What’s It Worth Fact:
The print market is unfortunately laden with fake Salvador Dali prints. By the 1960s, the Surrealist was signing a vast amount of blank sheets, racking up thousands by the 1980s that had yet to be produced!
Print appraisals cover a wide array of objects, as there are hundreds of print types and methods employed by artists, illustrators, and printmakers. Fine art prints include, but are not limited to, lithographs, engravings, serigraphs, woodcuts, and even rare posters. With the advent of giclée printing, many fool the eye, giving the observer the false impression that they are looking at an original painting! Giclée is a technique of fine art reproduction using high-quality inkjets to make copies.
Printing is by no means modern, therefore, it covers a wide span of time dating back from the Ancient world and still evolving with technology. The woodblock print was an early ancient technique used around 200 AD, until the movable type was invented in the 11th century. The real surge in printing techniques came with the invention of the printing press, created in Europe around 1450. Most prints we deal with today are limited edition or open edition serigraphs, lithographs, and engravings which can be difficult to identify without a trained expert to properly identify and subsequently value.
Tips on submitting print appraisals:
- Any inscriptions? Most often, valuable prints have small inscriptions in the margins of the lower left or right of the print. These are key to determining value. Be sure to include detailed images or descriptions of these!
- Send detailed images of various parts of the composition. High-quality prints often have volume, richer color, and more texture than a mass-produced piece.
Meet our appraisers:
Click here to meet our prints specialists Carrie, Rachel and Noel!
