If you have an antique pocket watch you wish to sell and you want the best price for it here's a few tips and you do not need to be an expert.

First thing buyer need to know is 'Does it work' If it has a winder try winding it, if its a key wind and you do not have a key twist the watch and see if the balance wheel ( Thats the wheel with a very fine spring on it) Moves back and forth. If The balance moves freely it is usualy repairable and buyers will pay more money knowing it can be repaired. But make a point of saying the balance moves freely and you do not have a key to wind it.Also look to see if there are any markings on the movement such as a maker name, of how many jewels it has if any , and the number stamped on the movement if it has one.

Secondly the next important thing is the condition of the case. Does it have any dents ( Tiny little dents are known as 'dings' ) Bruises ( Soft dents ) scratches, heavy wear ( Decoration is worn away ). Are the hinges strained ( Covers open past 90 degrees or wobble ). Do the cover close firmly ( if they pop back open or do not click in place they are damaged.) Is there any damage to the face of the watch (Dial), can have chips to the edges ( Edge flakes) Hairline cracks ( Looks like pencil lines ) and is it signed ( Watchmakers Name). Condition of the glass (crystal) is it damaged, such as cracked chipped or scratched. Are the hands all there.

Finaly the photographs! The more you can see the more confident the buyer will be. Most modern digital cameras have Macro mode ( Comes up with a little flower on the LCD display ) This allows you to take fairly close up pictures without it blurring.Also most digital have on board editing, so you can take a picture view it on the LCD and zoom in to make sure it does not blur when you zoom. Also you can zoom in closer and crop that to a new frame,alowing you to show more intricate detail.

The more the buyer can see and information you provide will vastly increase the value you will sell for!

Dating when a watch was manufactured also increases its value dramaticaly, so here's a few links that will help you out. English silver and gold cases are hallmarked, the letter stamped in the cover is the date letter of when it was made. Go to horologia.co.uk  here you will find all the hallmarks to tell you when it was made and were it was hallmarked. And here's one not many know  thewatchguy.homestead.com. this is a great site for American and swiss watches. Here you can check the number stamped on the movement to tell when it was manufactured. He has dates for most American watches such as Elgin, Waltham, hampden Hamilton Illinios, and many others.Also you can get some Swiss dates such as Omega, Rolex and the more expensive watches. If your selling an old Elgin go to elgin.com and log into the data base.Put in the movement number and it will tell you when it was made, its size, jewel count , grade, how many were made ( Find out if its rare) and much more.Waltham also has a data base at awwco.com with similar information to elgin, but not as in depth. ( Do'nt forget to put www. in front of the sites as I am not allowed to put in links to off ebay sites)

Happy Selling!