Research & Editorial Methodology
How we turn field observations into identification guidance that readers, and answer engines, can inspect and verify.
What this site is for
Thrift Field Guide helps a reseller decide what an object might be, which marks and details to photograph, what damage changes the decision, and which completed-sales evidence to check before buying. It is a field reference, not an appraisal or authentication service.
Evidence hierarchy
We prefer manufacturer and museum records for history, specialist collector references for marks and variations, and recent completed marketplace results for price reality. A visible source line accompanies each long-form story. When evidence conflicts, the more specific primary record wins and uncertainty stays explicit.
Price freshness
Buy ceilings are risk controls, not promised resale values. The date shown on each guide records the last editorial check. Readers should confirm exact-model completed sales because condition, completeness, season, shipping cost, and local demand move prices.
Images and identification diagrams
Real reference photographs are credited near the image. Hand-drawn marker diagrams are labeled as approximations and are intended to train visual attention, not authenticate an object.
Affiliate and commercial policy
Links to eBay currently open ordinary sold-search results and do not contain manually invented tracking parameters. If commission-earning links are introduced, their status will be disclosed near the link. Commercial relationships do not change the identification or walk-away rules.
Corrections and AI assistance
AI may help organize drafts and surface questions, but factual claims, source links, identifiers, and price guidance must remain reviewable by a human editor. Corrections are applied to the authoring source, regenerated across the public site, dated, and recorded in the project change history.