Australian Aboriginal artwork of cultural significance

Australian Aboriginal artwork of cultural significance

Description and history

This isa framed wall art of a Walbiri shell blade. After checking with the customer, the surface of this wall art is flat. If it is flat, it means it was printed. If it were a painting, we should see some kind of roughness from the brush strokes. Sometimes, we can see a roughness that comes from a varnish layer that is applied to enhance a print. However, in this case, there is no doubt about this is a print, as the surface is flat. To find the value, we need know to check if this wall art was signed by the original artist of this picture. In this case, there is no signature on the front or the back. As there is no signature, we also refute the posibility of a limited edition, hand signed print, which is more valuable.

If we analyze the picture, we can see at the bottom right corner “P5”. 

This P5 mark is suspicious, most likely this is either a part of a print collection (and this is the number 5) or it is the page 5 of a book of prints. Quite often we find prints or even book pages that are framed and used for decorative purposes, one of the most famous are Audubon prints. In this case, as it has legend, we are sure this print is a part of a larger collection of prints or a book page. Due to all of this, we find a value in this piece but as a decorative purposes. 

Appraisal Value ($)

– 35-45$-

How to sell it

Art pieces are difficult to sell, you will need some time to find a buyer, so be patient!

To sell the items, I would recommend doing so through the internet. You have plenty of options, for instance:

– Ebay, Craiglist, Etsy, Facebook ads, Amazon marktplace

I would probably go ahead and take a couple of good pictures, like described here:

https://www.channelreply.com/blog/view/how-to-take-photos-for-ebay

Then I would use the provided description as a text to the ad, and an attractive ad title will make it.

There isn’t any special difference between selling it on Etsy, FB or Amazon. I would recommend to upload the same ad to at least two or three platforms. It will ensure a high visibility of the ad.

The asking price can be close to the value, it depends upon how fast you want to sell. In general, an agressive strategy of 20% price cut will work great, however it depends upon your specific location.

About the valuation method

To value this item I have considered the results from past auction sales. Keep in mind that the final price can be different from asking prices that you can find on the internet. You can see ads on the internet with different asking prices. However, a very high asking price doesn’t normally find cash from a buyer. 

That’s why our method comprises searching and comparing similar past sale results that had a buyer. That’s why we can provide an accurate estimation of this item.

For art pieces, remember that it isn’t the same a print, a limited edition print or an original art piece. If the artist can’t be identified, the value assigned corresponds to the quality and potential interest of the market for the painting.