Being An Antique Dealer and Obsessive Collector

LEARNING HOW TO BUY WITH LESS AT AUCTIONS - FINDING THE WEAKNESSES AND EXPLOITING THEM

IT WAS THE ONLY WAY WE COULD MANAGE OUR PASSION FOR COLLECTING

     TO REINFORCE THE MESSAGE OF TODAY'S BLOG, I WANT TO SHARE A WEE BIT OF ANTIQUE DEALER ACTUALITY. IT ISN'T RE-TOLD FOR SHOCK VALUE. I'VE NEVER RESORTED TO THAT AS A WRITER, AND I WON'T START NOW. BUT IT IS OFTEN HOW DISCIPLINED AND OBSESSIVE WE CAN GET, IN THIS MYSTERIOUS INDUSTRY, FOLLOWING OUR HEARTS…..AND SOMETIMES EVEN OUR CONSCIENCE. I KNEW MY MOTHER MERLE WAS GRAVELY ILL ON THE MORNING WE GOT THE CALL, TO GIVE US THE HEADS-UP SHE HAD A SHORT TIME TO LIVE. SHE HAD BEEN SERIOUSLY SICK FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS, AND BEFORE THIS, IN POOR HEALTH AND OF UNSOUND MIND, FOR AT LEAST THREE YEARS. IT WAS EARLY ON A MAY SATURDAY, AND THE FOUR OF US WERE OFF TO THE HOME IN LESS THAN TWENTY MINUTES. THE NURSE HAD TOLD US, MY FATHER, HAD ASKED THAT WE NOT BE CALLED……AS HE WAS LIKE THAT…..THINKING IT WOULD DISRUPT OUR DAY. I NEVER KNEW HOW TO TAKE MY FATHER, SO I JUST DIDN'T LET STUFF LIKE THIS BOTHER ME. THANKFULLY THE NURSE DECIDED TO BREAK THIS PROMISE TO ED…..AS SHE VERY CORRECTLY SENSED, HE WAS GOING TO GET WEAK IN THE KNEES AND NEEDED FAMILY SUPPORT.

    WE GOT TO BRACEBRIDGE IN JUST OVER TWENTY MINUTES, AND AT THE JUNCTION OF SANTA'S VILLAGE ROAD AND WELLINGTON STREET, IT HAPPENED TO ME. THERE WAS A YARD SALE SIGN NAILED TO A HYDRO POLE. YOU GUESSED IT. I TURNED AT THE INTERSECTION, INSTEAD OF HEADING DIRECTLY TO THE NURSING HOME. WHAT A JERK EH? AS IT TURNED OUT, ANDREW AND ROBERT BOUGHT A COUPLE OF VINTAGE INSTRUMENTS, SUZANNE GOT SOME FABRIC PIECES AND A BLANKET, AND I GOT A SMALL PAINTING. MY JUDGEMENT WAS THIS. I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE THE LAST BREATH MY MOTHER WOULD TAKE. SHE WAS GONE FROM THAT POOR OLD BODY, LONG BEFORE THIS MORNING. I RESPECTED MY FATHER'S RIGHT TO BE LEFT ALONE WITH HIS DIEING WIFE. AND HAVING BEEN A DUTIFUL AND CARING SON, I WAS HAPPY TO THINK OF MY FAMILY…..MY MOTHER IN THE PRIME OF LIFE…..NOT IN THE TERRIBLE CIRCUMSTANCE SHE WAS IN, AT THAT MOMENT IN FAMILY HISTORY. SHE HAD BEEN IN A COMA FOR AT LEAST FOUR DAYS. SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHO I WAS, AND HONESTLY, I DIDN'T KNOW WHO SHE WAS. THE SPIRIT WAS GONE BEFORE THE FINAL BREATH, THAT I MISSED…..BUT THEN SO DID MY FATHER. MERLE HAD PASSED AWAY BEFORE ED COULD TRAVEL THE FOUR BLOCKS FROM HIS HOUSE TO THE HOME. WHEN WE FINALLY ARRIVED, HE HAD FINISHED SAYING HIS FAREWELL IN PEACE. I NEVER SAID TO HIM, "GEEZ DAD, I WOULD HAVE BEEN HERE SOONER, BUT I HAD TO STOP FOR A YARD SALE." TRUTH IS, AND I HOPE YOU CAN APPRECIATE THIS, MY INVOLVEMENT IN THE ANTIQUE AND COLLECTIBLE PROFESSION, HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN ETHEREAL ACTIVITY, IN MANY WAYS, AND IT HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF CALM AND RELAXATION DESPITE WHAT MAY APPEAR TO BE RIGOROUSLY COMPETITIVE. MY WAY OF RELAXING ON THAT MORNING, WHEN MY MOTHER TOOK HER LAST BREATH, WAS A SELFISH BUT OBVIOUS WAY FOR ME TO EASE INTO A BAD DAY AND A DIFFICULT WEEK FOR OUR FAMILY…..AND MY FATHER. AFTER SIXTY YEARS OF MARRIAGE, THE ADJUSTMENT TO BE SINGLE IS PRETTY ROUGH. AFTER THIS, I BEGAN TAKING MY FATHER ON ANTIQUE JUNKETS FOR A LITTLE RECREATION, AND IT WORKED…..AT LEAST UNTIL HE GOT HOME AND BEGAN BROODING AGAIN. I UNDERSTOOD THIS. IT ALSO REVEALED TO ME VERY POIGNANTLY, HOW I USE ANTIQUE HUNTING AS A PRESSURE RELEASE, AND FOR MY OWN MENTAL HEALTH. THIS IS HOW IMMERSED I AM IN THE PROFESSION. AND MY DECLARATION, ABOUT HOW IT HAS KEPT ME OF YOUTHFUL SPIRIT FOR A LOT OF YEARS. THIS PREAMBLE WILL SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE REST OF THIS BLOG……AND ABOUT THE DEEP IMMERSION SOME OF US HAVE COMMITTED, THAT WE WILL ALWAYS FIND HARD TO EXPLAIN AS BIOGRAPHY. IT'S INTIMATE STUFF, SO WE'LL KEEP IT THAT WAY.

