How do you go about finding great deals on art work and antiques?  Before answering this question you should ask yourself are you looking for the item as a collector and admirer of art and antiques, or as an longterm investor .  When you have answered this question, you will have answered what a great deal may be to you as an individual.

To me, a great deal would be finding a great oil painting at a garage sale or online thrift shop for less than 5.00 dollars and be able to incorporate it into my decor and with any luck as time goes by wait for the art work to appreciate in value.  Not all art work even if its done by an artist appreciates in value even if its professionally done, what determines value is the name of the artist primarily.  Another factor is the category or subject , such as folk art, marine art, even if it doesn't have a name the subjects are popular. 

I think that if you love art and antiques most buyers know what they want and what they like, so go with your gut!  If you like that item go get it and love and cherish it for years to come and with any luck it could turn into a valuable asset within a few years. 

If you want to buy as long term investment down the line, then you should really educate yourself specifically on the items you want to collect.

1.  If you want to collect art work and antiques, invest in price guides such as kovels, Millers and auction catalogs.

2. Do research on online auction sites to see what kind of prices are being asked for on the items which interest you.

3. Join art and antiques subscription databases such as priceminer or askart to get auction prices realized.  For art some of these databases include artist signatures.  It is very hard to find this information freely on the internet.  There was one site which offered this information freely but I think they have started a subscription service as well, Findartinfo.

4. If you find something online which interests you and you want to get an opinion before investing in it get an auction opinion by an expert such as the appraisal service which has an affiliation with ebay. 

5.  Go to local antique shops and look to see which items have the highest prices

6. Finally, if you do buy a high end art work, antique or collectible make sure you have as much about the history of the item or rather its provenance and record the history on paper or a small index card and place it with the item as a recorded history, and also keep the original  receipt. 

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