Using Mavin to look up the value of your collectibles is easy… once you get the hang of it! If you’re new to Mavin, it may take a little trial and error before you get the hang of it. Each type of collectible is slightly different. The trick is knowing what details to include in your search and what details to leave out.

This article shares 5 pro tips for appraising item values!

Types of Collectibles

Below are links to guides for specific types of collectibles… but this list is by no means exhaustive! You can use Mavin to look up the value of just about anything!

5 General Tips for Looking up Values

Tip #1 – Start small.

Enter just a few facts about your item, take a look at the results, then add more details to narrow it down. People often include too many details the first time they search. For example, if you search for “Old Hockey Card #19 Steve Yzerman Red Wings card number 49” it won’t return any results or a value estimate… it has too many words to match! Instead, start small by searching for “Steve Yzerman 49“, then add details to narrow it down. Don’t use ambiguous adjectives!

Tip #2 – Use negative keywords.

A negative keyword will filter out results that you don’t want used in the value estimate. Just add a negative sign before the word you want to exclude. For example, if I add “-reprint” to my search, those items won’t show up in the search results or be used in the value estimate.

Tip #3 – Filter by Category.

Sometimes you’ll get results that aren’t even in the same category as your item. For example, I might search for “Sterling Silver Cup” and get results for Soccer Cards! Click the filter icon and make sure you’re looking in the right category.

Tip #4 – Search other sources.

Click the “Search other sources” link or come back in 15 minutes. If you’re searching for something that Mavin doesn’t have in our database, we’ll attempt to scour the web for sold records matching your search. Every 15 minutes new batches of sold data are added to thea search results.

Tip #5 – Browse categories first.

If you’re still having a hard time lookin up the value of your item, try browsing by category. Look at how the items are listed… what attributes are used by most of the listings? Items in the same category tend to have a similar listing format. For example, coins are usually listed using the date, mint location, and coin name… “1943-P Mercury Dime”. Stamps are listed using the Scott catalog number. Figure out how to search for your item by looking at other listings.

Still no results!?

Mavin has data on just about anything that’s bought and sold online, but there are exceptions. For example, we don’t have data on firearms. Every word you add to your search further restricts the number of results… so start small! Or try browsing by category to see how other people are listing items similar to yours.