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Serious question, I just read that some old hand-drawn blueprints from the 1950s can be worth over $2,000 to collectors.
I found this out in an article about architectural archives while looking up something else. It said original ink-on-linen drawings for famous buildings can sell for a lot. On one side, it makes sense as historical art. On the other, it feels weird to put a price on what was just our job back then. I've got a box of my granddad's old utility plans from Detroit, but they're definitely not famous. Has anyone else come across this or know what makes a drawing valuable?
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betty_kelly913h ago
Oh I remember reading an article about this exact thing a few months back, it said that even non-famous plans can be worth something if they show stuff like how a city's infrastructure used to work. That kind of detail is gold for local historians or people researching old building methods. Your granddad's Detroit utility plans could have value if they show specific areas that changed a lot, like old street layouts or factory sites that are gone now. The article mentioned that signed plans are a big deal but also condition matters a lot too, like if they're stained or torn that cuts the price down fast.
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susanb342mo ago
Check if those utility plans show any famous buildings or neighborhoods from that era? Sometimes the value is in the details of a city that's changed a lot. What condition are they in, and are they signed by the engineer? That stuff matters to collectors.
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cole_baker2mo ago
Wow, I read that signatures can triple a plan's value if they're from a known architect.
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