     WHEN I BEGAN THIS WEE BIOGRAPHICAL PIECE, EARLY IN THIS NEW YEAR, IT WAS AS MUCH AN ADVENTURE IN SELF DISCOVERY. FOR DECADES MY WIFE AND I, AND THEN OUR BOYS, HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES. I THINK THEY'D ALL AGREE, IT WAS DEAR OLD DAD WHO DRAGGED THE REST OF THEM INTO A PROFESSION, THAT FOR ME BEGAN SHORTLY AFTER I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL, IN BRACEBRIDGE, ONTARIO. AS IT WAS HARD FOR MY SUCCESSION OF GIRL FRIENDS, DEALING WITH MY OBSESSIVE DESIRE TO ANTIQUE HUNT, IT WAS AT TIMES, PERPLEXING FOR SUZANNE….MY BRIDE.  WHO MARRIED ME FOR BETTER OR WORSE….DESPITE THE WARNING SIGNS, AND THE ANTIQUES I'D ALREADY JAMMED INTO HER SMALL APARTMENT. SHE PROBABLY HAD A DIFFICULT TIME RECONCILING LOVE AND "THE COLLECTOR GUY;" WHO BY THE WAY, ALWAYS THOUGHT, FOR GOSH SAKES, THAT IT WAS ROMANTIC HEADING-OFF DOWN THE ROAD TOGETHER, TO THE VERY NEXT ANTIQUE SALE. SUZANNE IS CERTAINLY A GOOD SPORT. SHE ALSO RECOGNIZED THAT I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING OUT THERE. AND AS SHE RESPECTED THE REALITY, I WAS ALSO WRITING ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCES FOR THE LOCAL PRESS, IT WAS DEFINITELY THE CASE, EARLY ON, OF TRADING-OFF THE BAD HABITS OF ANTIQUE HUNTING, WITH GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT OF WRITING ABOUT IT. IT BROUGHT US TOGETHER. WHEN SHE GROWLS AFTER I DRAG HOME YET ANOTHER HARVEST TABLE OR PINE CUPBOARD, I REMIND HER ABOUT OUR MANY HAPPY MOMENTS ON THE ROAD, QUESTING FOR THE HOLY GRAIL. I EXPLAIN THAT, "I DIDN'T SET OUT TO BUY THESE PIECES…..IT JUST HAPPENED." ITS THE ANTIQUE DEALER'S ESCAPE CLAUSE.

