There Are Huge Treasures Yet To Uncover

ALL IT TAKES IS ONE FIND - AND RETIREMENT WILL BE PAID - BUT THEN AGAIN

THERE ARE HUGE FINDS TO MAKE - A MILES YET TO TRAVEL

     I DON'T REALLY THINK ANTIQUE DEALERS RELATE TOO MUCH TO THE "INDIANA JONES" MODEL, WHEN THEY TRAVEL-ABOUT, IN THEIR MOTOR VEHICLES, LOOKING FOR INTERESTING HERITAGE AND HEIRLOOM PIECES TO BUY.

     I DON'T THINK THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME RE-ENACTING THE MOMENTS, IN FOND RECOLLECTION, LEADING UP TO THE DISCOVERY OF THE TITANIC. THEY KNOW ALL ABOUT THE STORIES, ABOUT LOST SHIPS, HERITAGE ITEMS BELONGING TO FAMOUS SHIP WRECKS, AND THEY PROBABLY, IF YOU WERE TO SHARE AN INTIMATE MOMENT, WOULD ADMIT TO HAVING A LUSTFUL INTEREST IN PIRATE TREASURE, WHEN THEY WERE TINY TOTS. I THINK IT ALL FACTORS IN TO THE ANTIQUE HUNTER PSYCHE, ABOUT THE STRANGE FICTIONS AND NON-FICTIONS OF ALL THOSE TREASURES LOST AND TREASURES FOUND. THERE'S SOMETHING THAT SETS US OFF, THAT'S FOR SURE, AND IT PROBABLY HAPPENS EARLY IN LIFE. I'VE READ MANY BIOGRAPHIES, OF ACCLAIMED ANTIQUE DEALERS AND COLLECTORS, WHO WERE WELL INTO THEIR SOON-TO-BE PROFESSIONS, BY THEIR EARLY TEENS. EVEN EARLIER FOR A FEW NOTABLES. SOME APPRENTICING WITH FAMILY MEMBERS, WHO HAD ANTIQUE SHOPS. I BEGAN COLLECTING, AS I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT MANY TIMES BEFORE, AT ABOUT EIGHT YEARS OF AGE. THAT'S WHEN I STARTED HAULING INTERESTING ROADSIDE FINDS HOME, COMING FROM LAKESHORE PUBLIC SCHOOL, IN BURLINGTON. OR, MY FAVORITE, WAS BRINGING HOME BROKEN HOCKEY STICKS, THAT SENIOR PLAYERS DUMPED OVER THE BOARDS, IN GAMES PLAYED AT THE BURLINGTON ARENA. I BROUGHT HOME EVERYTHING FROM CHESTNUTS, STILL IN THE HUSKS, TO ONES THAT SOMEONE HAD STRUNG ON OLD SHOE-LACES, TO THROW, AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENED TO CATCH MY EYE…..AND MY COLLECTING FANCY. MY MOTHER CALLED ME A "HOARDER" BEFORE I WAS TWELVE. IN FACT, SHE NEVER STOPPED CALLING ME A HOARDER, BUT GAVE UP TRYING TO REFORM ME, AFTER SUZANNE AND I GOT MARRIED. SHE SAID TO HER, RIGHT AFTER OUR MARRIAGE RECEPTION, "SUZANNE, BEST OF LUCK WITH TED." AND YES, SHE DID HAVE A PUZZLED LOOK ON HER FACE, WONDERING IF THERE WAS SOMETHING I HADN'T CONFESSED, BEFORE OUR WEDDING VOWS. MAYBE I RAISED PET PYTHONS, OR HAD A RACE HORSE IN THE BACK SHED. HONESTLY, BY TIME WE GOT HITCHED, SHE KNEW WHAT "HOARDING" AND ANTIQUE DEALER MEANT, TO THE EXPONENT OF TEN. SHE MIGHT NOT HAVE KNOWN THE FULL EXTENT, BUT AT LEAST SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT MY SNAKE COLLECTION, OR THE HAY BILL, FOR THE RACE HORCE I MIGHT HAVE OWNED.

