🖼️ Art Research — Step-by-Step

Discover the value of artworks worldwide.

Simple tools help you identify, price, and verify your finds — fast and free.

Practice: Pick one art item and run it through these steps.

🧭 Overview  

Each step shows how to:

• Identify your art accurately
• Compare realized (sold) prices
• Estimate value ranges
• Confirm finds with specialists
• Match to the right selling venue

These same research habits are used by collectors, journalists, and museum teams — and now you can use them too.

1 🔎 Correct ID 🔗 - [ i ]

TL;DR: Free AI apps can identify most artworks in minutes.

How It Works:

Fast image-recognition apps can recognize art and share key details such as style, era, and similar artists.
However, for valuation accuracy, always cross-check results in auction archives, price guides, or with qualified specialists before relying on them.

Try:

• Google Lens App 🔗 :
  

1. 1. 🎥 Demo: Local 3 News / YouTube (2 min)🔗
   2. 🎥 Demo: Tech for Senior / YouTube (6 min) 🔗
      

• Discovery Demos:

1. 1. 📋 AI Apps: Point, Shoot, and Identify
   2. 📋 Correct ID

• Online Resources:
  • 📋 Researching Your Art 🔗 - Smithsonian
  • 🎥 Identify Old Paintings (3 min) 🔗 - Medicine Man Gallery / YouTube
  • 🎥 What To Look For (4 min) 🔗 - Christie's / YouTube

 

📝 Editor’s Note — Identification Apps (Testing Experience)

In our tests, Google Lens and several other apps performed well for general identification. They’re excellent for collecting clues, keywords, and search terms you can reuse in auction-archive searches.

Still, no app replaces a hands-on examination. Inspecting an item in person helps you capture details—maker labels, signatures, markings, serial numbers, and materials—that an app might miss.

Apps sometimes misidentify or overlook details. Treat them as a strong starting point, not the final word—especially for rare or high-value pieces. Always confirm key details with reputable specialists before making appraisal or sale decisions.

(Links are not endorsements. Experiences may vary by device, region, or version.)

Tips:

• Don’t clean — photograph items in soft, neutral light.
• Shoot multiple angles and close-ups of signatures, labels, and any markings.
• Save your best screenshots in a folder; you’ll need them in Step 2.

🤖 AI Prompt Example:
 
“Extract and analyze this information: (paste screenshots). Identify likely style, era, materials, and 3 catalog matches.”

Pro Tip:

Save your strongest matches — you’ll reuse these screenshots in Step 2 → Selling Prices to verify your item’s market history.

2 🔎 Selling Prices - [ i ]

TL;DR: Focus on what sold — not what’s listed.

How It Works:

Once your artwork is identified, compare realized (sold) prices rather than asking prices.
Realized results reflect the true market and help you spot trends, premiums, and outliers.

Start with:

1. Auction archives (tools)
2. Reference guides (info)

Tips:

• Save strong matches — include venue • date • condition • hammer + fees
• Capture screenshots for your research folder.
• Use recent sales (ideally within 24 months) for the most accurate snapshot.

🤖 AI Prompt Example:  

“Build a table of realized prices for the attached (screenshots), ideally from the past 24 months. Include venue, date, and condition. Explain differences between high and low results, and note any factors that may have influenced pricing.”

Pro Tip:

Look for repeat sales of the same artist or art type.
If prices rose or fell sharply, note possible reasons—condition, market demand, or sale timing—for later comparison in Step 3 → Ballpark Values.

3 🔎 Ballpark Values - [ i ] 

TL;DR: Create three quick estimates to outline your artwork’s potential range.

How It Works:

After gathering realized prices, estimate low, typical, and high values for your piece. This gives you a snapshot of the market range before contacting specialists.

Estimate Levels:

• Low Value: Yard-sale or quick-sale price — see Consumer Reports 🔗
• Typical Value: Median of comparable realized prices in similar condition
• High Value: Top sale for a better-preserved or rarer example (briefly note why)

Tips:

• Record your assumptions — condition, variety, provenance.
• Keep notes on where each value came from.
• Verify uncertain data using multiple sources.

🤖 AI Prompt Example:

“Analyze the attached (screenshots) and recent sale data. Provide low, typical, and high value estimates based on current market conditions. State all assumptions, including condition, variety, and provenance.”

Pro Tip:

Cross-check results using several AI platforms — GPT, Grok, Gemini, etc. — and ask them to analyze one another’s data for consistency.
Large differences can reveal market volatility or missing details worth reviewing before proceeding to Step 4 → Specialty Appraisers.

If your artwork shows a wide value gap, note possible reasons — such as age, restoration quality, or provenance — to revisit later with a specialist.

4 🔎 Specialty Appraisers - [ i ]

TL;DR: Vet first — then contact several specialists to compare.

How It Works:

Once your artwork is identified and priced, reach out to qualified appraisers or specialists for confirmation.
Comparing multiple opinions helps ensure accurate evaluation and fair pricing.

