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Provenance
Antiquarian Prints & Works on Paper

Antiquarian Print Inventory & Valuation

Antiquarian prints are valued by artist, catalogue state, impression quality, and margin. PROVENANCE records plate and state against the standard catalogue, then multiplies auction comps by an impression and condition factor so a lifetime impression is never valued like a late pull.

Start tracking printsOpen a sample ledger
Antiquarian Prints & Works on Paper — representative collection photography
Typical appreciation6 to 10% annually
Primary comp sourcesChristie’s, eBay, dealers
Grade rangeSuperb to damaged
Impression premium1.3x for strong pulls
Items in demo ledger6
Tracked value$135,850
Avg. condition factor1.12x
Unrealized across category+67.5%
Value drivers

What moves the price of a print

Across the prints market four variables decide most of the price: state and edition, impression quality, margins and watermark, condition. PROVENANCE records each of them at the item level so a valuation carries its reasoning with it.

01

State and edition

An early state of a known plate can be worth an order of magnitude more than a late impression.

02

Impression quality

Rich, velvety drypoint burr indicates a lifetime pull and carries a premium.

03

Margins and watermark

Full margins and a period watermark materially reduce attribution risk.

04

Condition

Foxing, laid-down sheets, and trimming cut value sharply and must be disclosed.

Catalog template

The fields recorded on every print

The prints template asks for 6 specialist fields instead of a generic title-and-value box, so every entry carries the detail an appraiser or a buyer will ask for.

  • ArtistRembrandt van Rijn
  • Plate / Catalogue ReferenceBartsch 19, Hind 144
  • MediumEtching and drypoint on laid paper
  • StateState II of III
  • EditionLifetime impression
  • Watermark / MarginsFoolscap watermark, 3mm margins
Condition multipliers
  • Superb Impression1.75x
  • Strong Impression1.30x
  • Good Impression1.00x
  • Late / Worn Impression0.68x
  • Restored / Laid Down0.45x
  • Foxed / Damaged0.30x

A strong, richly inked impression adds roughly 1.3×.

Specialist notes

6 to 10% annually for lifetime impressions.

See what a plan includes
Sample ledger entries

Prints entries from the demo ledger

These are real entries from the seeded workspace, each carrying a condition factor, cost basis, current value, and unrealized gain. Open any entry to see its valuation history, provenance timeline, and comparable sales.

Other categories

Collect something else too?

PROVENANCE handles one category or all four in the same ledger, with allocation by category and a concentration warning when one market dominates the portfolio.