     MY BRIDE DID WARN ME, FREQUENTLY, THAT OUR TINY APARTMENT, IN AN OLD HOUSE, WOULD EXPLODE IF I BROUGHT IN "JUST ONE MORE BOOK." I DID. SHE GOT MAD. BUT THE PLACE DIDN'T BLOW UP EITHER. I DID, EVENTUALLY, BECOME MORE SENSITIVE TO HER IDEAS ABOUT HOME DECORATING. IT WAS WORKING GREAT UNTIL I START SELLING OFF THE BEST PIECES, AND WHEN SHE COMPLAINED, I SAID "DEAR….WELCOME TO THE LIFE OF THE ANTIQUE DEALER FAMILY. HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW." WE'RE STILL DOING THE SAME THING ALL THESE YEARS LATER.

     ANTIQUE HUNTERS PROBABLY HAVE MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES, BUT INSTEAD OF BEING A SOURCE OF DAILY EMOTIONAL CONFLICT, IT ACTUALLY PROMOTES TEAM EFFORT…..EACH PERSONALITY HAVING RESPECTIVE STRENGTHS IN SPECIFIC COLLECTING AREAS. MOST GENERALIST DEALERS, WHO ARE OPEN TO BUYING ANYTHING VINTAGE, WITH A PROFIT ATTACHED, CAN WIRE-INTO A CONDITION OF PEAKED CURIOSITY, IF THEY COME UPON SOMETHING OF AGE, QUALITY, FUNCTION, DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION OR MANUFACTURE…..EVEN IF IT ISN'T SOMETHING THEY KNOW MUCH ABOUT, OR EVEN WISH TO OWN FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME. DEALERS AND COLLECTORS OFTEN BUY OUT OF THEIR AREA OF EXPERTISE, KNOWING THEY CAN USE THE ACQUIRED PIECE…..WHICH BECAME AVAILABLE BY CIRCUMSTANCE, TO TRADE WITH THEIR COLLEAGUES. THIS MUST BE UNDERSTOOD, BECAUSE A LOT OF BEHIND THE SCENES ACTIVITY, GOES ON BETWEEN DEALERS AND COLLECTORS, OUT OF THE PUBLIC OR SHOP DOMAIN. I KNEW A "COKE" COLLECTOR WHO WOULD TRADE ME ANYTHING VINTAGE, THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN, FOR THOSE COKE ITEMS I FOUND OUT ON MY TRAVELS. WE EXCHANGED THESE COLLECTIBLE FOR YEARS, UNTIL ONE DAY, I HEARD THAT HE HAD SUCCUMBED TO A MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS. HE WAS A NEAT GUY TO DEAL WITH, AND HE SURE LOVED HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH COKE NOSTALGIA.

