Friday at Auction Finds is readers’ questions day. I try to guide readers to resources for them to determine the value of their items. I’m not able to appraise their treasures, but I can do some preliminary research to get them started. So, these are market values based on prices I find on the web, not appraisal for insurance purposes that I suggest for items that have been determined to be of great value.
Today’s question is about a collection of Mexican feather art.
Question:
We have 40 pieces of feather art and are interested in selling same. They range in size from large to small, all in wooded frames. We do not know how to go about it, and perhaps you can give us some input.
Answer:
The reader was referring to Mexican feather art, which I wrote about in a blog post earlier this year. I had seen tons of it hanging on a wall at an auction house, the apparent resting place of someone’s collection. This type of artwork was being sold on the web as Mexican folk art or Mexican Feathercraft, apparently from its process of using colorful bird feathers to re-create exotic birds on board.
Mexican feather art has been around since before the 16th century, when the best of it was made by the Aztecs. The original artists were highly prized along with their works, and the feathers themselves were considered as precious as gold.
Today, though, feather art is considered tourist art and isn’t valued as much. The pieces I saw at auction were likely from around the mid-20th century, and I suspect yours are the same.
As for selling them, I’ve written a couple blog posts with some tips on how to find the value of items, along with how to go about selling them.
Here are links to the posts to get you started. I’ve found that eBay is perhaps the best place to sell items because it offers an international marketplace. In a cursory check of eBay, I see that some feather art is being sold on the site while others are not. As usual, it depends on what buyers are looking for at a given time. Maybe they’re looking for the pieces you have to offer.
Need to find the value of an item? Try eBay, then Google
Tips on figuring out what your stuff is worth
Reader’s reply:
Thank you for the information. We have been collecting feather art over the years, and have about 35 pcs. hanging in our home. We are thinking about redecorating, and want to move on. Some F.A. (feather art) is large, and framing are in all shapes – trays, baskets, carved wood frames, postcard size, and the list goes on. Would like your input, if you have any ideas as to where to sell them.
Also many other collectibles that we have in our home that we are thinking of selling. Thank you if you have any ideas as to how to go about putting prices on many odd collections we have, such as hand mirrors, which we have in our bedroom. Instead of wall paper border around the entire, we have collected mirrors which cover every wall. Sounds crazy but it worked for us. Once again, thanks for the e-mail, and if you have any ideas we would like to hear from you.
My Reply:
Here are my suggestion, but the process is going to take some time and research.
1. Catalog what you have, whether it’s feather art, hand mirrors or anything else you have of value and want to sell.
2. Check eBay and Google to see what others are selling the items for, but most importantly how much buyers are paying for it. On eBay, search for “Completed Listings,” which shows you items that have been sold (or not). Prices in green represent sold items and in red, unsold. As for the feather art, you may not find pieces that look exactly like yours but look for ones that are a close match.
3. If any of the hand mirrors or other items have a manufacturer’s name, search by those names on the web or look for items that resemble them. If you can’t find the names or similar items, then they may be of little value.
4. Try selling through an auction house in your area. This may be the quickest and easiest way to do it. You may not get as much money as you paid for your items, but you’ll get something. You can find an auction house near you by checking www.auctionzip.com and typing in your zip code. Then check out the websites of the auction houses, go to a few of their auctions and choose the one that works best for you. Remember that auction houses charge a fee for their services.
5. For items that don’t sell at auction – and most do at the right price, even if it’s $2 – you can either sell at a flea market, try another auction house or donate to Goodwill or another social service agency. Craig’s list is another alternative for selling, but be careful in meeting up with buyers. Meet them in a public place like a fast-food parking lot.
The prices you find on the web and eBay are the best to use when pricing your own items. Don’t get too sentimental about them. Remember that folks will be buying through their pocketbooks and not their hearts (like you). If you’re ready to re-decorate, just let go of the items at the best price you can and then move forward.
Pls check the links I noted in my previous blog. I go into a lot of details about how to do this, much more than I’ve written in this email.
Reader’s reply:
Once again, thanks for the information. It’s extremely hard to part with what one lived with for so long. As you may have guessed, we have been collecting and adding for many, many years. We will try to do as you have advised. It’s just so very hard when one gets on in age to do all that work. If you have any ideas along this line of thinking, please let us know. Thank you for the help.
My reply:
Sorry, there’s no easy way to do this, and it will require work and time. If you have a son, daughter, trusted friend or other relative, ask them to help you and agree to pay them from the proceeds. Or to make it easier, hand it all over to an auction house that will do the work and give you a check minus its fees once the items have sold.
Reader’s reply:
Once again, thank you for your input.
