Appraisal Guide · Updated July 2026
Antique Appraisal Near Me: Where to Go, What It Costs, and Who to Trust
Four realistic options: a credentialed independent appraiser, an auction house's free valuation day, an estate-sale company, or a dealer — and which one is right depends entirely on why you need the number.
By the Austin Gallery editors · July 2, 2026
The short answer: if you need a written appraisal for insurance, an estate, or taxes, hire an independent appraiser credentialed by the ISA, ASA, or AAA — typically $150–$400 per hour. If you just want to know what something is worth so you can sell it, a free auction estimate or a free evaluation from a consignment gallery will usually get you there. Most people asking “where can I get an antique appraised near me” actually need the second thing, not the first — and knowing the difference saves you a few hundred dollars. Below is the full map: the four places to go, what each typically costs, the three kinds of “value” an appraiser can mean, what actually raises or lowers an antique's worth, and the red flags that separate real appraisers from buyers in disguise.
The four places to get an antique appraised
1. A credentialed personal-property appraiser. This is the gold standard when the number has legal or financial consequences. Look for membership in the International Society of Appraisers (ISA), the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), or the Appraisers Association of America (AAA) — all three maintain searchable “find an appraiser” directories by location and specialty, and all three require training in USPAP, the profession's uniform standards. A credentialed appraiser works for a fee, has no interest in buying your item, and produces a written report that insurers, courts, and the IRS will accept.
2. An auction house. Most regional auction houses — and the national ones — offer free auction estimates, either by photo submission or at periodic in-person valuation days. The estimate is verbal, it's geared toward what the piece would bring at their auction, and the house is hoping you'll consign it with them. That's not a hidden agenda — it's the business model — and it makes auction estimates one of the best free reality checks available, because the number is grounded in what the house believes it can actually sell the piece for.
3. An estate-sale company. If you're dealing with a whole household — an inheritance, a downsizing, a move — estate-sale companies will typically walk the property for free and tell you what's worth pulling aside. Their strength is breadth and speed across hundreds of objects; their limitation is that they price for a weekend sale, not for the collector market, and exceptional pieces deserve a second opinion before they go on a folding table.
4. A dealer. Antique dealers look at more objects in a month than most people see in a lifetime, and many will give a free opinion. But here is the caveat that belongs in bold: when the person evaluating your antique is also the person offering to buy it, the number you hear is an offer, not an appraisal. A dealer buys at wholesale so they can resell at retail — that's fair and normal — but it means their figure can run well below what the piece would bring at auction or on consignment. Use dealer opinions for triage; don't sell anything significant on the first number you hear.
| Where | Typical cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Credentialed appraiser (ISA / ASA / AAA) | Typically $150–$400/hr | Written appraisals for insurance, estate, and tax. No stake in buying your item. |
| Auction house valuation day | Usually free | Verbal auction estimates; the house hopes you'll consign. Good for a real-world number. |
| Estate-sale company | Usually free walkthrough | Ballpark opinions across a whole household; geared toward running a sale, not single items. |
| Dealer or consignment gallery | Usually free | Fast and practical, but remember the conflict of interest if the evaluator wants to buy. |
What an antique appraisal typically costs
Independent appraisers generally bill by the hour, and published rates across the profession typically run $150–$400 per hour, varying with region, specialty, and the appraiser's credentials. A single item with straightforward research often takes an hour or two of work, so many one-piece written appraisals land in the low hundreds. Whole-estate work is different: appraisers usually quote a day rate or a project fee after seeing the scope, since a full household can take days to catalog and research. Two cost rules worth knowing: verbal opinions cost far less than written reports (and are often free at valuation events), and an ethical appraiser never charges a percentage of the item's value — contingent fees violate the profession's standards because they give the appraiser a reason to inflate the number.
Replacement, fair market, or liquidation? The value question that changes everything
The single most common source of confusion — and disappointment — is that an antique doesn't have one value; it has several, and they can be far apart. The grandfather clock insured for a healthy replacement figure may bring a fraction of that at auction, and both numbers are correct. Before anyone appraises anything, know which value you need:
| Type of value | Used for | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Replacement value | Insurance scheduling and claims | What it would cost to replace the item at retail — the highest of the three numbers. |
| Fair market value | Estate, tax, donation, divorce | What a willing buyer would pay a willing seller, neither under pressure — the IRS standard. |
| Liquidation value | Forced or fast sales | What the item brings when it must sell quickly — the lowest number, often well under fair market. |
If you're selling, the number that matters is closest to fair market value — which is exactly what a free auction estimate or consignment evaluation approximates, and why paying for a replacement-value insurance appraisal before selling is usually money spent on the wrong question.
What raises — and lowers — an antique's value
Provenance. A documented history — who owned it, where it came from, receipts, photographs, letters, estate records — can meaningfully raise value, especially when it connects the piece to a notable maker, family, or place. Keep every scrap of paper that travels with an object.
Condition. Cracks, repairs, replaced parts, water damage, and heavy wear all pull value down, and honest condition is often the difference between the top and bottom of an estimate range. But condition cuts in a way that surprises people: on early and period furniture especially, original surface is prized, and refinishing can reduce collector value rather than add it. That old patina is part of the object's history. The caveat runs the other way for ordinary mid-market furniture, where a clean, usable finish sells better — which is exactly why it's worth asking before you touch anything old with sandpaper.
Originality. Marriages (tops and bases that started life apart), replaced hardware, re-upholstery, and later decoration all matter to collectors. The more of the original object survives, the better.
