Vintage Appraisers Near Me: Free and Paid Options

To find a vintage appraiser near you, search a credentialed directory such as the International Society of Appraisers' Find an Appraiser tool, which filters by credential, location, specialty and the kinds of objects appraised, and choose someone who works to USPAP and specialises in your type of object. If you only want to know whether something is worth pursuing, start with a free online estimate from an auction house instead.

Review sites list local shops, but they do not tell you whether the person is trained, what standard they follow, or whether they also want to buy your item. A directory of a professional society answers the first two questions for you.

The right choice depends on what you will do with the number.

• Thinking of selling: a free auction estimate is enough to start. Heritage Auctions, for example, asks for photos and a description, and its specialists give an estimate of auction value for items it might sell. Submissions without photos are not reviewed. The estimate is an opinion aimed at consigning, not a formal report.
• Insurance, estate division or a divorce: you need a written appraisal from an independent appraiser who states the purpose and the type of value.
• A charitable donation in the US: the IRS requires a qualified appraisal signed by a qualified appraiser, plus Form 8283, for noncash donations over $5,000.
• Just curious: Antiques Roadshow gives free verbal estimates in person at its events, with two items per ticket; it does not appraise by email, mail or phone and never gives written appraisals.

Our antique appraisal guide explains insurance, fair market and other value types in more detail.

Run through this list before you pay anyone.

• Credential: a credentialed membership of a society such as ISA (Certified or Accredited level) or ASA, not just a shop sign.
• Standard: they write to USPAP, the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.
• Specialty: they appraise your category. A furniture specialist is the wrong person for Chinese porcelain.
• Fee basis: flat fee or hourly. USPAP prohibits fees contingent on the value reached, its FAQ answers no to fees based on a percentage of value, and the ASA code calls percentage fees unprofessional and unethical. IRS Publication 561 says the same for qualified appraisals.
• Independence: if the appraiser offers to buy the item, get a second opinion; USPAP requires impartiality and independence.
• Report: ask what you will receive, when, and whether photos and the purpose of the appraisal are stated in it.

• Auction houses: free, photo-based estimates of auction value; the house is hoping to sell the item for you.
• Paid online appraisers: some credentialed appraisers work from photos for a fee; ask whether the report will say it was done without inspection.
• Antiques Roadshow: not available online; appraisals happen only in person at its events.
• Identification apps: useful for working out what an object is before you pay anyone. App makers themselves describe the results as research leads, not formal appraisals. AntiqLens identifies an object and its marks from a photo so you arrive at an appraiser already knowing the maker and likely period.

You can do a lot before paying for an appraisal.

• Identify it. Photograph the marks and the whole object, then check the maker and period on pages such as what a maker's mark is and pottery marks identification.
• Use sold prices, not asking prices. Completed auction results for the same maker, model and condition are the evidence appraisers use; see our antique value guide.
• Note condition honestly. Repairs, replaced parts and refinishing lower value; see antique condition grading.
• For furniture, photograph drawer joints, backboards, labels and hardware; they date a piece better than the style does. See date an antique by style.

Antique valuations can be had free or for a small fee online, and the difference is what you receive. These are the terms we found on 25 September 2026:

• Mearto: $25 for one appraisal, $70 for three, $90 for five and $170 for ten; a specialist replies typically within 48 hours with an estimated value and an explanation of how it was reached.
• ValueMyStuff: paid by credits, with a 48-hour standard service for one credit or 24-hour express for two; it says its more than 60 experts formerly worked at Sotheby's and Christie's, and the result is a PDF certificate stating fair market value and insurance value.
• Antiquevaluations.com: a free informational site that explains valuation methods and puts owners in touch with dealers, auctioneers and galleries in New York City.
• Auction house valuation days: Consumer Reports notes that houses such as Sotheby's and Christie's hold free valuation days that give oral opinions.
• Price databases: the-saleroom's price guide listed 10,862 marble lots alone when we searched it, but realised prices require a subscription.

None of these is a USPAP written appraisal. They answer the question of whether an object deserves one.

The British Antique Dealers' Association (BADA) says a specialist valuing for insurance will usually give a replacement value, and that a good valuation records the type of object, materials and techniques, measurements, inscriptions and markings, distinguishing features, subject or title, date or period, and maker. With photographs, that description is what supports an insurance claim. When selling, BADA advises taking advice from a reputable source and getting more than one valuation.

• Identify it first. Photograph the marks and the whole object and check the maker.
• Look up sold prices. LoveToKnow notes that Kovels.com has a free searchable database of sale prices for more than 750,000 antique items.
• Ask an auction house. Free photo-based estimates and valuation days are aimed at items the house might sell.
• Go in person. Antiques Roadshow gives free verbal estimates at its events, as described above.

Pay for a written appraisal only when you need a number for insurance, an estate, a divorce or a tax deduction.

Research and drafting for this page were assisted by AI and checked line by line against the sources listed below. Prices are copied from the named guide, dealer or auction report with the date we checked it; asking prices are labelled as asking prices, and where a figure could not be confirmed we say so rather than estimate. If you find an error, tell us and we will correct it.