     AS FOR TREASURE OUT THERE, FOLKS, I NEVER LEAVE THIS HAVEN OF BIRCH HOLLOW, WITHOUT THE CLEAR AND PROVEN OPINION, THAT I JUST MIGHT RETURN HOME LATER IN THE DAY, WITH AN ORIGINAL TOM THOMSON SKETCH, OR A DAVID MILNE WATERCOLOR. I'D TAKE ANY GROUP OF SEVEN ART PANEL…..AND FACE IT, SO WOULD YOU. THE PROBLEM, OF COURSE, IS THAT THESE MATERIALS ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY, AND DON'T TURN UP WITH THE FREQUENCY OF SEALER JARS AND PAINT BY NUMBER CARDBOARD. BUT, THEY DO TURN UP. YOU READ ABOUT THESE CASES ONCE OR TWICE EACH YEAR. I'VE TALKED WITH MANY ANTIQUE SHOPPERS, ESPECIALLY IN OUR STORE, AND HAVE HEARD SOME OF THE MOST RIDICULOUS STORIES, ABOUT ALL THE GOOD STUFF BEING SNAPPED UP….AND THAT THERE IS NO CHANCE OF MAKING MAJOR DISCOVERIES IN THE ENTIRE PROVINCE. I WILL CORRECT THEM, IF THEY MAKE THIS TOPIC OF DISCUSSION, A SIMPLE QUESTION. OTHERWISE, SO AS NOT TO OFFEND CUSTOMERS, I WILL JUST LET THEM SATISFY THEIR NEED TO BE HEARD. THE TRUTH IS, THE ONLY ONE WITH A TRUE VESTED INTEREST IN SAYING SUCH THINGS, IS THE ANTIQUE DEALER……SO THAT COMPETITION FOR THESE POP-UP PIECES WILL DIMINISH. IF YOU TRULY BELIEVE ALL THE BEST FINDS HAVE BEEN MADE, AND THERE'S NOTHING ELSE GOOD TO FIND, THEN POSSIBLY YOU'LL STOP BUYING PIECES AT THRIFT AND SECOND HAND SHOPS……AHEAD OF US WHO KNOW THE TRUTH…..AND THAT…..CROSS OUR HEARTS AND HOPE TO DIE, THERE ARE MILLIONS OF GREAT FINDS OUT THERE, IF YOU HAVE THE PATIENCE TO STICK-IT-OUT ON THE HUNT.

THE IDEA THAT THERE IS TREASURE OUT THERE, IS WHAT KEEPS THE JUICES FLOWING

     I don't make thousand dollar finds, each time I head out on an antique hunt and gather mission. I need "smalls" and interesting pieces of vintage furniture, for our family's shop, here in Gravenhurst, so I can be tempted just like any other retailer on earth, looking for something to buy and sell for an eventual "wee" profit. I don't ever leave on an antique hunt, believing that I won't find a decent or "money" piece, for my many miles travelled. I don't impose positivism like a breath refresher. I am so positive on a daily basis, about what's out there on the hustings, that I never have a doubt in my mind that "this could be the best day of my life (in antiques of course)." I couldn't have a defeatist attitude even if I wanted to be downtrodden….because nothing I've ever done in the field of antiques, has ever set me off my mindset, that one blessed day, I'm going to haul home a multi-thousand dollar painting, or piece of exotic furniture…..maybe even a beautifully appointed Faberge Egg. When I say, "you never know," I mean it. Those who are of the opinion there are no Rembrandt's left to be donated to thrift shops, or sold off at yard sales, would be validated I suppose, when I suggest they're probably correct. There's a pretty good idea how many paintings the Dutch artist painted over a lifetime, so there may only be a few left unaccounted for…..although I doubt this is the case. The treasure folks like me look for, are generally obscure pieces, that have become "sleepers," waiting to be uncovered from the dusty inventory, and happily purchased. "Sleepers," are most often under-recognized, "not researched properly", and under-valued antiques and collectibles, in shops and antique malls etc., that experts will be able to spot as "the deal of the day," saying things like, "Holy Mackerel, this sucker is coming home!" Those who know me at area thrift shops, and charity enterprises, and some antique shops, worry about Suzanne and I using our knowledge to beat them at the pricing game. I actually had a store manager, change price stickers on furniture pieces, at the front of the shop, if and when I would stop and examine the new arrivals. Suzanne didn't believe me, when I told her what was happening. So we set a trap. I love doing this. We walked in, said hello to staff, and went right offer to a couple of nice old chairs and a pine chest of drawers, we had a minor interest in……but not at that precise moment. She wrote down the prices, and after some additional study (because we knew staff was watching), we moved down to the back of the store. When we got about thirty feet along toward the back of the building, I looked behind, as did Suzanne at the same time, and there they were……removing the price tags on the furniture, and replacing them with new ones, each with a higher price than what they had initially been marked.

