, damage can really affect the value of a piece. For instance, a small crack can significantly bring down the value of a glass item. Things that you should look at to determine the condition of your pottery include chips, cracks, signs of repair, and broken noses or missing fingers if you own a figurine.
5. Provenance
Provenance refers to the record of past ownership of a piece. If past owners are well-known, high-status persons, then the value of the piece increases. Pottery is also very valuable when it has a rich history; for instance, a piece that has been passed down through generations like an heirloom becomes super important.
Usually, it is easier to trace the ownership record of contemporary pieces than much older ones. In any case, pottery that has documented, impressive provenance has a much higher value than pottery without established provenance.
Online Pottery Appraisals
If you can’t determine the value of your pottery on your own, you can always online pottery appraisals. There are many online art pottery appraisals for both single pieces and pottery collections.
Check that the appraiser you are working with is experienced in art pottery and well-versed with current market prices.
Auctions
Put your piece up for auction and let competitive bidding determine its value.
The author generated this text in part with a version of Chat GPT, OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model. Upon generating draft language, the author reviewed, edited, and revised the language to their own liking and takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this publication. This text may include some materials in a form protected by the fair use guidelines of Section 107 of the Copyright Act. All rights reserved to the copyright owners.
