$200 is a great price until you find out it was worth $2000. at least have him take it to a few antique shops to see if they think it's special.

I know about books and ephemera, but not things like quilts.

It's been strange to me - since I started dealing in collectible books, etc, people think I know about other things, too. One man wanted me to sell his antiques. I would be happy to list them for him, but I'm certainly not in a position to evaluate furniture and lamps, etc.

Your friend might do well to take it to a fabric specialist at a local museum. They could at least probably tell him about when the quilt was made and from what types of fabric.

I haven't looked at it very closely, but I thought, at the time he showed it to me, that the fabric looked older than the backing and trim. I wonder if it was pieced at one point and then assembled at another.

I'll let him deal with this - but at least I can pass along the information. However, because of my bg in rare books, etc. I also find this sort of thing interesting. It's always fun to learn about others' areas of knowledge.

quality of the sewing. Was it machine pieced or done entirely by hand? If hand done, what is the quality of the workmanship? Size of stitches? Is it square? Do the pieces match up perfectly?
Is the color scheme planned or random? Is it pleasing to look at? What size is the quilt? Is there a label or other identifer of the maker?

Most used, day-t0-day quilts from around 1930-1940 were made for a double bed and may only be worth $125-300.

Do a search of Ebay for similar quilts and see either what they sold for or what the asking price is.

And if that is the case, it is a very good thing that it is tied and not quilted, because too many quilts have been ruined by machine quilting. A tied quilt could even be separated from the backing and restored if the top is particularly beautiful.

if it is the real deal could be worth at least $1000. but I know that there was never satin on those..you can tell the age from the prints on the fabric..I would take it into a antique shop and see what they say / not to sell but just for info / ..you cant really do a touch and feel on Ebay..

the quilt is no longer around.

While I have a masters degree with a specialization in rare books - for some reason quilts weren't part of the program.