Belt Auction

I have an antique Chinese vase I need to sell.?

The vase looks like it could be from the Ming period. I have no idea, but I am looking to find out what the value of it is.

Public Comments

1. First, get it professionally appraised, with a certificate of authenticity. Then, auction it on eBay, including detailed photos of it, with the certificate. You may get top dollar for it. Just beware of overseas scams... Yes, it's true the Chinese are great at copying almost ANYTHING, but rarely ever INNOVATE things.
2. If it's from China, I'd be VERY VERY skeptical of it's age. I watched a documentary that showed how they make replicas so real that they even fool the date test to show how old they are. And, a few new vases, said to be thousands of years old, are in the museums. You can contact Sotherby's, and they can give it a thorough examination. If it's authentic, it'll be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more. If a fake, $20 at best. You should seek professional help.
3. go to www,gotheborg.com and see what the reign mark on the bottom is. If it is just a double-blue circle then it is before reign marks began. Also suggest Ebay at the antiques/asia/china site and type in ming porcelain and see if it looks like any of those items for sale. The blue will be a certain shade, the figures will be a certain style. Yes, it could be an excellent fake or it could be a primitive real vase. But there are some types that are more likely fake than others, and after looking at some Ming porcelain you may get a feel for the difference. I have a Yuan celestial dragon vase made to look period that I am sure is just a good repro piece. Gumps in San Francisco sold them by the dozens in the 90s. So if it looks like a famous museum piece it probably isn't. But maybe you'll be the lucky one who has one.