Unless you’ve been living under a rock your whole life, you should know that the art industry is worth billions of dollars. In simpler terms, the trade of original classic, contemporary and modern prints (both paintings and photographs) is one that can make you a whole lot of money if you know what you’re doing.
One of the most common questions we’re asked here at Framez revolves around the art of identifying valuable prints; that is, “are my prints valuable?” or “how much can I get for this painting?” Well, we’ve decided to help you guys out a little by taking a look at how you can identify valuable prints and perhaps even place a value on the ones you have or are thinking about selling. Let’s dig in!
The science behind identifying valuable prints
When trying to identify a valuable print, you should begin by studying the quality of the materials on which the artwork has been printed or painted. Check the material thoroughly and see if there’s a watermark or distinguishing marking that give you a better idea of the materials the print was created on; the condition of this material will directly affect its value.
If you have your hands on a print with a fraction marked on the bottom, that fraction represents the print’s number within the whole print run, as well as when the print was pulled out of the run.
The numerator tells you how early or late your print was pulled out of the machine within the entire print run. The denominator on the other hand tells you how many prints were included within the entire run.
The greater the amount of prints that are available for the same image, the less valuable each individual print will be. Ideally, a low numbered print within a small print run like 1/12 is what brings in considerable revenue for prints.
This fraction marking would indicate you’ve got the first print off the presses during a small run of only 12 prints. This marking indicates that after 10 pulls, the artist and therefore the printer agreed to destroy the first plate—like breaking the mould in sculpture —so no more prints are produced, giving each individual print a higher valuation.
Pay attention to the damage
Damage can rob you of your print’s value so be sure to check out the window, which is the area of the mat housed between the frame and the print. Does it look yellow or brown in complexion?
Is most of the mat white or a different colour compared to that of the window opening? Is that the opening of the mat brown? Once you look closely at the work, is the entire print an overall brown colour? If so, this can signal significant damage to your print – but it isn’t irreversible. The only catch though is that restoring prints can be a little expensive, so you’ll have to make sure the print is worth saving.
If you’d like to get your hands on quality printing and framing services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today!
Read some of our other blogs:
why custom framing and more