Monday, April 4, 2011

Antiques Roadshow

It's addictive, but a couple questions always get me thinking.

First, you always hear someone crow about what a good investment something was when they hear their $40 painting from 1825 is now worth $5,000. One of these days I'll have to write down some of the numbers and see what the actual rate of return they get.

Secondly, and more interestingly: The experts almost always give a very wide price range. Appraisals like $8,000 to $12,000 are almost standard, and ranges like $2,500 to $5,000 are common as well. Does the market fluctuate that much, or is there that much uncertainty in the value that even experts can't give precise estimates?

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