      BEFORE GETTING MARRIED, I WAS A HARD DRINKING, VERY HARD LIVING EDITOR FOR MUSKOKA PUBLICATIONS; AND I PLAYED SENIOR HOCKEY THREE TO FOUR NIGHTS EACH WEEK. I ENTERED OUR MARRIAGE THINKING I WOULD CARRY ON THIS WAY, AND AFTER MY DEAR WIFE LOCKED ME OUT OF THE APARTMENT, FOUR OR FIVE TIMES, I STARTED TO WONDER ABOUT THIS MARRIAGE THING. THE BOTTOM LINE HERE, IS THAT I MADE A DEAL, WITHOUT HAVING TO SIGN ANYTHING AWAY, OR SWEAR AN OATH THAT WOULD RESTRICT MY MOBILITY. I GRADUALLY SAID GOODBYE TO BOOZE, HOCKEY, FOOTBALL AND GOLF…..AND ALL THE SOCIALIZING THAT INEVITABLY INVOLVED. SUZANNE AGREED TO BE MY ANTIQUE HUNTING BUDDY, FOR LIFE, AND FOR MOST OF THE YEARS OF THIS LONG AND SECURE MARRIAGE, OUR RELATIONSHIP HAS INVOLVED THE "HUNT AND GATHER," AND THE "BUY AND SELL." IT EVOLVED RIGHT THROUGH THE FAMILY. NOT ONE OF US, ON THE MORNING MY MOTHER DIED, QUESTIONED WHY I TURNED LEFT AT THE YARD SALE SIGN, INSTEAD OF GOING STRAIGHT TO THE NURSING HOME. NO WE'RE NOT SOCIOPATHS. WE'RE ANTIQUE DEALERS.

     THERE WILL BE FOLKS READING THIS, WHO MIGHT DOUBT WHETHER A MARRIAGE CAN EVER BE SUSTAINED BY THE LOVE OF ANTIQUE HUNTING. I UNDERSTAND THIS. BUT IF YOU'VE READ MUCH OF MY EDITORIAL MATERIAL THUS FAR, I HAVE NEVER BEEN MUCH FOR EITHER STATUS QUO OR CONVENTION. I SAW MY PARENTS STRUGGLE CONSTANTLY WITH THEIR MARRIAGE, AND MANY OF MY FRIENDS, WHO STARTED OFF SO POSITIVE IN THEIR MARRIED LIVES, HAVE WOUND UP SEPARATED, DIVORCED, AND BROKE; HAVING UNCEREMONIOUSLY LOST THE CANADIAN DREAM OF FAMILY, HOME AND LIFESTYLE. SUZANNE AND I STARTED TRAVELING WEEKLY, ON ANTIQUE HUNTING ADVENTURES, EVEN BEFORE WE WERE MARRIED. SHE WASN'T QUITE AS ENTHUSED AS I WAS, BUT SHE DID LIKE THE FACT WE WERE SPENDING SO MUCH TIME TOGETHER…..ON THE ROAD, THEN STOPPING FOR PICNICS ALONG THE WAY, AND WORKING TOGETHER AT SALES AND IN SHOPS, TO FIND PIECES THAT WE LIKED, COULD AFFORD, AND POSSIBLY EVEN MAKE A FEW BUCKS FLIPPING SOMEWHERE ELSE. I DON'T EXPECT THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ INTO THIS STORY, JUST HOW MUCH THIS TOGETHERNESS-THING MEANT TO US OVER THE YEARS, BUT CONSIDERING THAT WE WERE MARRIED IN THE EARLY 1980'S, AND WE'VE BEEN ANTIQUING SINCE THEN, WELL…….BEING IN THIS PROFESSION HAS SOMEHOW KEPT US INTERESTED, INSPIRED, AND HAPPILY MARRIED. I'M PRETTY SURE WE ARE, BUT THEN MAYBE SUZANNE SHOULD WRITE A BLOG AS WELL, TO OFFER HER SIDE OF THE STORY.

