What’s It Worth? The Universal Question
90% or more of the visitors to this site are trying to figure out the value of a collectible they own. In the old days there were guidebooks, but these days guidebooks go out of date fast. Ebay sales are by far the best indicator of value.
However, identification and value are not always easy to determine. Very minor differences can have a major effect on value. Lots of sellers describe their items in general terms and hope for the best. This doesn't always work well. In particular it is beneficial to include the right keywords in the auction title because those are the words collectors search on.
As an example, below are auction listings for two selections of Mainzer Dressed Cats Postcards. The first list is for cards printed in Belgium. These cards are older and more valuable and experienced sellers know this.
For the next list I excluded all cards with the word "Belgium" in their title. I also These are available in bulk now and are worth much less than the Belgium cards which were printed many years ago. If you take the time to read through these auctions you will see a variety of mistakes and warning signs. If you find "printed in Belgium" buried somewhere in the auction description you know the seller didn't recognize it's importance and that might mean an opportunity to pick up a valuable card for cheap. If you find "Printed in Thailand" deep in the fine print of the item description you know the seller is hoping you won't see it and pay an antique price for a new product. If they don't include a picture of the back of the card there is probably something there the seller would rather you didn't see. As they say, The devil is in the details.
