Trust and Experience

Areas we serve

Saving you time and energy

We pay top dollar

Our unique auction location in the center of Maryland allows us to serve the entire metropolitan area of Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Outside of these areas?

Call us and ask for more information we have many reliable contacts up and down the East Coast.

We pay top dollar

Saving you time and energy

We pay top dollar

We make the best possible offers we can on items from the 1700's all the up to current market items. We also offer free appraisals by phone, email and walk-ins as well as free walk throughs *please note this is not always possible in certain cases* We buy, sell and auction individual items as well as entire estates.

Saving you time and energy

We match buyers with sellers for antiques, collectibles, furniture, oil paintings, jewelry, gold, silver, gems, watches, rugs, jewelry, old toys, glassware, crystal, leaded glass windows, lamps, collections of all types and anything of value at auction!

Public Relations

Saving you time and energy

Since to the 1980's our auctioneers have conducted hundreds of public auctions featuring both real estate, personal property, police, storage and charity. Owner John Harris has shared his knowledge with former Zip Magazine as a weekly columnist. John also has a once a semester one day class about collectables at Howard Community College. Caplan's has also been featured on numerous radio and television stations.

Our promise

Public Relations

Charity Auctions

We work hard to serve our community and surrounding areas as an excellent antique merchant. Honesty is our policy and our reputation is unsurpassed as we are one of the oldest names in antiques and auctions in Maryland. We are Court Certified Appraisers as well as a Member of the New England Appraisers Society

Charity Auctions

Public Relations

Charity Auctions

We do a variety of charity auctions through out the year pro-bono. If you are a non-profit organization looking for an auctioneer for your upcoming benefit please call or email us today! We love giving back to the community that has supported us for so many years.

Trust and experience

We first opened our doors in 1895 and have served the Howard County Community for many years as a retail store located in Old Ellicott City. Now generations later Caplan's has become a recognized leader in the antique and collectable industry offering appraisals, clean out and auction services.

Over the years we have worked with a great number of highly regarded organizations and businesses.

These include:

The NAACP, Community College of Baltimore County at Catonsville, The Blind Industries of Maryland, The Women's Expo, Hopkin's Battered Women's Hospice, Charlestown Retirement Community, Glenelg Country School. Howard County Public Library System, The Senior Dog Sanctuary of Maryland, Canaan Valley Antique Roadshow, Chubb, Liberty Mutual and Nationwide Insurance, The Pentagon, The Secretary of Defense, The Old Soldier's Museum and Lincoln's Cottage in Washington D.C., the register of wills in every county of Maryland and hundreds of prestigious law firms in the surrounding area.

Jewelry is one of our passions. We have a specialty jewelry appraiser on staff for your needs.

Real Testimonials

Been going to this auction house for a little over 3 years. I call this my auction house, because this is where I prefer to spend my Sundays. The employees are most accommodating and feel like family after all these years. Always smiling faces when you walk through the doors. Honest appraisals, with explanation of pricing (based on the market and what they have seen similar items go for)
Would recommend to anyone buying or selling!

-Angela Rodgers

Caplans Auction is top of the line. The warm and friendly staff, beautiful aesthetics, high quality/low priced items and intimate atmosphere are all of that which bring such charm to this quaint, yet busy place. Laurels best kept secret..such a hidden gem! Caplans will always be my first choice auction house!

-Brittany Sisk

5 stars for Caplans Auction! I hired Caplans to clean out my parents home after my father passed away in June. It was a very hard time for me. My parents were antique collectors and had lots of things in their home that they loved. After we all took what we wanted from my parents estate, Caplans made the process much easier for all of us and have sold numerous items of my parents at auction so far. I don’t know what we would have done without Caplans helping us! Just received our check from Caplans today! We were pleasantly surprised with the amount! Thanks again!

-Jan Fischer

We sell many watches at auction. Everything from brand name to watches set in precious metals.