The Box of Old Lace in the Closet
What should I do with it?
Out in the garage somewhere, or in the attic, or the back of a closet, maybe you have a box of old lace things that you inherited from mom or grandma or an older auntie … or maybe all three. You have become the repository of their handiwork or of their vintage collected treasure from trips abroad. You think, I don’t want them, but I can’t just throw them away. What should I do with them? How do I know what they are and if they are worth anything? Maybe I should simply donate them and let someone else figure it out.
You have many choices. Use them yourself in crafts or to decorate your home. Give them to friends as antique gifts, donate them to a charity shop, save them to hand down to your own heirs (i.e. let them deal with it). The easiest solution, naturally, is to just bury the box farther back in the closet and forget about them, leaving them to be nibbled at by mice and time. Another choice, of course, would be to sell them. Sell them? Who wants them? I don’t even know what they are … or what are they worth … or how much work I would be getting myself into for heaven’s sake.
Is lace worth anything?
As far as value, there are no set extrinsic values on lace – that would be too easy. The value of lace depends on age, type, rarity and condition, i.e. is it 19th century Italian Burano needle lace in pristine condition? Or is it your great Aunt Lil’s 1950s hand-crocheted table runner with only a couple of light pasta stains? It also depends on the market where you would plan to sell it – a flea market, local antiques shops, an auction house, street fair, on line? Each venue may offer difference prices.
Some lace is worth a lot – an antique hand-crocheted lace runner from Orvieto, Italy, might be valued at $250. ( See top photo.) Other laces are surprisingly inexpensive. Here, for example, are nine laces, identified and with estimated online values, low to high. You will see there is quite a variety.
In general terms:
1. Handmade lace has more value than machine-made lace, though there are exceptional machine-made laces as well.
2. Laces in good condition are worth more than those in poor condition. Lace that is ragged, full of holes or broken threads, have lost most of their value, with a few exceptions. Lace that is stained with black grease, ink, rust, candle wax or other indelible marks may also be undesirable.
3. Laces that have been carefully hand-laundered and lightly pressed or blocked, in readily useable or displayable condition, would sell better than lace that is offered “as is” — dusty, wrinkled, musty smelling, right out of a chest after long storage.
4. Laces can be sold as a “box lot”, unwashed, unidentified, unsorted, as is, and can be a quick sale, with no outlay of work, but you would realize less money. On the other hand, if you research what you have, clean and iron the lace and offer individual pieces for sale, you could sell them for more. That, of course, takes an extraordinary amount of work and time - and sales often dribble in one at a time.
The first step is to identify your lace.
You can’t determine the value of your lace until you know what it is. Look for a lace like yours in reference books or somewhere on line so you know what kind of lace you have.
Books:
Look for any lace books by Pat Earnshaw, Elizabeth Kurella, and Debra Bonito. All are available on eBay or Amazon and include clear explanations and photos.
On line:
My own free reference website is a good starting place, as the photos are large, and it is well-organized. There is also a tutorial section, "Learning About Lace", that addresses the most common questions people have asked me. It will be helpful to you, too. rookandraven.weebly.com
Here are some other online traders who are quite knowledgable. It would be valuable to peruse their laces and compare to yours.
Seller on etsy.com that USUALLY knows what she is selling:
Indigo Rose and Company - https://www.etsy.com/shop/IndigoRoseandCo?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=895576281
Sellers on eBay.com that USUALLY know what they are selling:
Anna’s Linens https://www.ebay.com/str/annaslinensandmore
The Rook and The Raven https://www.ebay.com/str/therookandtheraven
Seller on eBay that ALWAYS knows what she is selling
LaceMerchant https://www.ebay.com/str/lacemerchant
Caveat: The above sellers aside, it is hard to rely on the majority of eBay or Etsy traders’ to label and describe their listed laces accurately. Contrary to popular belief, not everything you read on line is true. They do not intend to deceive, but I believe well over seventy-five percent know nothing about lace and resort to making up things, sometimes to comical effect! There is no such thing as “17th Century Italian Irish Bobbin Madeira Needle lace”. Trust me.
A few other excellent resources and references available on line
Northern New Mexico Museum of Lace - https://nnmml.org
Italian Needlework - http://italian-needlework.blogspot.com/
Lynx Lace - http://www.Lynxlace.com/index.html
Textile Research Center - https://trc-leiden.nl/trc-needles/regional-traditions/europe-and-north-america/lace-types
What next?
Once you have identified your laces, you will want to research the prices at which they are being offered. For example: Go to eBay.com, etsy.com, rubylane.com or hearts-desires.com, etc.
Type in your lace, e.g. “Point de Venise needle lace tablecloth” and see what prices others have on something similar. Remember, this does not give you any extrinsic value, only the asking price. Sometimes there is a shockingly wide range of prices for the same item, depending on the knowledge — or the optimism of the seller.
I hope these ideas help you decide what to do with your lace heirlooms. Please don’t throw out antique lace. Your mom and grandma and auntie are no longer here to make or collect this needlework. Relatively few people make lace any more. Do what you can to keep the art from being lost. I wish you the best of success whatever your plan may be.
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My lace reference website, helps the beginner identify and learn about antique lace. rookandraven.weebly.com
My little store on ebay, offers modest laces and linens https://www.ebay.com/str/therookandtheraven
Oh, you're trying to tempt us all to enjoy laces as much as you do - almost have me convinced!
I have a literal chest full of antique lace, doilies, runners, linens, hankies you name it that was my mothers who now has Alzheimer’s. I have no idea where to start to see if I have anything that is worth anything. Knowing my mom, I do. I don’t want to try to sell something for $5 and find out it’s worth $100.