Due to their delicate nature, antiques can be one of the most time-consuming and stressful items to move. Antiques often require specialized packing materials to avoid damage to the varnish or exterior material of the item during the moving and storage processes. Some especially fragile or large items might even require a custom crate to transport safely. But with so many moving companies offering antique moving services, how can you possibly choose the team that’s right for your most valuable items?
At Today’s Homeowner, we understand that antique moving is serious business — and that you don’t want to move your valuable items with just any moving company. After reviewing the best moving companies across the country, we’ve created a list of the top six moving companies for antique transportation. Read on to learn everything you need to know about the antique moving process and get a free, no-obligation quote from each of our recommended providers.
The 6 Best Moving Companies For Antiques
Our top recommended moving companies for antiques of 2023:
Compare The Best Moving Companies For Antiques
The table below outlines data for the best moving companies on the market. We constantly update these ratings and price estimates to reflect industry changes. Continue reading in-depth reviews of several top providers.
Company | Our Rating | BBB Rating | Local Cost | Long-distance Cost |
 | 4.5 | B | $650–$1350 | $2,100–$5,400 |
 | 3.6 | B- | $550–$1,100 | $2,550–$5,700 |
 | 3.7 | Not Rated | Not available for local moves | $2,200–$5,500 |
 | 4.3 | B | Call for a quote | $2,750–$5,200 |
 | 4.0 | A+ | Call for a quote | $2,750–$6,000 |
 | 4.7 | A+ | $800–$1,500 | $2,000–$5,000 |
 | 3.6 | A+ | Not available for local moves | $1,350–$2,400 |
 | 4.4 | A+ | $800–$1,500 | $2,000–$5,000 |
*Quote and cost data are updated and monitored continuously.
International Van Lines
4.5
Our Rating
When it comes time to move and you are concerned about how you’re going to accomplish your relocation with all your antiques and valuable items, International Van Lines (IVL) could be your solution.
International Van Lines has helped to facilitate over half a million moves in the past two decades, and they have dedicated themselves to making your moving experience a stress-free one. IVL is a full-service moving company that specializes in local, cross-country, and long-distance moves all across the country and to over 150 international destinations. You can get a free quote right from your smartphone with IVL’s MoveOne software. It allows you to do a virtual walkthrough of your home with an IVL representative and they can tell you an estimate from that without having to do an in-person walkthrough.
As a full-service moving company, IVL offers a complete range of services to enhance your moving and antique shipping process. You can currently book the following list of services and specialized moving processes for your upcoming trip with IVL.
- Packing and unpacking services
- Loading and unloading services
- Furniture disassembly and reassembly
- Crating
- Specialized packing services for fragile items
- Storage solutions for both short-term and long-term periods
- Packing supplies
- Auto transportation services
- Military moving services
- Commercial moving services
Moving companies like IVL price moves depending on the size of your shipment and the total distance that you’re traveling. While IVL does not offer online pricing specifically for single-item antique moves, you can estimate what you might pay when moving antiques with your home by examining past customer data. Browse the table below to learn more about what you might pay for a household move with IVL or click the link to claim a free, personal quote.
| <250 miles | 500 miles | 1,000 miles | 2,000 miles | |
| Two-bedroom home | $1,400 to $4,400 | $1,900 to $4,900 | $2,100 to $5,100 | $2,400 to $5,400 |
| Four-bedroom home | $3,200 to $6,200 | $5,100 to $8,100 | $5,700 to $8,700 | $6,200 to $9,200 |
American Van Lines
3.6
Our Rating
American Van Lines (AVL) proudly serves the lower 48 states with full-service moving plans, a la carte services, and certified antique and fine art moving specialists.
American Van Lines has these highly trained and qualified specialists ready to help you with your antique moving process. They take extra care to carefully pack and wrap your antique items, disassembling them if required, and then unpacking and reassembling them so that they reach their destination in the same condition as when they left.
One of the features that sets American Van Lines apart from the other companies on our list is that they offer a flat-rate pricing system. What you see on your invoice is what you will actually pay, unless of course you add more services after the fact, in which case your moving quote will increase. You can count on the antique moving crew from American Van Lines to take good care of your precious items, as they have two decades of experience with moving things like museum collections and antique shop inventories.
You can currently book the following list of services and specialized moving processes when you move with American Van Lines.