     I DON'T THINK YOU WILL READ MANY ANTIQUE DEALER BIOGRAPHIES, THAT WILL HAVE A SEPARATE CHAPTER, ON THE ROMANCE OF THE PROFESSION. I KNOW QUITE A NUMBER OF FOLKS IN THE INDUSTRY WHO TRAVEL AND HUNT ALONE. I SEE THEM ALL THE TIME, AT SALES AND ANTIQUE VENUES WITHOUT THEIR PARTNERS. THEY SEEM MUCH LESS HAPPY ABOUT THEIR ENTERPRISE, AND I'M WONDERING IF THEY'D BE MORE CONTENT, IF A SPOUSE, OR BOYFRIEND / GIRLFRIEND WAS AT THEIR SIDE….OR LEADING THE WAY THROUGH THE SALE TABLES, HUNTING FOR INTERESTING PIECES. I'VE HAD LOTS OF PEOPLE COMMENT ABOUT THE FACT SUZANNE AND I APPEAR TO BE INSEPARABLE. IT'S NOT QUITE TRUE BECAUSE WE DO SPLINTER OFF, DEPENDING ON THE CHORES OF THE DAY. BY AND LARGE, WE WORK AS A SMALL BUT EFFECTIVE TEAM, AND WHILE THAT SEEMS A LONG WAY FROM BEING A ROMANTIC ENTERPRISE, IT IS A COMPANIONSHIP WE VERY MUCH CHERISH, REGARDLESS OF WHAT OUR TEAMING-UP APPEARS…..AS BEING BUSINESS BEFORE PLEASURE. EVERY TIME WE HIT THE ROAD, WE'RE GLAD GOD HAS GIVEN US MORE TIME TO BE TOGETHER, TO EXPERIENCE NATURE ON OUR LONG DRIVES THROUGH THE MUSKOKA HINTERLAND. WE ARE THANKFUL THAT OUR MARRIAGE HAS BECOME A WONDERFUL PARTNERSHIP, AND THAT WHILE I MIGHT SAY WE ARE ANTIQUE DEALERS, GAINFULLY EMPLOYED IN THE RETAIL SECTOR, HONESTLY, WE'RE HAVING TOO MUCH FUN AND RECREATION TO THINK OF IT AS A STRICT BUSINESS ARRANGEMENT FOR PROFIT. I THINK THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION SOLELY FOR PROFIT…….JUST DON'T EXIST. YOU DON'T GET INVOLVED IN THE BUSINESS OF BUYING AND SELLING ANTIQUES, COLLECTIBLES AND HERITAGE ITEMS, BECAUSE YOU'RE SOLELY INTERESTED IN MAKING A PROFIT. AS IT INVOLVES AN INCREDIBLE IMMERSION, AND INTENSE STUDY, PLUS A PASSION FOR HISTORICAL DISCOVERY, YOU JUST CAN'T DIVORCE YOURSELF FROM THE TRADE WHEN YOU GO HOME AT NIGHT. IT'S A LIFESTYLE. SUZANNE AND I ARE PART OF THAT LIFESTYLE, AND YET WE ARE STILL AS FOND OF EACH OTHER, AS WE BEGAN THIS MARRIAGE, WHEN ANTIQUES DID IN FACT, SEEM MORE OF A PAYING HOBBY THAN AN EVENTUAL RETIREMENT MAINSTAY.

