This is another in a series of articles about undervalued antiques in the marketplace. About 30 years ago, there was an article in Art and Antiques Magazine about undervalued treasures. The contents of the article has stuck in my mind over the years because most of the categories they picked are still bargains. They noted that Japanese scroll paintings are undervalued because the collector literature is limited and thus many in the West have limited access to identifying works. It also noted that American Empire and English Jacobean oak remain priced as they were in the 1920s with little change, not in fashion then and still not in fashion today. Under Americana, the authors were challenged to find something that was not high priced in the 1990s. Samplers and blanket chest and frakturs were hot then and still command strong prices. But the category of items they picked as being highly undervalued were 19th-century jacquard coverlets. Produced by small shops primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest, jacquard coverlets were popular from the second quarter to the end of the 19th century. Often with corner blocks identifying the maker, the year made and the original owner, they also feature wonderful replicating motifs such as trains, houses, roosters, birds, etc. I remember early in my career coveting a Seifert coverlet from Mechanicsburg (Cumberland County, Pa.) that was priced several thousand dollars. For a young collector, it might as well have been a million. Over the years, I watched the price of coverlets creep up, then stall, then dip. Many husbands and wives collected coverlets together. To understand them is to become caught up in the art and precision of how they were made and also the regional connections of where they were made. For me, coverlets are an amazing window into life in rural America in the 19th century. With their incredible colors, varied patterns and ties to specific communities and regions, they show us how people truly lived and worked in the past. An Indiana coverlet is as distinctive from a Lancaster, Pa., coverlet as one made in New York. What puzzles me is that collectors will spend substantial amounts on anonymous quilts made late in the 19th century but eschew handwoven and identified coverlets from the 1830s. Do they look great on a bed? Absolutely, and particularly around the holiday season. The pricing on coverlets today is far from where it was when I first became aware of them in the late 1980s. Today, finding coverlets under $1,000 is very easy, and if you are willing to pursue later examples from the 1870s, then prices under $100 are common. What about condition? Now that is the rub with coverlets. Jump onto eBay, and you will see lots of coverlets for sale. Missing fringe, splits along the seams, brown surfaces from acid burn from being in a blanket chest, and moth holes are all signs of condition issues that should make you think twice about a purchase. Why I say that is there are so many examples of coverlets out there that passing on one that is a wreck is easy since the odds stand that you will find one in better shape. And finally, my tip is to look for unmarked early examples. There are many wonderful coverlets that are available at bargain prices because they are unmarked. Strike out and learn about weaving and go find an early unmarked coverlet for under a $100 and call it a good day. Born to collect should be the motto of Peter Seiberts family. Raised in Central Pennsylvania, Seibert has been collecting and writing about antiques for more than three decades. By day, he is a museum director and has worked in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Virginia and New Mexico. In addition, he advises and consults with auction houses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly about American furniture and decorative arts. Seiberts writings include books on photography, American fraternal societies and paintings. He and his family are restoring a 1905 arts and crafts house filled with years worth antique treasures found in shops, co-ops and at auctions.