THE ABRIDGED VERSION OF ANTIQUES FOR FUN AND PROFIT? IT DOESN'T EXIST! IT WILL NEVER EXIST!
WHY ISN'T THERE A SHORT-CUT, TO UNDERSTANDING ANTIQUES, COLLECTIBLES AND THEIR EVALUATIONS?
I HAVE BOOKS THAT WERE WRITTEN TO SUMMARIZE THE "INS" AND "OUTS" OF THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION. WHEN I WAS STARTING OUT IN THE BUSINESS, IT'S TRUE THAT I WANTED TO FAST TRACK MY WAY INTO THE ACTIVE BUY AND SELL, WITH AS LITTLE RISK AS POSSIBLE. SO I BOUGHT THESE STUPID, WEAKLY RESEARCHED, UNDER PREPARED GUIDE BOOKS, THAT BASICALLY TOLD THE READER TO "GO OUT AND HAVE A GOOD TIME ANTIQUE HUNTING." I HAVE THROWN FIFTY OF THESE BOOKS AWAY, IN THE PAST YEAR…..SOME THAT I HAD PURCHASED AS A GREENHORN, AND OTHERS PURCHASED IN AUCTION JOB-LOTS THAT I PUT ON SHELVES, VERSUS BEING TOSSED, AS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN, IN RECYCLING BAGS. THIS IS A PRECARIOUS, DANGER-FILLED PROFESSION, ALTHOUGH YOU WON'T FIND ANY OF THAT STUFF IN THESE "GOOD TIMES WERE HAD BY ALL" PUBLICATIONS……THAT DON'T ADDRESS IN ANY MEANINGFUL WAY, JUST HOW MUCH MONEY YOU CAN LOSE BY BUYING FRAUDULENT ITEMS, DISGUISED AS THE REAL MCCOY. IF YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT THAT KIND OF THING, AND YOU WANT TO AVOID THESE EXPENSIVE PITFALLS, THEN YOU BUY THE APPROPRIATE BOOK. NOT THE BOOKLETS THAT PAINT THIS ROMANTIC IMAGE OF AUCTION HOPPING AND FLEA MARKET BROWSING. NUTS AND BOLTS BOOKS, WRITTEN BY AUTHORITIES. THAT'S WHAT IS MOST NEEDED. AND FOLKS, THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS TO ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, AND AFTER THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE PROFESSION, AND HAVING BEEN BURNED MANY TIMES, FOR SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF MONEY, THE LEARNING CURVE ISN'T REALLY A CURVE AT ALL. IT IS ENDLESSLY UPWARDS, AND NO MATTER HOW SMART YOU THINK YOU ARE, THE FRAUDSTERS ARE USUALLY ONE STEP AHEAD…..AND THEY WILL PLAY TO YOUR VANITY, AND FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY.
I HAVE KNOWN DEALERS WHO WOULD, BASED ON A BIG DEAL THAT CAME THEIR WAY, TOTALLY ABANDON COMMON SENSE, AND BYPASS THE NETWORK OF AUTHORITIES THEY COULD HAVE CONSULTED, BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO ELIMINATE ANY COMPETITION. THEY DIDN'T WANT TO GIVE UP THEIR SHARE OF THE FIND, BY HAVING TO ENLIST THE HELP OF THOSE WITH SPECIALIST QUALIFICATIONS. THEN AFTER THE DEAL IS DONE, THE MONEY SPENT, THIS IS WHEN THESE OVER-CONFIDENT DEALERS CONSULTED THE EXPERTS……TO SHOW BOAT, AND FIND OUT JUST HOW MANY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS THEY'D WON ON THIS DEAL OF DEALS. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, I WAS ALWAYS A CONTENTED OBSERVER, WATCHING THE HORRORS UNFOLD. