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As someone who grew up watching Antiques Roadshow , I always thought my antique jackpot was around the corner. The idea of uncovering a lost treasure in your attic or the dusty corner of a thrift store, only to find out it’s worth a fortune, is the dream of every vintage shopper. Well, spoiler alert: Those types of big-money moments rarely happen in real life.

Now that I’ve spent a number of years training my eye while antiquing (and now that I’m no longer a starry-eyed 12-year-old), I know that the true value of an item depends entirely on the person purchasing it. When it comes to antiques and collectibles , beauty—and value—are often in the eye of the beholder. If something has been on your wishlist for a while, or you find the perfect piece

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