Whats it worth?

bravobeastie

I'm sorry if this is in the wrong area, please feel free to move or delete as applicable

I have been given a metal swinging crib that was made in 1920. It is in need of restoration as i believe the paint is original and so most probably has lead in it. It has a curved pole for the drape and the legs have ornate detailing and i would guess they are iron as they are very heavy.

Its a beautiful item and i was asked to sell it but have no idea of its worth or where would be the best place to advertise. I thought of ebay but as i am selling it on someones behalf i wanted to get the best price for it for them.

It would be sold as an antique needing restoration

I've tried google to get an idea of what it may be worth but can't find a swinging crib, they are all cots.

Are there any antique boffs out there that may have a rough idea?
Thank you

Kay_Peel

I've done a search for items on Ebay using the key words:
Crib, Cradle, Rocking, Swinging and Cot.

I found an Edwardian metal cot which ends in 6 hours. It has one bid for 0.99p and it's for Pick Up only. There is another metal cot, without a date or period, with a Buy It Now asking price of 99 pounds - again for pick-up only. There were no metal cradles - but it may be worth watching the Antique Furniture category for a couple of weeks.

Sellers of swinging/rocking antique cribs/cradles don't seem to sell very many. Just look at completed listings for those items. Even though they are asking for amounts like a thousand pounds for a seventeenth century one and 350 pounds for a Victorian one, they are not managing to sell anything at the moment. It looks like a depressed market and not the best time to sell.

I'd advise you to keep looking for a similar item on Ebay, so that you can price it right. Look at some of the shops selling these cradles and learn from them - you might be able to estimate you postage and packing costs more accurately and avoid making a loss.

Best of luck

bravobeastie

Hi Kay

Thats great thank you, could i ask you to pm me the links so i could see which ones they are? I searched ebay but couldn't find anything :beer:

seashore321

People who collect dolls love these for display purposes. So it might be an idea to put it into a specialist auction for toys dolls etc.,

Without seeing it I am not sure. But I would imagine in the region of £120+ depending on how ornate it is and what size. Look on some local auction websites near you and you may see something similar.

bravobeastie

I thought about it being used for dolls (what with the possibility of paint issue)

Its quite a large item and stands quite high, i wouldn't know where to start with local auctions though. Are there ones that would specialise in these things? I live in Dudley in the West Midlands and don't really know of local auctions

(sorry, am a bit of a newbie )

Kay_Peel

bravobeastie wrote: »

Hi Kay

Thats great thank you, could i ask you to pm me the links so i could see which ones they are? I searched ebay but couldn't find anything :beer:

Yep, I'll Pm you with the links.
Incidentally, there's one enterprising seller who is advertising his/her cradle as a perfect receptacle
for indoor and outdoor plants! . They have advertised it in both Antique Furniture and Home and Garden.

Now that's what I call clever marketing. :T