There are several ways to go about finding the value of your item. My first answer is always that if you feel your item has real value find a local certified appraiser to take a look at your item. Certified appraisers can be found in the phone book or by doing a Google search for certified appraisers in your area. An appraiser will have the knowledge and resources to give you an accurate description and value for your item.

Hiring an appraiser will cost a fee and those fees will vary from appraiser to appraiser. There are other, free ways to value your item.   While these methods will not lighten your wallet, they will require more footwork on your part and yield a slightly less reliable value of your item.

One of the best valuation techniques is to find items similar to yours on selling sites like eBay, GoAntiques, and Ruby Lane.   Many times more common items can be found on these sites with plenty of information about age, origin, and value. For more unique items try sites like www.worthpoint.com and www.auctionwally.com.

Finally, if you have a friendly local antique store you may bring photos of your item in and see if they have any information to offer you about it. Some antique stores are more friendly about this than others, so it may be a good idea to talk with them before doing so.

With these methods of valuing your item, it is important to keep in mind that "worth" is subjective. I usually classify a dollar value of an item into one of three categories. The "retail" value is the maximum amount an item could be worth in mint condition sold to a collector. It is extremely unlikely that you would ever get this price for an item if you are thinking of selling. The "wholesale" value of an item would be the price that the item can most likely be sold for if you are patient. Selling at a consignment shop, on eBay, or other selling website you are most likely to get this value. Finally, the "quick sale" price would be a value that you could almost instantly sell an item for. This would be a price that is below market or "wholesale" value of an item. Items sold for a "quick sale" price are usually bought up by dealers that know a good deal.

Hopefully all of this information will help you when it is time to sell that old table that's been sitting in the garage since college or if you need to find out how much to insure Grandma's vase for. If you feel you have something with good value to it, get it appraised!