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PAINFULLY CAUTIOUS, AND WITH THE KIND OF PERSONAL CARNAGE I'VE SEEN UP CLOSE, WELL SIR, I'M NOT CHANGING MY STRATEGY ON THE BUY AND SELL……ESPECIALLY ANYTHING OUT OF MY RANGE OF EXPERTISE. AND THAT'S A LOT OF TERRITORY. WHEN THEY ARE TOLD THEY HAVE OVER-PAID FOR ITEMS OF POOR QUALITY, OR HAVE PURCHASED REPRODUCTIONS, THAT WERE SOLD AS ORIGINALS, THEN THEIR REACTION IS QUITE PREDICTABLE; "OH YEA, WELL YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT." WITH BIG EGOS COMES UNWILLINGNESS TO ADMIT DEFEAT EITHER. BY THIS POINT, IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER WHAT THEY THINK, BECAUSE IT'S WHAT WE KNOW. THE DANGER ZONE HERE, IS THAT I'VE WATCHED MANY OF THESE SAME DEALERS, WHO GOT STIFFED WITH REPROS, TRY TO DUMP THEM ON OTHER UNSUSPECTING DEALERS AND THEIR CUSTOMERS. THIS ISN'T JUST A MODERN DAY SITUATION EITHER. I HAVE A BIOGRAPHY OF A BRITISH ANTIQUE DEALER, FROM THE EARLY 1900'S, I HAVE REFERENCED BEFORE, THAT POINTS OUT SEVERAL SITUATIONS WHERE AUCTION BUYERS (DEALERS) GOT STUCK WITH FRAUDS…….WITH INSIGHTS OFFERED, ON HOW THEY AVOIDED SWALLOWING THE LOSS (WHEN THEY FOUND OUT THEY'D BEEN HAD) …….BUT RATHER, TRANSFER IT TO SOMEONE ELSE. IT COULD GO ON INDEFINITELY, BUYING AND SELLING FRAUDULENT ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES, IN EACH CASE, JUST TO MAKE UP FOR THE GLARING MISTAKE.
THERE ARE REPRODUCTION ENTERTAINMENT POSTERS ALL OVER THE PLACE IN OUR REGION, AND I HAVE BEEN TIPPED OFF A NUMBER OF TIMES, ABOUT THE PREVALENCE OF THESE COPIES FROM ANTIQUE SHOPS TO SHOWS…..AND BEING SOLD ONLINE AND ELSEWHERE. MY SNITCHES HAVE GIVEN ME LOTS OF EXAMPLES, SHOULD I EVER BE OFFERED ANY OVER THE COUNTER. I KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR, AND ESPECIALLY THE DIFFERENCE OF THE PAPER STOCK USED ON THE ORIGINALS. SEEING AS I WAS EMPLOYED IN THE PRINT INDUSTRY, AND HAD MY MORNING COFFEE, WHILE SITTING WATCHING THE HERALD-GAZETTE PRESSES RUNNING OFF CUSTOMER ORDERS, I LEARNED A LOT BY CASUAL IMMERSION…..AND THAT INCLUDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAMPLE THE PAPER STOCK FOR ADVERTISEMENTS (POSTERS), AND APPRECIATE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT CAME OFF A HOT PRESS, AND WHAT CAME OUT OF A PHOTOCOPIER. NOW I'VE TRIED TO PASS THIS INFORMATION ALONG TO SOME OF MY CONTEMPORARIES, AND SOME GREENHORNS, WHO DISMISS ME WITH GENERAL ABRUPTNESS, BECAUSE THEY HONESTLY FEEL, THEY KNOW EVERYTHING TO KEEP THEMSELVES ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES, A CUSTOMER HAS APPROACHED ME WITH WHAT THEY BELIEVE IS THE HOLY GRAIL OF MUSKOKA POSTERS, ONLY TO BE TOLD, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT WHATEVER THEY PAID FOR IT, WAS WAY TOO MUCH FOR A MODERN PHOTO-COPY. THEY GET MAD, DISMISS ME AS A JEALOUS JERK, AND HEAD OFF DOWN THE HALL, STARING AT THEIR TREASURE, UNDOUBTEDLY LOOKING FOR SOMEONE…..ANYONE, WHO WILL VALIDATE THERE POSTER AS GENUINE. THEY MIGHT EVEN RETURN TO WHERE THEY MADE THE PURCHASE, BUT THEN, THAT'S WHERE THE PROBLEM BEGAN IN THE FIRST PLACE. THEY'RE ONLY GOING TO SAY WHAT THE CUSTOMER WANTS TO HEAR……"CURRIE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT. HE'S JUST JEALOUS BECAUSE HE DOESN'T HAVE THESE ORIGINAL POSTERS IN HIS SHOP." THINK I'M KIDDING. IT'S NOT JUST POSTERS. GADS, THE FRAUDS AND REPRODUCTIONS OUT THERE ARE IN ALMOST EVERY COLLECTING FIELD.