- Packing and unpacking services
- Storage unit arrangement
- Specialty packing services for items like pianos and antiques
- Furniture disassembly and reassembly
- Crating for large items (like pianos)
- Moving supplies
- Office moving services and corporate relocation
- Military moves
Browse the table below to learn more about what you might pay for a household move with American Van Lines or click the link to claim a free, personal quote.
| <250 miles | 500 miles | 1,000 miles | 2,000 miles | |
| Two-bedroom home | $1,700 to $4,700 | $2,300 to $5,300 | $2,600 to $5,600 | $4,200 to $7,200 |
| Four-bedroom home | $4,800 to $7,800 | $5,600 to $8,600 | $7,400 to $10,400 | $10,800 to $13,800 |
Moving APT
4.3
Our Rating
Moving APT is a broker whose goal is to find you the best antique moving company in your area for the best price. Moving APT has partner carriers all over the country — so no matter if you’re moving locally or long-distance, they can match you with the right moving company for your needs.
With more than 2,500 carriers in their partner network, chances are that Moving APT will be able to locate multiple qualified antique moving companies in your area.
Packing services, item transport, antique and specialty packing and moving, crating, unpacking, and even disassembly and reassembly — all these services and more are available to you through Moving APT’s list of partners. If you happen to find moving services offered through other companies that are cheaper, Moving APT has a price-matching guarantee. This way you can still use their services and let them handle the (sometimes stressful) details of moving while saving money.
You can currently book the following list of services and specialized moving processes when you move with Moving APT.
- Commercial and residential moving
- Piano moving
- Auto shipping
- Packing services
- Packing supplies (included for some moves)
- Appliance connection services
- Limited furniture disassembly and reassembly
Because Moving APT is not itself a moving company, it cannot guarantee that each one of its partner companies offers all of the services above. If you know you need a specialty service
Moving APT takes a more personal approach to pricing when compared to other moving service providers, so the company does not currently offer estimates based on home size and distance alone. As a general idea of pricing, homeowners can usually expect to pay around $7,800 when moving a four-bedroom home, which is about in line with competitors. Be sure to click on the link below to get a free, no-obligation quote.
JK Moving Services
4.0
Our Rating
JK Moving Services has facilitated over half a million moves during its time in the moving industry, including relocations for government agencies, corporations, businesses, and hundreds of thousands of families across the country. Each of your items will be carefully inventoried and safely packed before your move, and that includes your antiques.
JK Moving Services has trained and certified antique and art movers on staff, so you can trust that they will take care of your heirlooms.
When you first connect with JK’s team, you will be matched with a personal moving coordinator to help you plan your move and to be your point of contact for the whole process. This is the person who will give you your moving quote, and for this they must do a walkthrough of your home. Although the quoting process is longer and more detailed than other moving companies, JK Moving Services gives you the most customizable moving plans for your needs, and they also offer financing. Qualifying movers may even qualify for 0% APR financing, meaning they won’t pay interest if they make their minimum monthly payments as specified.
You can currently book the following list of services and specialized moving processes when you move with JK Moving Services.
- Packing and unpacking services
- Loading and unloading services
- Long-term and short-term storage unit arrangement
- Transportation and delivery
- Freighting
- Crating
- Furniture disassembly and reassembly services
- Specialty services for items like antiques and pianos
- Specialized services for commercial moves for law firms, hospitals and other specialized workplaces
- Government moving services
- Archive services
- Auto relocation services
Don’t see what you need on the list? If a JK Moving Services’ representative cannot book a process or service through their team, they will likely be able to source it through a local, trusted team.
JK Moving Services books its moves as package plans, which can make it difficult to estimate what you’ll pay for your moving services based on past customer data. As a general idea of pricing, homeowners moving a two-bedroom home a total distance of 500 miles can usually expect to pay around $2,500 to $5,500 for their move. While this indicates that JK Moving Services is a bit more expensive than other movers, be sure to get your free quote using the link below to learn more about exactly what you’ll pay.
Allied Van Lines
4.7
Our Rating
Allied Van Lines has almost 95 years of experience in the moving industry; if there are any packers and movers you can trust with your valuable antiques, it’s Allied. Allied Van Lines strives to make your moving day a smooth one and offers a long list of services to accomplish this goal.
They offer custom crating for your precious antiques, which protects items that otherwise would not fit in typical moving boxes or need extra protection.
