The Valuable Vintage Art You Should Always Consider Snagging From The Thrift Store

Framed art is a common find when you're out thrifting, but which pieces are worth bringing home with you? A lot of that depends on your home's design scheme and your personal art preferences, but some types of art are more popular than others (and could be surprisingly valuable), even if they're not your usual choices. Whether your home decor has a western theme or not, vintage cowboy art is worth getting your hands on. The value will vary depending on a few factors, of course, but if you find original art (rather than reprints), you could have something worth a few hundred dollars or more. If you're ready to fill your home with art you actually love, perhaps it's time to add some Wild West scenes to your room. It's another vintage find that will bring rustic charm to your home.

The cultural aspects of cowboy art may be one reason why this vintage art style is popular among collectors. It's a time in life when things were wild, fresh, and new, and you had to have a lot of grit to survive — these pieces of art often express that grit through depictions of horse wranglers and cowboys in the desert. Like all art, the images of vintage western scenes contain symbolism that draws people's interest. Horses symbolize power and strength, while the significant prominence of the sky in these paintings can symbolize endlessness and inspiration. Then again, vintage art itself often draws people in — whether it has something to do with the symbolism of days gone by, the look of the aged canvas, or a one-of-a-kind, ornate old frame. If you're looking for works that may be worth something, you'll want to know how to determine the value of the artwork, as well as being familiar with some of the artists worth collecting.

The popularity of an artist or a type of artwork can increase its value, at least for some time (as long as it stays popular and people are looking for it). In our modern era of computers and online selling, one easy way to determine the value of an item is to look it up on eBay — check to see if any have sold recently and for how much. The same principle applies to purchasing western art. You can search for an artist's name or look up an item by photo or keywords. While you may not always find the exact piece of art, you can at least see what similar pieces are going for. Signed pieces, original art, lack of significant damage, and even an ornate frame can increase the value of a painting. In fact, it's worth learning how to evaluate frame values as vintage picture frames could be worth more than you thought.

Outside of that, it's common for the works of well-known artists to be worth significantly more, especially for rarer pieces. A piece from 1918 by "Cowboy Artist" Charles M. Russell sold for over $5 million in 2005. Works from the 1800s and 1900s often fetch higher prices. While you won't likely score any of those rare, antique gems at the thrift store, even more contemporary western artists, like Howard Terpning (who had a piece from 1996 worth over $600,000) and Birger Sandzen (whose artwork from 1923 is worth over $ 400,000), are worth keeping an eye out for. Before you walk past cowboy and western artwork because it's not your style, consider it could be a valuable hidden gem at thrift stores and estate sales.