     THE ONLY WAY TO GET GOOD AT ANTIQUE COLLECTING AND SELLING, IS TO MAKE IT A LIFE-LONG COMMITMENT. I'VE WATCHED MANY OF MY FRIENDS' MARRIAGES FALTER. I HAVE ALSO WATCHED DOZENS OF SO CALLED ANTIQUE DEALERS, CONSUMED BY GREED, DESTROYED BY THEIR OWN REFUSAL TO MARRY THE PROFESSION. BY THIS I MEAN, MAKE THE SAME COMMITMENT TO THE PURSUIT OF THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION, AS TO A MARRIAGE BETWEEN TWO CONSENTING MORTALS. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO AREN'T PRESENTLY ANTIQUE DEALERS, THIS MAY READ AS IF THE ANTIQUE TRADE IS "CULT-LIKE," WITH ITS DEMANDS ON PERSONAL SPACE, EMOTION, SPIRIT, INTEGRITY AND UNFALTERING COMMITMENT. YOU KNOW, I'VE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT, BEFORE THIS VERY MOMENT, BUT I SUPPOSE IT'S AN APPROPRIATE COMPARISON. THE PROBLEM WITH CARRYING ON THE BUSINESS, PART TIME, IS THAT IT DEMONSTRATES A WEAKNESS OF COMMITMENT. I HAVE HAD ANTIQUES ON MY MIND SINCE THE MID 1970'S. I'VE LIVED IN A WORLD OF ANTIQUES EVER SINCE, AND FOR RECREATION, I WRITE ALL KINDS OF HISTORIES IN OUR REGION. I LOVE MY WORK. BUT I ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE, THAT IN ORDER TO GET GOOD AT SOMETHING, AND HAVE IT PROSPER, EVEN IN A DIFFICULT ECONOMY, THERE'S JUST NO SHORT-CUT OF THIS COMMITMENT FOR SELF IMPROVEMENT. BEFORE YOU JUDGE THAT WE'RE ALL HOPELESS OBSESSIVES IN THIS TRADE, LET ME FIRST EXPLAIN, THAT LIKE ANYTHING YOU ENJOY IN YOUR LIVES, IMAGINE IF YOU COULD MAKE IT A PAYING, LONG TERM PROFESSION. THIS IS EXACTLY WHY MY BOYS TODAY, HAVE THEIR OWN VINTAGE MUSIC SHOP, HERE IN GRAVENHURST, ONTARIO. THEY STARTED OFF AS MUSICIANS, LOVED COLLECTING VINTAGE VINYL, EVEN AS YOUNGSTERS OWNING THEIR FIRST DISNEY PORTABLE RECORD PLAYER. WHEN THE CONSIDERED THEIR CAREER OPTIONS IN HIGH SCHOOL, THE "WHAT IFS" PULLED THEM INTO SERIOUS DISCUSSIONS, ABOUT HOW THEY COULD SENSIBLY AND WITH A WEE PROFIT, TURN A PASSION FOR MUSIC, INTO A REASONABLY LUCRATIVE CAREER. THEY DIDN'T NEED TO GO TOO FAR FOR INSPIRATION. THEY HAD APPRENTICED WITH SUZANNE AND I, AND LEARNED EARLY IN LIFE, HOW YOU COULD BUY A CHAIR FOR TEN DOLLARS AT ONE SALE, AND THEN SELL IT (AFTER A FEW UPGRADES), AT THE NEXT EVENT, FOR TRIPLE THE MONEY. THEY TRIED IT WITH THE TOYS THEY DIDN'T WANT, WHEN WE'D HOST YARD SALES HERE AT BIRCH HOLLOW….THEN RECORDS, AND AFTER A WHILE, OLD INSTRUMENTS THEY BOUGHT, REFURBISHED, AND RE-SOLD. BEFORE THEY REGISTERED INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES, IN THE SECOND HAND TRADE OF VINTAGE INSTRUMENTS AND VINYL, THEY ALREADY HAD ACCOUNTING PROOF, THAT IF THEY EXPLOITED THEIR APPRECIATION OF OLD STUFF, THEY COULD AVOID HAVING TO ANCHOR TO A MORE CONVENTIONAL PROFESSION…..EITHER IN A FACTORY OR IN AN OFFICE. ANDREW AND ROBERT CHOSE INDEPENDENCE, AND THUSLY IMMERSED THEMSELVES IN THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION. THAT WAS EIGHT YEARS AGO, AND THEY'VE BEEN EXPANDING ANNUALLY EVER SINCE. SHOULD THEY WRITE A BOOK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES? ONE DAY THEY WILL. THERE ARE LOTS OF FOLKS OUT THERE, WHO COULD DO THE SAME THING, IN THEIR AREA OF INTEREST, IF SO INSPIRED. IT WOULD BE HARD TO TEMPT OUR LADS AWAY FROM THEIR LIFESTYLE TODAY, AND EACH YEAR, SOMEONE WILL ASK FOR FIRST REFUSAL, IF THEY SHOULD EVER BE INTERESTED IN SELLING OUT. THEY LAUGH, AND AGREE, THAT IF THE DAY SHOULD EVER COME…..THAT THEY DISLIKE THEIR BUSINESS, SUCH THAT THEY COULD DIVORCE THEMSELVES FROM IT…….EVEN FOR A DAY, THEN IT WOULD TRULY BE THE HARBINGER OF A PROFOUND CHANGE OF HEART…..THAT THEY CAN'T IMAGINE AT THIS TIME IN THEIR BUSINESS HISTORY…..AND THEIR BROTHER-PARTNERSHIP.

