Appraisal & Value by Photo
The antique identifier that tells you what it’s worth
Photograph an antique and RelicLens gives you a reference value with a low and high estimate, how rare the piece is, what condition it is in, and the comparable listings behind the number.
- 100,000+
- collectors trust RelicLens
- 4.6
- average App Store rating
Inside a report
Six things, not one guess.
A name on its own is not much use. Each report gives you every reading that moves a price, and the market evidence underneath them.
- Reference value
- One number, with the low and high estimate printed either side of it on a gauge.
- Rarity
- Five levels, from common to exceptional, with the reasoning written out.
- Condition
- Five grades, from poor to excellent.
- Object details
- Time period, origin, materials and category.
- Summary and history
- What the piece is, and where it sits in the period it came from.
- Market evidence
- Listings for similar pieces, with prices, that open in your browser.
Market evidence
The estimate shows its receipts.
Every report lists comparable pieces with what they are being asked for and where the listing lives. Tap one and it opens in your browser, so you can read the full description, look at the condition the seller declared, and decide how close a match it really is.
This is what makes the number checkable rather than something you have to take on faith. Our methodology page sets out how the range is produced and what each number means.
Your collection
Everything you scanned, and what it adds up to.
Every report is saved automatically, with the cut-out image, the category, the period and the reference value. The header keeps a running total, so a shelf of inherited pieces stops being a question mark.
Sort by
- Newest first
- Oldest first
- Highest value
- Lowest value
- Name A-Z
- Name Z-A
How it works
One photo, three steps.
Most photographs of antiques throw away the evidence that matters. How to photograph a piece so the answer is worth something covers the angles, the lighting and what changes by category.
- 1
Photograph the piece
Frame the object in the viewfinder and take one photo, or pick a picture already in your library. RelicLens lifts the object away from its background on the device before sending anything.
- 2
Read the report
A reference value with a low and high estimate, a rarity read, a condition grade, and the likely period, origin and materials.
- 3
Check the comparables
Open the listings for similar pieces and judge the prices yourself. The report is saved to your collection either way.
Categories
Eight categories a report can come back as.
Period, origin and materials are written as free text, so an object that sits awkwardly between categories still gets described properly rather than forced into the nearest box. Where a piece carries a maker’s mark, our guide to antique marks explains how to read it yourself.
- Silver & Metalwork
- Ceramics
- Glassware
- Furniture
- Jewelry
- Sculpture
- Decorative Object
- Collectible
Why people reach for it.
A faster read at an estate sale, a thrift store or a flea market.
Pricing context before deciding whether to buy, keep or sell.
A record of inherited pieces that nobody in the family can date.
One place that keeps every scan and totals what the collection is worth.
Questions worth asking first.
How accurate is an app that identifies antiques from a photo?
A photograph carries the shape, the decoration, the proportion and the wear, which is most of what an experienced dealer reads across a room. RelicLens works from exactly that, and then shows its working: every report arrives with comparable listings you can open, so you can see the pieces the estimate was built from rather than taking a number on trust.
Can an app tell me what my antique is worth?
Yes. RelicLens returns a reference value with a low and a high estimate either side of it, plus a rarity read and a condition grade, which are the two readings that move a price most. Alongside them you get the likely period, origin and materials, and the comparable listings the range was drawn from, so you can see the market for yourself in the same place.
Is RelicLens free?
Yes to start. The app is free to download and your first full report is included, with every field in it: the value range, the rarity read, the condition grade, the object details and the comparable listings. Running more reports is what a subscription is for. Our guide to free antique appraisal compares this with valuation days, auction house estimate forms and completed sales records.
What kinds of antiques can it identify?
A report comes back in one of eight categories: Silver & Metalwork, Ceramics, Glassware, Furniture, Jewelry, Sculpture, Decorative Object, Collectible. Alongside that it gives the likely period, the origin and the materials as free text, so a piece that does not sit neatly in one category is still described.
Where do the comparable prices come from?
Each report includes listings for similar pieces with their asking prices and the marketplace they came from. They open in your browser, so you can read the full listing, check the condition described and decide how close a match it really is.
Do I need an internet connection?
A connection, yes, since the analysis runs on a server. Your phone does the first step on its own: RelicLens lifts the object away from its background before anything is sent, so what leaves the device is the piece rather than the room it is sitting in.
Does it work on iPad?
Yes. RelicLens runs on iPhone and iPad and needs iOS 17.0 or later.
Is my collection stored in the cloud?
Your collection stays on your phone. There is no account, no sign-in and no server-side copy, so nobody else can see what you have scanned.
Point it at the thing you have been wondering about.
Built for the moment you are holding something and do not know what it is: an estate sale table, a mark on the underside of a plate, a box of things nobody in the family can date. Every report is saved to a collection that keeps a running total of what you have found.
Download on the App Store