Free valuation
Free antique appraisal: every option, compared
Several routes give you a real opinion on what a piece is worth without paying anything. Here is what each one gives you, and which is quickest for the question you actually have.
Last reviewed 7 September 2026
The short answer
Almost everyone searching for a free antique appraisal wants to know one thing: is this worth taking seriously? You can answer that today, at no cost, and for most objects it is the only answer you will ever need.
| Route | Cost | What it gives you | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auction house valuation day | Free, in person | A specialist's opinion on whether a piece is saleable and roughly what it might fetch at auction | Held on set dates, and the estimate is aimed at consignment, so it reflects hammer price rather than replacement value |
| Online estimate form at an auction house | Free, by photo | A written reply from a department specialist, usually within days | They are looking for saleable lots. Modest pieces often get a polite decline rather than a figure |
| Museum or society identification day | Free, in person | Identification and historical context from a curator or a collectors' society member | Many will identify but decline to value at all, as a matter of policy |
| Completed sales records | Free tier on most marketplaces | What comparable pieces actually sold for, which is the strongest evidence available to a non-specialist | Only useful once you know what the piece is called, and the free window is usually a few months |
| Photo identification app | Free tier, then paid | A fast identification and a value range with comparable listings, without waiting for anyone | Works from one photograph, so a good picture makes a sharper answer |
| Written appraisal from a qualified appraiser | Paid, by the hour or the item | A document with a stated intended use that insurers, courts and executors accept | Not free, and not necessary for most objects |
Auction house valuation days
Regional and national auction houses run free valuation sessions, because a proportion of what walks through the door becomes consignment. You get a few minutes with someone who handles the category weekly, which for a genuinely good piece is the most valuable free advice available anywhere.
Two things to understand before you go. The figure you hear is an auction estimate, which is what the piece might hammer at, not what it would cost to replace, and those numbers differ substantially. And a specialist declining to value something is information: it usually means the piece is below the threshold where their time pays for itself, not that it is worthless.
Online estimate forms
Most auction houses accept photographs through a form and reply with a rough estimate or a decline. It costs nothing and is the fastest route to a specialist opinion on a single good object. Send clear photographs including marks and damage, give dimensions, and say what you know about where the piece came from. Expect silence on ordinary pieces rather than a considered no.
Completed sales records
The single most useful free tool is the completed-listings filter on a large marketplace. It shows what buyers actually paid, which is different from what sellers are asking, and the gap between those two numbers is where most amateur overvaluation lives.
The catch is that you have to know what to type. “Old blue vase” returns nothing useful; the maker, the pattern name and the period return a market. Identification therefore comes before valuation, and it is the step most people skip.
What RelicLens gives you free
RelicLens includes one full report at no cost. That report contains everything a report contains: a reference value with a low and a high estimate, a rarity read, a condition grade, the likely period, origin and materials, a written summary and history, and comparable listings that open in your browser. Nothing is held back to sell you the paid version.
If you have one object and one question, that report answers it. A subscription is there for the people who come back with the next piece, and the one after that.
Our methodology page sets out how the range is built and what each number in a report means.
What free covers
Deciding whether to buy something at a sale, working out what a shelf of inherited pieces amounts to, sorting what to keep from what to pass on, or simply wanting to know. That covers the overwhelming majority of objects in ordinary houses, and none of it needs to cost anything.
Questions about free valuation
Where can I get my antiques appraised for free?
The main routes are an auction house valuation day, an online estimate form at an auction house, a museum or collectors' society identification day, and photo identification apps. Each gives a genuine opinion and none produces a document you can hand to an insurer. For that you need a paid written appraisal.
Is a free antique appraisal actually an appraisal?
Usually not, in the technical sense. An appraisal is a document stating a value for a specific purpose, prepared by someone who examined the object and accepts professional responsibility for the figure. What free routes give you is a valuation opinion or an estimate. The distinction matters the moment anyone else needs to rely on the number.
What is free in RelicLens?
One full report, at no cost, containing everything a report contains: the reference value with its low and high estimate, the rarity read, the condition grade, the period, origin and materials, and the comparable listings. Nothing is withheld from the free report. Running further reports needs a subscription.
Are free online antique appraisal sites trustworthy?
Judge them on one question: does the estimate come with evidence you can check? A figure with comparable listings attached can be verified in a minute, which is why RelicLens attaches them to every report and links them out to the marketplace. It is also worth noticing who is offering the valuation, since a free opinion from someone who would like to buy the piece is a different thing from an independent one.
How do I check an antique's value for free myself?
Search completed listings rather than active ones, since asking prices tell you what sellers hope for and completed sales tell you what buyers paid. The hard part is knowing what to search, which is where identification comes first: get the maker, the period and the correct name for the form, then the price research becomes straightforward.
Do I need an appraisal for insurance?
For a scheduled item on a household policy, yes, most insurers require a written appraisal, and they will usually want replacement value rather than auction estimate. A free valuation is a reasonable way to decide whether a piece is worth scheduling in the first place.
Start with the free report
One full report, everything included, no card. If it answers your question you are done.
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