SOMETIMES I GET A LITTLE WORDY. I'M GETTING OLD, AND I FORGET MY PLACE…..SO I RAMBLE ON
A well meaning young chap, who recently tuned into my blog for some general information on antiques and collectibles, commented to me today, that my copy was substantially long……maybe even breaking some code of conduct in the blog-writing business. He also caught me off guard by suggesting I was "long winded," and I wasn't at all sure what he meant by that, because it's generally a reference one says about the visiting preacher, who goes on a half hour longer than the church first-stringer. Or the university professor who goes on and on and on, with far too many words and not enough significant meaning. I've been in that lecture hall…..in that congregation, and I've also been the wind-bag at the podium. Hey, I get the message. Obviously, this chap would feel better if I wrapped my blogs up with half the words, but a higher concentration of facts. Cut those damn adjectives. I don't believe this individual was being overly critical, and he wasn't out of line, except with the long-winded reference, which does have an oral relevance more so, than to critique the fact I write too much for the common good.
I have waited thirty-five years to write this biographical piece, but then I can't expect him to feel sorry for me, because I've waited more than three decades to get this stuff off my chest. The choice of blog probably wasn't the best selection of medium, but you know, I've never only colored within the lines, and although I'm only a half rogue most of the time, this is that "half of the time." In the antique and collectible profession, there is a huge need for education and in my opinion, a lot more mentorship and tutoring than goes on at present. Go to an antique show, get a rough idea of the age of vendors, and average it out over thirty to fifty booths, and I guarantee you, the average age won't be 35. I've been at shows this year, when that number was nearly double. We are an aging profession, and it is alarming to me, to see so few young people joining our rank and file. Who will take over this historic profession when we're gone?
This blog, being biographical, was initially planned for my sons, Andrew and Robert, so that when the old timer is gone, they will at least have his copious notes, about the intricacies of the antique profession that they thought they knew……but not really. Like the fellow who thought my writing was long-winded, I know my lads, as considerate and patient as they are, get bored hearing my tales of long-ago adventures, and some important misadventures. I've been spinning my tales, only to look over, and see Robert's eyelids closing, and Andrew yawning. So I simply decided that if I wrote of my experiences, over three and a half decades, they could one day, break it down into manageable portions, for bed-time reading. By experience, they know dad could always put them to sleep. The bigger reason, for doing this much material, is my concern about younger folks getting involved in the profession, having little money to risk making purchase…..some inevitably making poor choices, and not having some ground level, unpretentious advice on how to succeed, without too many misadventures. In other words, it's a better thing to learn from my mistakes, than to go along blindly, falling for scams, and getting sucked into major purchases of ill-gotten materials. Oh yes, it's real important to understand just how often one encounters a thief……trying to sell you stolen antiques, and then, when you're not watching, taking what they can conceal of yours. I have not had this situation rear its ugly head so far in this new shop, in Gravenhurst, but in other locations, it was a weekly interaction I despised. I will write about this down side in future blogs. I'll try to keep them shorter for those who like their editorials measured in words, not pounds.
I have had experiences in the antique profession that would curl your hair, and not because of any apparition that happened to show up at my counter. I've had the criminal element staring at me, with three feet between us, and you just never know how they're going to take the bad news, that you're not going to buy their wares on this day. Some of these characters are adverse to the word "no". If I ever polished my gift for gab, it was facing-off against these customers, trying to sell stolen items, and surviving. What a nice thing to hear, as they leave the store…."He was such a friendly sale's clerk." Meanwhile, I'm saying a little prayer of thanks, for getting through another over the counter crisis. Here's the thing about this; it's very difficult to then phone the police and have these folks investigated for theft….just on a hunch. If, as used to happen a lot, we would be given of a list of stolen items to watch for, this was a different story. I had a few of these incidents that I reported to police, but each time, I did worry about retaliation, if the perpetrator figured out we had snitched to the fuzz. I had great fear that Suzanne would be minding the shop, with one or both of the boys in the back, when these unhappy campers returned to express their outrage. It did happen but I was there to catch the heat.