     After we had looked around for awhile, I decided to confront the manager about the price swapping. I was pissed-off. I know for certain, they'd be awfully mad, if I switched the tags, putting a lesser one (removed from another item) on instead…..so how would they feel, getting caught in the act of "reaction counter-pricing." So I took the chap aside, and asked why he habitually re-priced articles after we looked at them. He hadn't thought we noticed what they were up to, and spilled the beans on their strategy. They knew if the new arrivals caught our eye, and made us stop and examine them more carefully, the ultimate judgement on pricing, would come when we gave some sort of affirmation……a look, a visible whisper between Suzanne and I, or anything else that might indicate "we're coming back for this stuff." I asked him bluntly, whether he was highly skilled in reading body language and facial expressions. No he wasn't. Neither was anyone on staff. So I asked again, just what affirmation they were getting, to inspire price increases, just because two antique dealers, happened to stop for a wee gander. He didn't have an answer, and the staff kind of disappeared from behind him. I suggested in no uncertain terms, that this was a crappy way of doing business, as it would be infinitely better, to ask for assistance on evaluation from us, than to betray customers…….all customers, by adjusting price stickers according to our professions, or the car we arrived in.  If I hadn't got an apology at that moment, I would certainly have left to never return again. I got a reasonable explanation, and suggested about a hundred things that were wrong with his and his staff's attitude. I explained very clearly, that this was discrimination against antique dealers and collectors, based on the fact we're more educated in our profession, than they are at selling vintage wares. I suggested this has been occurring since Biblical times, and is common throughout the world. We can't all be antique dealers. I want to remind readers, that I have never turned down a request for an appraisal from a charity shop, and on these occasions, I refrain from buying the article I've priced…..to avoid any perception of price fixing, or conflict of interest. If the item doesn't sell, I remind them, they are welcome to offer it to me…..but I won't make it an imposition.

     I have only ever denied one charity shop appraisals, and it came after a year's services free of charge. No matter how much good I thought I was doing, helping them out, I just couldn't agree with management's burden of policies, and strange protocols…..that made the pursuit of money the end-all. Even in my retail shop, I enjoy the social / cultural part of the business……even if the profits are lower than I might like on a regular basis. I have told a lot of shop managers, that they should at least be aware, when their pricing to the ceiling, that much of their prosperity, hinges on the visits and resulting purchases by both antique retailers and collectors. They develop odd attitudes about professionals, and think that they can push up prices……to what they found out during an online search of values, and still have the dealers and collectors purchasing as they did before. This has backfired on these shops so many times, you really would expect they'd learn their lessons. Our profession, as a retail cavalry, spends a lot of folding money, at these second hand, charity and thrift shops each year. How do they treat us. Goose the prices. The other day, I went to a charity shop I like, and couldn't believe, that management had seen fit to triple, in some cases, the prices of their used books. As a book buyer and seller, I know my values. I get so frustrated trying to help these folks, set reasonable retail prices, that now, I just decide to let them wallow in ignorance…..if this is their logical approach to good business practice. It usually dawns on them, when there are no empty spots on the book shelves after a month…..and boxes and boxes of books clogging up the store room. I had a clerk, recently, tell me to wait around, because some newly priced collectible books were coming out. So I did. And they arrived just as she had advised. Each and every one of the books, was over-priced by at least fifty to a hundred percent. Not just for me. For you. I know the value, because I've been selling books since the late 1970's. She couldn't believe I wasn't foaming at the mouth to buy these damaged, poor quality, old musty books. I might have bought a few, but what was worth two dollars to me, was priced two dollars higher. While we dealer-kind, don't expect preferential treatment, we do expect that if you, as a retailer, are going to target us, with wares, that sensibility will enter the equation. If you scare off the people who are dumping thousands of dollars into your business annually, because of greed, then expect certain failure. Come up with explanations for the financial manager of the operation, how the antique dealers let you down this particular fiscal quarter. In other words, explain the boycott of ridiculous over-pricing. Better still, suggest a new strategy, to re-price what has been over-valued, in the next quarter, for the benefit of every customer looking for fair second-hand prices.

