What makes some rare items valuable while others aren ?
There are often other factors, beside how rare an item is, that go into determining value: “Ads and auction catalogs often list pieces as rare. What makes an antique or collectible rare? Sometimes it is a one-of-a-kind piece made as a special order, like a piece of Chinese export porcelain decorated with a family coat of arms. Sometimes an artist with limited facilities made something in very small numbers. Sometimes a piece is rare because it did not sell well, so few were made. A set of beautiful female figurines is usually easy to find; the unattractive monsters that weren’t popular are rare. Breakage also causes rarity. When looking for the hard-to-find pieces in a set of dishes, don’t be surprised that the cups, large serving pieces and other pieces with easily damaged handles are in short supply. A thin piece of glass or a child’s toy is often broken. It could be something that few people saved, like gum wrappers or trolley-car ads. Rare-book buyers have recently discovered that
Related Questions
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- What makes some rare items valuable while others aren ?