There are a lot of people who have a periphery knowledge of antiques and collectibles. Some think they can fast-track knowledge, by immersion alone. Others are satisfied to learn by experience, and feel that reading the tomes of the old, won't make any difference to how they operate on the hustings, with the hunt and gather. These are the folks, who time and again, buy those reproduction posters I was mentioning earlier, and then argue with me about their originality. So when they don't like what they hear, or the nature of the critique, they resort to the age old practice of dumping the repro on some other unsuspecting bloke, who also believes antique and collectible folks tell no fibs. Well, if you were a student of the antique profession as I have been these many years, you would know just how ingrained the scoundrel quality is, in the history and tradition of the old-stuff buy and sell. There are all kinds of ways to justify passing off "a dog" (a bad buy) to someone else…..almost as if it's a quality of education within the profession, to help weather the underlings by exposing them to adversity and disreputable conduct.
I remember a lady coming to my counter one day, and confronting me about a picture I had sold her the week before, and the claim that it had been an original watercolor. She showed me the picture, and I remember selling it to her. So there was no question I was the clerk in charge, when this event transpired. The only defense I had, was that the item belonged to another dealer, who rented a room from us, and she was responsible for pricing and identifying her inventory accordingly. The woman looked at me sternly, and then winked, saying "I wasn't mad about it, because I bought it for the frame, but I just wanted you to know that it was incorrectly identified." What do you do? I was prepared to refund the money. Well, she didn't want a refund, but she did want a second picture from the room, that was most definitely an original water color of a small ship. I did what I thought was best for our customer trust. I gave a substantial discount and thanked her for letting us know of the problem. Here's the real problem. It got past me in the first place. It was one thing that my dealer colleague had improperly labelled the painting, but quite another, for an art collector, to have let it sneak by, when I had it in my hands to wrap at the time of purchase. Even today, with so much water under the proverbial bridge, I still get caught on this from time to time…..and it is always so embarrassing to a veteran.
There is not short-cut to learning about antiques. It's not possible. And when there is a shortfall of knowledge, there is always the looming danger of over-pricing, and getting called on it; under pricing, and watching happy campers jumping for joy out the shop door; buying frauds, reproductions, and stolen goods because you missed that particular tutorial……that might have saved you some distress. Veterans in our profession, all know what it's like to win. As well, they know what it's like to lose. To get burned, which can result in the loss of thousands of dollars. Immersion works most of the time, and we can attest to its inherent value. But truthfully, there is no abridged or condensed version……and those with the advantage always, with any vendor - customer showdown, is the one with most education and experience in their respective field. If I try to share too much, it's out of an honest concern about the future of our profession, and the sustainability of a profession that dates back centuries. In this blog to date, I have shared the names of my mentors, and offered editorial insights from books that I depended on in the early going of my career. I have never once felt any imposition, learning from those who have broken trail…..at their own peril. I feel obligated to share as they have, because it's for the good of the profession overall…….when we have people pricing antiques and collectibles who have the background to do it responsibly. It's a far more complicated business to be in, than some believe……and for that reason, I will share a story in tomorrow's blog, about my bibliophile friend, Dave Brown's encounter with a book buyer at an estate sale, who was packing heat to protect his purchases. Can it get this aggressive? I once visited an antique shop near Daytona Beach, Florida, and was met with a shotgun toting dealer, making sure I was the kind of customer who wasn't planning on robbing her. Why would they rob her? You see, that's the thing about antiques. They can be worth a fortune. It is true what they say……money can change everything. I'll provide some examples if you don't mind a long winded explanation. Just kidding.
Thanks very much for visiting this blog today. I feel greatly honored by your ongoing support of this daily blog about antiques and collectables, and occasionally about my hometown here in the beautiful hinterland of South Muskoka. According to one local councillor though, I've kind of lost my edge, from the days when I was a political animal. Having an edge didn't fix a thing, but it did demonstrate to me, how easy it is for political types to avoid criticism altogether. Sharp edge or dull, local politicians weren't interested in views from the cheap seats. So I moved on to something else that I could be long winded about. See you again soon.
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