Series: Our favourite State Library eresources.
People often ask us what our most loved eresources are. Admittedly we all have a favourite, or two, or three. It’s hard to pick as there are so many wonderful State Library eresources available. In this series our Librarians and Library Technicians share with you their most favourite eresources and how they’ve been used to solve research queries.
Next in the series we look at Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques, a big favourite of Librarian Kerrie McLaren.
Image from Carter's Price Guide to Antiques database home page
So why is Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques so fabulous?
For lovers of antiques and vintage items Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques is a great resource for identifying and determining if your items could be valuable. The database is very simple to use and you can easily browse through the many categories.
Best of all, you can access Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques online from home with your free State Library membership.
About the database
Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques includes examples of actual sale prices from auctions in Australia and New Zealand. The coverage includes prices on antiquities, antiques, collectables, vintage and 20th century design, from 1500 BC to the present day. There are now over 400,000 items in the database.
Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques also has a fantastic ‘Learn’ category where you can read short articles on a variety of topics.
Using the database
You will find Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques in the One Search eResources area. Select if from the ‘Art and Design’ category or find it under ‘C’ in the alphabetical listing.
I recently did a search on a set of urns that I established were produced by Royal Vienna. You can search by category or you can browse the full index. In the case of the urns I went to the section on Ceramics and refined my search in the alphabetical listing to Royal Vienna where there were 159 images for me to look through.
I was able to find items similar to my urns. Prices and date of sale are listed along with the company making the sale. The urns aren’t going to provide me with an Antique Roadshow moment or a retirement income but it was fun to learn who made them and I am more informed if I ever need to speak to a dealer to sell them.
Image of search box for Carter's Price Guide to Antiques database
Remember prices listed in Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques are actual sale prices, but the database should be used as a guide only. Taste and demand can change over time and will impact the value of items. Carter’s isn’t a market place for sellers but a place for knowledge and a way to get an indication if your item is trash or treasure.
I’ll be back to check some of my best garage sale finds!
Interior view of Mis Edna Phillips Antique Shop, Brisbane, ca. 1910, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Neg. no. 40823
Join now and start searching Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques.
Look out for the next blog in this series #FavouriteEresources
More information
Eresources - /research-collections/information-collections/eresources
Databases - http://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/primo-explore/dbsearch?vid=SLQ&lang=en_US
Library membership - /get-involved/become-member
Ask Us - /plan-my-visit/services/ask-us
Library from home - /libraryfromhome
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