Maker's marks and signatures. Stamps, labels, hallmarks, and signatures tie an object to a maker, and attributed pieces almost always outperform anonymous ones. Check drawer sides, undersides, the backs of case pieces, the underside of ceramics, and hallmarks on silver — and photograph whatever you find before asking anyone's opinion.
Rarity and current demand. Value ultimately lives at the intersection of scarce and wanted. Whole categories rise and fall — the same market that softened formal Victorian furniture lifted mid-century design — so a decades-old appraisal or price-guide figure is a historical document, not a current value.
Free, Roadshow-style appraisal events are a real option
The Antiques Roadshow format exists in real life, and not just on PBS. Auction houses run free valuation days, and museums, historical societies, and community organizations periodically host appraisal fairs where local experts give verbal opinions — sometimes free, sometimes for a small per-item donation to the host. What you get is a knowledgeable ballpark and, occasionally, the thrill of learning the thing from the attic is genuinely good. What you don't get is a written appraisal you can hand to an insurer or the IRS. For a first opinion on a mystery object, though, these events are one of the best deals going — check the event calendars of auction houses and museums near you.
Red flags when choosing an appraiser
A few warning signs do most of the work of protecting you. Walk away from anyone who offers to appraise your antique and then buy it — that's the conflict of interest in its purest form, and real appraisers don't do it. Be wary of fees calculated as a percentage of the item's value (prohibited by professional standards), of “certified” claims with no verifiable credential behind them (ask which organization, then check the directory), of instant online valuations offered for insurance or tax purposes, and of anyone who pressures you to decide — sell, consign, or commit — on the spot. An honest professional is comfortable with you getting a second opinion; the people who aren't are telling you something.
Where Austin Gallery fits — and where we don't
Honest framing, because this page is about knowing who does what: Austin Gallery is not a certified appraisal firm, and we don't produce USPAP appraisals for insurance, estate, or tax purposes. If that's what you need, use the ISA, ASA, or AAA directories above — that's the right tool.
What we do is the selling side. We're a curated consignment house for fine art, designer and vintage furniture, and exceptional objects, and we give free evaluations for people who are thinking about selling — an honest read on whether a piece has real market potential and what it might bring. Email photos and we'll respond with a straight answer, or for larger collections and estates in the Austin metro we'll come to you — the visit, evaluation, and photography are free, and our commission comes only from the final sale. Because we sell on consignment rather than buying outright, our interest is the same as yours: the piece bringing the strongest price it can.
Thinking of selling?
Get a free, no-obligation evaluation of your antiques, art, or designer furniture — upload photos or book an in-home visit in the Austin metro.
The bottom line
Match the appraiser to the job. Legal or financial number — insurance, estate, taxes — means a credentialed ISA/ASA/AAA appraiser and a written report at typical hourly rates of $150–$400. Curiosity or a possible sale means free routes first: an auction estimate, an appraisal event, or a consignment evaluation. And never sell on the same opinion you were given for free by the person buying. If your find is a painting rather than furniture or objects, our companion guides to painting appraisals and art appraisals near you cover the art-specific side — including how to research a signature before you pay anyone.
Frequently asked questions
Are online antique appraisals accurate?
They can be useful for a ballpark, but treat them as an educated estimate, not a valuation you can act on. An appraiser working from photos can't inspect condition, check for repairs or married parts, or verify maker's marks in hand — and condition is often the difference between the high and low end of a range. Online opinions are a reasonable first step to decide whether a piece is worth a formal appraisal; they generally aren't accepted for insurance, estate, or tax purposes, which require a written appraisal by a qualified appraiser.
What antiques are worth money right now?
Speaking in categories rather than prices: mid-century modern furniture and lighting by known designers, signed studio and designer jewelry, fine watches, original paintings and works on paper by listed artists, quality Asian ceramics and works of art, rare first-edition books, and unusual folk art and Americana all have active markets. Meanwhile large formal 'brown' furniture, mass-produced china sets, silver plate, and common pressed glass have softened considerably — pieces that were valuable decades ago often aren't today. Demand shifts, which is why current auction records matter more than an old price guide.
How much does an antique appraisal cost?
Independent credentialed appraisers typically charge hourly, commonly in the $150–$400 per hour range depending on region and specialty, with many single-item written appraisals landing in the low hundreds. Whole-house or estate appraisals are usually quoted as a day rate or project fee. Verbal opinions at appraisal events are often free or a small donation. Ethical appraisers never charge a percentage of the item's value.
Do I need a written appraisal, or is a verbal opinion enough?
It depends on what the number is for. Insurance scheduling, estate tax, equitable distribution, and charitable donation generally require a written appraisal prepared by a qualified appraiser. If you just want to know whether something is worth selling — or roughly what it might bring — a verbal opinion or a free auction estimate is usually enough, and much cheaper.
Will an antique dealer appraise my item for free?
Many will give you a free opinion of what they'd pay — which is not the same thing as an appraisal. A dealer's offer is a wholesale price that builds in their margin, and a dealer who wants to buy your piece has an interest in the number being low. Free dealer opinions are genuinely useful for quick triage; just understand whose interests the number serves, and get a second opinion before selling anything you suspect is significant.
Cost figures in this guide reflect widely published industry ranges as of July 2026 and are framed as typical, not quotes — appraisal fees vary by region, specialty, and scope. Austin Gallery provides free evaluations for consignment and sale; we do not provide certified or USPAP appraisals for insurance, estate, or tax purposes, and nothing on this page is legal, tax, or insurance advice.