Collecting guides, market insights, hallmark and maker identification, and auction commentary from our specialist team. Showing the 24 most recent articles — use the pagination at the bottom of the page to browse all 705 published articles.
Wally Findlay Galleries sold French and American paintings from Kansas City, Chicago, New York and Palm Beach. Here is the gallery history, who it sold, and what a Findlay label means for your painting.
Landfall Press in Chicago printed and published lithographs with Christo, Chuck Close, Oldenburg, Kara Walker and the Chicago Imagists. Here is the workshop history and what Landfall prints sell for.
The Suzanne Kohn Gallery showed Minnesota and Upper Midwest artists in St. Paul and Minneapolis for more than 30 years. Here is its history, the artists it showed, and what its label means for your piece.
The Locksley Shea Gallery sold Warhol, Judd, Kelly and Marden out of a Minneapolis home in the 1960s and 1970s. Here is its history, its tie to Dayton's Gallery 12, and what the gallery's name means on your piece.
The Walker Art Center grew from one lumber baron's collection into a national leader in modern art. Here is how it shaped what Minnesotans collect, and what a Walker poster or exhibition label means for your piece.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the twelfth floor of the downtown Minneapolis Dayton's store showed and sold Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein, Warhol and Robert Indiana. Here is who Gallery 12 sold, the prints it published, and what its label means for your piece.
Most George Bellows lithographs sell for $500 to $3,000. A Stag at Sharkey's brings $40,000 to $80,000 and has topped $200,000. Here is why the image matters so much, and how to tell what you have.
Tiffany Studios desk sets are some of the most collected decorative metalwork in America. Here is how to read the marks, spot a fake and know what your desk pieces are worth.
Most fountain pens sell for less than people hope, but some bring real money. Here is which Montblanc and other big name pens collectors pay for, and how to spot a fake.
Hudson River School landscapes still turn up in Minnesota homes. Here is how to recognize a 19th century American landscape, read attribution terms, and what they sell for.
Some Picasso prints are worth thousands. Many are reproductions. Here is how to tell an original etching or lithograph from a copy, and what Picasso prints sell for.
Peter Max's bright pop art hangs in a lot of homes. Here is how to tell an original painting from a print or poster, and what each type sells for.
The Tiffany Holiday pattern is discontinued, and complete sets draw strong bids. Here is how to identify Tiffany & Co. china and barware and what makes a set worth more.
Most old posters are worth little, but some bring thousands or more. Here is which posters collectors want, how to spot a reprint, and the mistakes that cost you money.
Before you melt a gold watch, find out what it is. Here is how much gold a watch really holds, how to read the marks, and when collectors pay far more than scrap.
Most old leaded and decorated lamps are not Tiffany, and many are worth serious money anyway. A Limbert Arts and Crafts lamp brought $6,750 at our sale, and a pair of Art Nouveau bronze lamps estimated at $1,000 to $2,000 sold for $6,500. Here are the makers to know and what drives value.
Some Edward S. Curtis pictures are original photogravures or orotones worth thousands of dollars. Many more are later prints or posters. A Curtis orotone of The Rush Gatherer that we estimated at $8,000 to $10,000 sold for $11,000. Here is how to tell what you have before you sell.
Gorham Martelé is some of the most valuable American silver ever made, and it still turns up mixed in with ordinary sterling. A Martelé water pitcher we estimated at $3,000 to $5,000 sold for $7,000. Here is how to spot it, what drives its value, and what to avoid before you sell.
Estate sales and local auctions are great at clearing a house. An auction house is built to find the buyer who wants your best piece most. Here is how each option works, where the value usually is, and how we help you use all three together.
A real Tiffany Studios lamp can sell for five figures or more. A lamp with a Tiffany stamp on it may be worth a few hundred dollars. Here is how we tell them apart, what drives value, and how to handle your lamp before you sell it.
A gold buyer pays you for weight. A bidder pays you for the piece. A 14K gold and ceramic link bracelet we estimated at $200 to $400 sold for $1,400. Here is how to tell which of your jewelry belongs at auction and which belongs on the scale.
Squash blossoms, turquoise cuffs and Zuni inlay turn up in Minnesota houses far more often than geography would suggest. We have sold thousands of pieces of Native American jewelry out of Twin Cities estates — a plain-looking Navajo cuff estimated at $50–100 recently made $2,300. Here is what the market actually pays, what drives the number, and what to look for before you sell.
The man who turned a Minneapolis bus depot into First Avenue also opened an art gallery in Edina and spent decades publishing the Yunnan School. If you inherited one of those framed serigraphs with a Fingerhut certificate, here is the honest picture, including which pieces still hold real value.
Vickrey painted 78 Time covers and became the leading modern practitioner of egg tempera. At auction the medium is everything: a five-inch tempera made $10,625 while a 32-by-48-inch oil failed to sell at a $7,000 estimate. And the worst thing you can do to one is clean it.