If you’re doing a small-scale move with just your antique items rather than your entire household, Allied has a moving container service called Allied Express. This is an affordable way to move a few items, and Allied’s experienced movers will load, transport, and unload your items; all you have to do is unpack when they reach their new home. If you know how to crate and pack your own fragile items, this can provide an affordable yet protective solution.
You can currently book the following list of services and specialized moving processes when you move with Allied Van Lines.
- Packing services and unpacking services
- Fragile-only packing
- Storage for in-transit items
- Arrangement of long-term storage units
- Shipment tracking
- Furniture disassembly and reassembly
- Auto and boat transport
- Basic liability coverage
- Full-value coverage
Browse the table below to learn more about what you might pay for a household move with Allied Van Lines or click the link to claim a free, personal quote.
| <250 miles | 500 miles | 1,000 miles | 2,000 miles | |
| Two-bedroom home | $1,800 to $4,500 | $2,400 to $5,400 | $2,700 to $5,700 | $4,400 to $7,400 |
| Four-bedroom home | $3,300 to $6,000 | $5,700 to $8,700 | $7,500 to $10,500 | $10,900 to $13,000 |
North American Van Lines
4.4
Our Rating
North American Van Lines have been players in the moving industry for almost a hundred years, but that doesn’t mean they don’t come up with innovations to better serve their customers with time.
The company currently offers both full-service moves as well as specialty moving services, like packing up antique furniture and safe transport of your precious items over the entire country. They’ve even developed a proprietary driver training simulator to limit the possibility of damage or collisions on the road as much as possible.
North American Van Lines offers climate-controlled storage units should you need them. They also help with DIY moves as to which packing materials would be best for your move. They do appliance disconnection and reinstallation as well as debris removal when your move is finished. Whether you’ve got family heirlooms in the form of a family piano, or a china set that’s been passed down several generations, North American Van Lines can help you relocate these fragile items.
You can currently book the following list of services and specialized moving processes when you move with North American Van Lines.
- Full-service packing
- Fragile-only packing
- Boxes and moving supplies
- Appliance disconnection and reconnection
- Furniture disassembly and reassembly
- Custom crates
- Loading and unloading
- Crane vans for large items
- Storage
- Auto transport
- Basic liability coverage
- Full-valuation coverage
Browse the table below to learn more about what you might pay for a household move with North American Van Lines or click the link to claim a free, personal quote.
| <250 miles | 500 miles | 1,000 miles | 2,000 miles | |
| Two-bedroom home | $1,800 to $4,500 | $2,400 to $5,400 | $2,700 to $5,700 | $4,400 to $7,400 |
| Four-bedroom home | $3,300 to $6,000 | $5,700 to $8,700 | $7,500 to $10,500 | $10,900 to $13,000 |
What To Look for In Moving Companies for Antiques
When selecting antique movers for your delicate and priceless items, there are a few things you should be on the lookout for, including the following.
- Reasonable quotes: Some moving companies will give you a quote that sounds too good to be true, and unfortunately, it’s usually because it is. There are scammers out there posing as real movers, and once you pay them this low quote, they skip town and you will never hear from them again. Another tactic is to make you pay an exorbitant deposit, and that’s what they leave with. Make sure you compare quotes from at least three different movers to get the best one — don’t only consider bottom-line pricing, and choose a quote that’s reasonable but not drastically lower than others. Keep in mind that these should be free moving quotes; if you have to pay for them, that’s a red flag.
- Customer reviews: It’s important to check out unbiased review sites like Yelp and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see what previous customers experienced when working with the company you’re researching. However, you should always take customer reviews, both positive and negative, with a grain of salt. It’s also helpful to see if the company replies to negative reviews so that you can get both sides of the story.
- Experience: You want an antique mover who has experience with high-value items. See how long the company has been offering professional antique moving services, and if possible, how many years of experience the staff has personally with moving these historical artifacts and heirlooms. You might also want to contact the company you’re considering working with to ask if they have any certified antique movers on staff.
What Costs Are Involved in Antique Moving Companies?
Moving companies should be straightforward with you about how they come up with their quotes, but here are some of the most important factors that moving companies consider when calculating the cost of your move.
- Hourly wages: Each mover who comes to pack, load, and transport your items is paid an hourly wage, typically between $40 and $60 dollars per hour. However, when it comes to moving antiques, that hourly wage can be doubled because of the training it takes to have the skills to perform successful antique moves. If you choose a company that provides flat-rate pricing, this hourly wage is reflected in your final quote based on estimates from the company.
