Check Your Attic - This Thrift Store Find Can Be So Valuable (Especially In Pairs)

It can be hard to separate the useless from the truly valuable when you're cleaning out clutter. If your style runs more modern, you may be tempted to donate the antique vases you have lying around to the thrift store. But don't; not yet, anyway. French Sèvres vases are one type of stunning vintage vases you should always buy at the thrift store or save if you stumble across them in your attic. They're going for incredibly high prices as people clamor to get their hands on them. Matching pairs are the most valuable, with prices as high as $42,000. 

Although other types of vases may not fetch such exorbitant prices, matching pairs of vases are in high demand because they work so well with many decorating trends. You can style vases in your home in multiple ways. Use a pair as definitive end pieces on a symmetrical arrangement or mix them up with other pieces for a more eclectic look. If you happen to spot a pretty matching pair of vases in a thrift store, they're definitely worth a second look. 

French Sèvres pottery was marked with two flowery and distinct Ls surrounding one or two other letters that indicated when it was produced. These marks are well-catalogued in historical records, so you can check them against your piece. However, the marks, like any valuable original, were frequently copied by cheaper brands. Sometimes you can tell by the finish and the quality of the paint and glazes that the piece is a forgery, but sometimes it's not so obvious. Early Sèvres pieces were known for their dramatic greens, pinks, and yellows. In the latter half of the 1700s, the company rolled out a unique shade of blue called "beau bleu" that became associated with the French Sèvres vases and is considered iconic now. 

If you think you've got an authentic French Sèvres vase or two on your hands, it's worth having it professionally appraised. You'll probably get a better price selling it through a professional auction house than going on your own through eBay or trying to navigate online estate sales. The auction house will handle all of the details for you as well, so you don't have to worry about packing it up or damaging it during shipping.