Maker’s marks are present on old and antique items being sold at auctions, estate sales, garage sales, online sales and even thrift stores. Occasionally, sellers are unaware of these marks and misjudge the value of these items because they cannot correctly identify them.
Merriam-Webster defines maker’s mark as:
“the hallmark on a piece of English gold, silver or plate denoting the person or firm responsible for its production”
You can think of this as the Old English equivalent of modern-day branding. Contrary to this definition, maker’s marks are not limited to pieces of English gold, silver or plate. In fact, maker’s marks are present in almost every item that deserves its maker’s branding, regardless of the materials used to make it.
They are even present in works of arts like paintings and sculptures. Artists sign their works to mark them and for others to identify its maker. Although these signs are not referred to as maker’s marks, you can still consider them as such.
The presence of a maker’s mark on antiques or other items means a lot when it comes to buying and selling them. Pickers and collectors must accurately identify maker’s marks to pick authentic items before buying them at auctions or sales.
Items with maker’s marks may include things like:
- Furniture
- Ceramics
- Pottery
- Decor
- Jewelry
- Clothes
- Much more
The resale of these items for a profit relies heavily on the picker or collector’s ability to identify the maker’s mark and its authenticity.An authentic maker’s mark will determine the value and rarity of an item, which is crucial for its appraisal in markets.
Researching, studying and being able to identify maker’s mark will help you make profits with older items and antiques. At ‘How to Become a Picker’, we specialize in picking items from auctions and sales and reselling them for profits.
We have grown our company from scratch to now making $50,000 to $250,000 in profits. The best part about picking is that anyone can become a picker!
For more information on identifying maker’s marks and how to get rich picking, please visit our website.