     We went to a yard sale, one Saturday, last summer, and a lady who was participating in the event, had some interesting suitcases, my son Andrew was interested in…..for carrying some of his sound equipment for his music supply business. He can get them for a couple of bucks most of the time, and because they serve a utility purpose, he can't really afford to pay too much for each case. The lady hadn't priced a single item, in her section, and when Andrew asked the price of the two suitcases, she basically had a conniption. She knew he had a main street shop, and all she could think about, was being ripped-off by a shady antique buyer. She suggested about ten dollars each, and Andrew politely declined, and walked away. I then heard her ask a friend, why she hadn't sold anything that morning, when everyone else had. If she had been sensible, she would have cut the price in half, and Andrew would have taken the musty containers off her hands. That's what they were. Musty suitcases. Good for electronics. Terrible for fabric or clothing.

     Those operating shops, dealing with second hand merchandise, are far more worried about selling the holy grail, under-valued, than looking at the big picture, and recognizing that for every game, there is a winner. The antique hunt, for many of us, isn't as much "plain old retail"……as it is an ongoing game, of personal choice, to do better than anyone else. It is an individual recreation, that allows the best of the best to excel. I'm not going to be handicapped because I know more than the vendors in question. And just so you know, I have, on many occasions, (and Suzanne can verify this claim), put extra money in the donation jar, on their counter, or simply given more than a piece is worth, if I find a piece that is worth a substantial amount more than the asking price. I tell them what I'm doing, so there's no confusion. I can tell you for sure, I have never once in my retail life, had a customer offer me more than the asking price, because I valued it too low. And I've lived to find out, just how many hundreds of dollars I lost, when the same item was flipped, sometimes in the same day, to another buyer. You learn, very early in the antique profession, to live and let live. Price based on market values in the region you operate (or send it elsewhere, or sell online). Accept that you can't win all the time. If we didn't have the win / loss scenario in life, it would be pretty boring out there.

     Thanks for visiting today's blog. I began writing antique related blogs a year ago, as a half-serious biography, for my sons…..who know that I'm a writer and a dealer, but don't make a habit of reading my columns. I wanted them to have a record of their old dad's life and times in the antique trade, and a few secrets of the buy and sell of old things…..they might not currently know about. I had a lot of interruptions last year, so I only wrote about thirty blogs, but honestly, I could write a thousand and still have material on the back-burner. It's a fascinating industry, and because it's an ongoing treasure hunt, I couldn't possibly get bored with the enterprise and industry, of hustling through the province, looking to "win," at my chosen profession. But the stories about the antique hunt, and selling wares since the late 1970's, is much more than just trade journal jottings……crusty with cobwebs and years of dust upon dust. If Toronto Sun columnist, Paul Rimstead, had been an antique dealer as well as a writer, these are the kind of stories he would have composed for his faithful readership. My stories are full of wild and whacky stuff, because honestly, so is the business of hunting and gathering someone else's relics……for a living. Interesting situations? I've got a million of them. Including some paranormal stories you might find interesting. I don't know what God has planned for me, but I'm getting a little nervous, that I haven't been diligent enough, writing up these biographical and self-help notes…..if not for use by my sons, maybe for the grandsons and daughters yet to come. Possibly they'll think their grandfather and mother were iconic nuts, doing all this chasing around the countryside, looking for old things. On the other hand, maybe they will be of a mind, and time in history, when having family connections to real hunter-gatherers, might make for an interesting school project…..if they still have schools then. So there's lots more to tell, about antiquing and collecting, in this beautiful province and region of ours. Please join me for an adventure…..as we have known it, for all these years. Maybe by the end, you'll become a collector of acclaim yourself…….but remember, there's no turning back, once you've been bitten. It's a forever thing……like my marriage to my dear and compassionate wife. Farewell for now!