I made $124,000 last year answering people's questions about their antiques. Here's how I turned my

November 07, 2024

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Nora Curl worked in the art world in New York before she moved to Pennsylvania to care for her mom.
She started answering antiques questions on JustAnswer, where people can quiz experts.
Curl shared how it works, how she made $124,000 from it last year, and why she loves it.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nora Curl, an antiques-appraisal expert from northwestern Pennsylvania. Her job and income have been verified by Insider. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

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When I was growing up, my parents would take me to auction houses in the countryside. They collected antiques as a hobby, though they didn't collect anything great.

After college, I moved to Los Angeles where I landed a job working for a Hollywood producer. Everyone barked orders at me and I wasn't paid very much.

On weekends, I went to museums, auction houses, art galleries, and antique shops with friends. That was my release.

I would point out to friends where items were from, such as, "That's a Tiffany lamp. That's Rookwood pottery."

They were amazed that I knew these things — but I thought everyone did.

I worked in the New York, London, and Miami art world

I realized I had a talent for antiques appraisal and decided to apply to do a postgraduate program at Christie's auction house in London.

At Christie's, there were a lot of people who came from royalty or had family backgrounds with antique dealerships. I ended up finishing first in the class.

I moved to New York, where I landed a job with a fine-art gallery and auction house.

I ended up becoming the personal assistant to Nelson Shanks, who painted the presidential paintings of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. It was a really exciting time. I did contract negotiations for exhibitions and I sourced Renaissance and Baroque works for his collection. My desk chair was a 16th-century Venetian Sgabello.

I also worked for a fine-art connoisseur magazine, Art Review magazine, and on the Art Basel show in Miami.

I moved back to Pennsylvania to be near my mom

In 2012, I had to move back to northwestern Pennsylvania to help take care of my mother, an elderly widow.

I left the art scene in New York and worried how I'd be able to make a living from art and antiques there.

For a while, I sold antiques I'd bought on eBay and Etsy and did freelance work for clients in New York.

I wanted to work in antiques remotely

I wanted to be able to work from home helping people around the world identify the value of art, antiques, and collectibles.

In September 2012, I found an online antiques-appraisal job opening. I knew I fit the bill. One week later, I got an email saying I'd been approved to appraise antiques on JustAnswer.

I answer people's questions as they come up on my screen. It's a self-guided job — there's no boss.

The site shows the running tally of what I'm earning each time I answer a question — and questions are coming in constantly. In the first few days, I'd made over $1,000. I couldn't believe it. In my first month, I made $4,000.

It's fast-paced and addictive

I do quick, written online antiques and art valuations. I tell people how old something is and what the value is.

Most customers want to know how much an item is worth, but a few just want to know what their item is.

It's very fast-paced. There's a five-minute timer to claim customers' questions; they can be very impatient.

Luckily I'm a fast researcher and typist. There's not much I haven't seen. I also utilize paid subscription databases to help find comparable items to identify.

Some people have antiques that are worth 7 figures

I've been asked about everything from all over the world: 18th-century paintings, contemporary prints, porcelain figurines, and collectible dolls.

I have a knack for identifying paintings with illegible, scribbled signatures. It's so exciting when I figure out who painted it —sometimes I do a little dance at my desk.

When I've worked out who the artist is, I send the customer proof, such as pictures of comparable paintings by the same artist with their signature and a link to the artist's biography.

Telling someone the painting they have is worth six or seven figures is a lot of fun.

A few years ago, someone asked me about a silver chalice they'd been given. They had no idea what it was. There was an inscription on it addressed to someone from Samuel Clemens.

I knew that Samual Clemens' pen name was Mark Twain. I was so pumped to tell the customer that.

I've gotten better at dealing with rude customers

Sometimes customers are disappointed with what I say and they write back something unkind.

So many people think they own an item that came to the US from England on the Mayflower. If everything that people claim came from the Mayflower actually did, the ship would have sunk from being weighed down.

At first, people's negative responses hurt. I worked so hard to get to this level of expertise and people were questioning it. But now I trust that I've given them the right answer.

This job gave me financial freedom, and I was able to buy a house

I was especially busy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone was at home, cleaning out their houses. They'd come across the painting their auntie gave them, for example, and want to know the origin and what it was worth.

Sometimes, I'd answer questions for 14 to 16 hours a day. It was very lucrative. I made $152,600 from JustAnswer in 2021.

I work seven days a week, for eight hours a day on average. Working so much doesn't bother me because it's something I love.

I'm so fortunate to have autonomy over my daily schedule and to be able to live right next door to my mom. When she has an appointment or an emergency, I don't have to ask permission to take time off work and take care of her.

Last year, I made $124,000 from JustAnswer. I was able to pay off the debts I had accrued from living in New York, and I was able to buy my home by a lake for $86,000 in cash in 2016.

I'm so grateful this job has given me financial freedom.

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