Checklist:

✅ Credentials confirmed [ Steps ] 
✅ Area of specialization 
✅ Turnaround time
✅ Clear explanation of fees

Email Template:  

Subject: Appraisal Inquiry — <Art and Artist Details>

Hello <Name>,

I’m researching a <brief description>. Photos (front, back, sides, signatures, labels, or markings) and measurements are attached.

Could you please confirm if this type of art fits your specialty and share your fees, turnaround time, and a ballpark value estimate?

Thank you for your time and expertise.  

<Your Name> · <City/Country>

Tips:  

• Keep your inquiry short and professional.
• Avoid attaching too many images — four clear photos are usually enough.
• Ask whether they provide written reports or digital confirmations.
• Save all responses in one folder for easy comparison later.

Pro Tip:

Whenever possible, contact two or three appraisers.
Differences in their evaluations can highlight nuances or overlooked details before deciding where to consign or sell your art in Step 5 → Specialty Selling Venues.

5 🔎 Specialty Selling Venues - [ i ]

TL;DR: Match the right selling venue to your art’s audience, fees, and timeline.

How It Works:

Once your artwork is identified, valued, and verified, choose a marketplace or auction house that fits its type and price range.
Different venues specialize in different items — knowing which one to use can save time and maximize return.

Compare venues by fees, audience reach, timeline, and reserve policy.

Pre‑sale checklist:
🖼️ ID and variety confirmed
📸 High-resolution photos (front, back, sides)
📜 Provenance notes (if known)
📄 Written terms (fees, reserve, insurance)

Tips:

• Review the consignment agreement carefully before shipping or listing.
• Keep detailed records of correspondence and terms.
• Ask about payment timelines and seller protections.

AI Prompt Example: 
“Compare several venues based on fees, audience reach, and average sale time. Recommend the best match for the attached (art details) and summarize pros and cons for each.”

Pro Tip:

If your artwork is rare or high-value, contact a specialty auction house for guidance. Their expertise can help confirm authenticity and attract serious collectors and institutions.

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Companion Worksheet

Purpose:

Use this simple worksheet to organize your research and record discoveries when working on multiple items.
It’s a hands-on way to document your process and build your own art reference log.

Setup:

1. Gather your items
2. Set up a clean, well-lit workspace.
3. Keep a magnifier or loupe with flashlight ready.
4. Open your preferred AI assistant to help organize and summarize results.

• ID Log: markings, names, signatures, tool, notes
• AI Use: prompt + result
• Values: tools + approximate values
• Reflection: what worked, what didn’t

Pro Tip:

Create a separate folder (digital or paper) for each art item.
Label it clearly with the name, style, and a short description — this makes future updates or appraisals much easier.

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🌍 Universal Refinement Tip — Make It Your Own

Everyone’s situation is different. The tools and steps shared here are meant as a starting point — not a finish line.

You’re encouraged to copy any section from this guide and run it through your preferred AI assistant — ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Claude, or others. Ask it to refine or adapt the process for your location, needs, or experience level.

Example Prompts You Could Try:

• “Please adapt these art research steps for my country.”
• “Can you simplify this worksheet for a beginner?”
• “List reputable art specialists or appraisers in my region.”
• “Refine these steps for identifying arts from photos.”

Use Guidelines:


This guide is provided for personal research and educational purposes. You’re welcome to adapt or refine it for your own learning, but please credit whatsellsbest.com if you share or quote sections publicly.
Commercial use or redistribution of this content, in whole or in part, requires permission.

Pro Tip:

Using AI this way saves time, reduces guesswork, and helps you find resources tailored to your specific artwork and situation.
It’s a simple way to collaborate with technology — while keeping discovery, curiosity, and learning at the heart of your treasure-research journey.

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Legendary Finds

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✩ Legendary Treasures ✩

Art, 3 Finds, $454 Million

Hidden Treasures Found in Everyday Places

Hidden treasures are often found in the most ordinary places. News reports have revealed remarkable art discoveries — from yard sales to estate clearances. By exploring the map, you can trace how different eras, styles, and locations shaped these incredible finds.

Three legendary examples:

1. $600,000 — Yard-sale monster art movie poster
2. $3.5 million — Chandelier sculpture found in a shop
3. $450 million — Estate-sale painting find

Overlooked for years, these discoveries show that true treasures can hide in plain sight. Explore the full stories and video previews below the ad ☟

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3—Legendary Finds:

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1. 📰 📽️ Masterpiece Marvel—$450 Million for $10K Estate Sale Painting 🔗 - Wall Street Journal, 2015
   
   
2. 📰 Chandelier Surprise—$3.5 Million for $300 Art Treasure Found in Shop 🔗 - Yahoo News, 2023
   
   
3. 📽️ Monster Art Marvel—$600,000 for Rare 1931 Movie Poster Found at Yard Sale 🔗 - Metropolis / Youtube, 2013

✩ Previews ✩