Brenda Nelson lives in Idaho - the state known for its potatoes and by its nickname “The Gem State”.
She is a part-time job consultant and full-time Mom.
If you have antique photos in your basket of family heirlooms, then it is important to take care of them. Antique photos depicting certain events or people have value to collectors, but this value cannot compare to the value a family may place on them.
Caring for antique photos is important because if they are not properly cared for, not only do they lose value, but they also can be destroyed. One thing that is important to remember is to keep antique photos out of direct sunlight. Light, especially direct sunlight, is harmful to antique photos. Direct sunlight makes the ink used on the photos fade, so it is hard to see what is going on in the picture. Artificial light does not fade them quite as much, in fact, not really enough to be able to tell a difference.
Another thing to remember about them is not to bend them. When an antique photo is bent, a mark is permanently one the photo. Since many antique photos are on a card board type material, if the photo gets bent it breaks up the picture and you will see the card board and not the photo itself.
Among collectors, not all antique photos have high value. There are certain events that pictures are taken of that are worth more than others. For example, an antique photo of a wedding party is worth more than just a random picture. But even wedding party pictures have differing values; the more people in the picture the higher the value of the photo.
Also, if the people in the picture seem a little more high class (the clothing is expensive within the time period of the photo), then the photo is worth a little more than if it were of a lower class family.
Sometimes antique photos with only one person are valuable. If the photo is of little children, it can be valuable. Antique photos of famous people are often valuable, too, especially if the photo is signed by that person.
Many people like to label their photos. This is not always a good thing to do to antique photos. If you use a pen to label the photos, it is possible that the ink might react somehow with the ink in the photo. If you must label antique photos, it is better to use a pencil of some sort. It is better for the picture because the graphite will not react. Another benefit of pencil is that if you decide you do not want it labeled, then it is easier to erase than pen.
If you have antique photos and would like to know exactly what they are worth, then you should go to an antique appraiser who specializes in dated photographs. They can study the images and will be able to tell you if you have a treasure or not.