- Insurance valuation: Every interstate moving company is required by law to offer the minimum insurance for moving, released value protection. Unfortunately, this legal minimum is only $0.60 reimbursement per pound of items damaged, which likely pales in comparison to the cost of your antiques. If you want your special items to be protected by more than the bare minimum legally required coverage, you should opt for more comprehensive (therefore more expensive) full valuation insurance for your move.
- Extra fees: Many specialized moving processes come with unavoidable fees. These could be anything from the cost of crating services to packing supplies. Extra fees could be tacked on to your move’s mileage cost if the mover must change your route or your move is delayed. Extra fees could also include charges for stairs, elevators, long carry, and storage.
Final Thoughts
When moving valuable items like antiques, it’s very important to take your time choosing your moving company. When you compare quotes, make sure that you get estimates from at least three competing moving companies. We recommend that you get a quote from each one of our recommended providers before you book your moving date. Getting more than one quote does more than help you find the company with the lowest price — it can also introduce you to new services and options you may not have known about. You could also be able to take advantage of price matching policies (like those available with AVL and Moving APT) by securing quotes from many providers.
FAQs about Moving Companies for Antiques
Do antique movers provide storage if I need it?
Many of the companies we listed above provide 30 days of free storage with extensions upon request. Due to the delicate nature of antiques, most antique movers do provide some sort of climate-controlled storage in their moving plans should you require it.
What is the difference between antique moving services and regular moving services?
Regular movers pack and move household goods like furniture, dishes, clothing, books, and any other items you have in your home. These are not necessarily particularly valuable or irreplaceable. Antique movers work with rare items which require special training and certification to pack and move. They may also need to dismantle your antiques to move them, and this is an altogether different service than what is typically provided in full-service household relocation.
What is a full-service mover?
A full-service mover is a moving company that provides start-to-finish heavy lifting for your move. Should you opt for a full-service move, movers will pack your home, load it onto their moving vehicles, transport everything, unload, and even unpack your items at your new home. The only thing you have to do is sign the paperwork. However, many full-service movers offer plans with fewer comprehensive services or a la carte services — whatever fits your needs and budget.
How can I save money on my household move?
One of the easiest ways to save money on your move is to downsize. Take time before you schedule your move to donate unwanted items, purge items you no longer use, and sell some of these items as well. You can also save money by using a moving container service or by renting your own moving vehicle.
How far ahead should I plan my antique move?
One month is usually enough time for a moving company to give you a quote, schedule your move, and plan their route. You could probably get away with two weeks for some companies, but if you’re moving antiques, they will likely need more time than that to plan your move.
Today's Homeowner Rating Methodology
At Today's Homeowner, our primary goals are to be a reliable source of information and to be totally transparent to our readers. With that in mind, we’ve developed the following formula to render objective ratings – on a scale of 10 points – for the moving companies we review.
- Transparency (3.0): Communication and being fully straightforward regarding company policies and licensing are incredibly important. A given mover’s willingness to display these, to supply quick quotes, and to provide clearly-worded moving contracts all factor into the three points within this single rating criteria.
- Cost (2.5): A mover’s cost relative to industry averages, as well as accessibility to cost data play a role in the customer experience as much as anything else. We know that being sure of what you’re paying – and being confident that you’re not overpaying – will ultimately make for a positive move. We’ve weighted cost factors accordingly in our ratings.
- Customer Service (2.0): Establishing an easy line of contact with your movers during the booking process or during the move itself is a huge asset for any moving client. The stress of moving, in general, can be greatly eased by knowing you can talk to a licensed professional whenever you need to, which is why we’ve listed this as a key rating category. This is where customer reviews come into play; since the majority of complaints stem from poor customer service, feedback from BBB, Yelp, Google, and other review platforms factor into this criteria.
- Services Offered (1.5): This rates lower on our priority list than many would think, simply due to the fact that many movers provide a similar line of services. However, breadth of service offerings does still vary to a degree.
- Customization Options (1.0): Having the autonomy to fully customize your move should rate highly on any moving checklist. Here, we’ve taken moving package customization ability, as well as pricing for more involved add-ons. Steep pricing for such services can provide something of a soft barrier for clients looking to add to their move, and we’ve taken this into consideration.
