I think the question is flawed at best. It's out of context, it can be objective and/or subjective ...And on a forum where experts, collectors and affectionados gather it's an open ended question that can easily potentiate endless discussion and argument. Maybe a better way of rewording this question is to ask how to define present market-place worth , and how to describe or contain intrinsic value in the equation, because these factors can collide when speaking of an aesthetic artifact, a hand made bead that has both historic and artistic significance. I am not a seller, I am an artist, a sometimes jewelry maker and a collector. On the most practical or logical level I depend on both research and comparative values to decide on a bead purchase. But I am always guided by expert opinion and my own sensibility when it comes to intrinsic worth. .