Active Metal has decades of experience in the design, manufacture and installation of custom Balustrades & Handrails for a range of commercial, residential and public environments. For inquiries call 02 9648 3334 or visit the website: http://www.activemetal.com.au/ and you can also drop by at 5-7 Salisbury St Silverwater NSW 2128

1. 5-7 Salisbury St Silverwater NSW 2128 Phone: + (02) 9648 3334
Valuing Antique Brass
Brass may not be the most popular metal, but it is the most useful for both aesthetics and functionality. Almost anything can come out of brass. In fact, there are countless brass antiques in home across the country today. These pieces double as an investment, as brass items are among the few things that can retain, and in some cases increase their value over time.
People who learn this sometimes jump into the brass business too fast and start getting every piece they can find. Brass is good, but it is not like gold where everything little piece has value. Buyers need to be particular about the things they buy to maximise the value they get in return.

2. The secret to getting the most out of brass is not in the metal itself, but in the workmanship wrought with it. The intricacy of the detail, the durability of the metal, and the age of the piece itself all determine the final value of any piece. If any of these three components were missing in a brass object, then people would not get much more than what they initially paid for it in return.
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The easiest thing to determine is the detail; even someone who is not familiar with the art of brass making can see whether a piece is good or not. The task is actually much more difficult on larger pieces than on smaller ones, because of their different criteria. On small brass, designers concentrate on aesthetic design, while on larger brass the main concern is longevity and finish.

3. For example, every candleholder is equal to each other in terms of doing its job, so they stand out over one another through how they look. Brass staircases, on the other hand, do not have to look pretty to be valuable – though it does help; the greater value is how well it does its job.
This is where the durability of the metal comes in. The skill of the designer is a factor in how long a brass piece can last. If the designer working on a piece welded the flashings haphazardly, it leaves the entire thing vulnerable to impurities such as corrosion. Faulty pieces do not last very long, and a piece needs to be old if it hopes to sell with any kind of damage.

4. SOURCES:
http://www.ebay.com/gds/Antique-Brass-Buying-Guide-/10000000177627901/g.html
http://www.activemetal.com.au/brass_fabrication.html
http://money.cnn.com/2002/06/03/pf/yourhome/q_appraise/
For brass to become an antique, the piece needs to be a hundred years old after it is made. But, a damaged piece needs to be at least double that, or part of a historical event to be of any value. A piece usually has clues that can point an appraiser to the era when it was made. Only a special piece can manage to check all these items off the list, but two out of tree is usually enough to turn in a profit.