WHY SO MANY DEALERS FAIL, EVEN WITH AMPLE RESOURCES

     It has to do with the willingness to immerse in the ongoing learning process. It requires intensity and an unfettered relationship, with the nuances and general strangeness of the enterprise in the first place. Antique hunters are, like writers, artists and musicians, a different sort, you might say, and I represent two intense profession in one body and soul……which according to my contemporaries, makes me as "crazy as an outhouse rat." I've been called worse. What you can't call me is a "sideliner," being one who likes to foray into the trade when the mood strikes. I've known a lot of sideliner individuals, who thought they could jump in and out of the antique trade when they felt like it…..or speculate on specific pieces, without really knowing their stuff. A lot of money has been lost by these half-ass dealers, who like the heritage aura of the enterprise, and the class distinction of being known as an "antiques dealer," but when it comes down to the grunt work, and homework, they would rather sip wine and socialize……talking about their quests, rather than actually preparing for them…..which veteran dealers know is like an athlete in training. Ours is pre-planning exercise; getting pumped-up for major estate purchases, buying rare antiquities, nationally significant art work, entire libraries built by astute bibliophiles, and studying advance auction lists; performing all regards of due diligence, in order not to require the use of a "crying-towel" because we made a stupid offer of purchase on a reproduction art piece, thinking it was an original but oops! I've watched the on-the-surface dealers, looking savvy at auctions, pissing away fortunes, buying frauds, copies, reprints, and broken articles, because they were too busy socializing, and acting like antique dealers, instead of actually being one……who like any business person, depends on profit to put food on the table. These stunned individuals have no idea why we…..veteran dealers, prefer to make our bids subtle and nearly invisible. They get up there, with bluster, and shout, wave and generally make fools of themselves. Yup, they get lots of attention, and it's why we like having them around. It allows us to slip under the radar, most of the time, and connect with the auctioneer without anyone in the audience focusing on our business activities. The jackasses get the attention. We get the good pieces. In a future column, I'll explain why we like to be as close to anonymous as possible, whether at auctions or at any other sale…or wandering around antique malls and galleries. Some times it's good to be known, especially if it qualifies you for some special treatment, but generally, it makes you a very big target for unwanted attention; and ridiculous behavior from those wishing to exploit what we have learned by years of tough love experience. I really don't like people who expect us to provide tutorials so they can get rich too. I've been in this profession most of my life, and as I like to remind my contemporaries…..who know the same thing, "I'm still a million bucks shy of being a millionaire." But then, we didn't become antique dealers to make a million. It was to enjoy the lifestyle we found compatible to the way we wished to live and play. So as far as short-cuts go, in this profession, my warning is the same as it always has been. Find another profession, if you can't spare the time and patience it takes, to learn everything about antiques and collectibles. Otherwise, you're just wasting time and money. I've thought about setting up a separate advisory business, designed to discourage people getting into the profession who are poorly suited to its demands. Pay me to save you money, on the heartache of finding out too late…….the antique profession is a little more ruthless and precarious than you thought. Behind the glamour of the title, "antique dealer," is the hustle you can't even imagine……but you can't avoid. The antique business, art and rare books included, is one of the most fiercely contested enterprises on earth, and yes, it has proven lethal in the past. Many times. Tomb raiders. Indiana Jones. Raising the Titanic. Pirate's Treasure. The quest for the Holy Grail? It's always on our minds, believe me. Even if we don't go to all the same extremes, heights, and depths, and take all the same risks, veterans of the antique hunt, realize the close parallels and risk factors, of everyday business.  There can be many thousands of dollars on the line with each transaction……for each discovery. So it does require courage above and beyond……and if you don't like gambling, or taking extreme risks, then instead, be the kind of antique dealer who immerses in on-going self education, and who cherishes hard core experience…..even if it gets a little messy out there. I have tried a few short-cuts in my career. It didn't work in writing, and it certainly didn't pay any dividends in the antique field. It's absolutely true what they say, about "no pain, no gain." Some of that pain, has caused even highly qualified dealers to fail, when they paid too much for too little…..betting the farm, and losing. I think about stuff like this every day, especially when a customer remarks, "one day, I'm going to open up my own antique shop."

     I don't know, at times, whether to laugh or cry for them. I love my chosen profession, but it's because I've accepted it "worts and all," and believe me, it is a storied profession dating back many centuries…..with thousands upon thousands of stranger than fiction stories attached……and oh so many Dickensian characters, rogues and all.

     If you are a dealer reading this, and you believe the above explanation to be full of nonsense, then I worry about your delusion. If you understand what I have written to be true and insightful……about something you haven't analyzed before, then your future looks hale and hardy. If I've discouraged you from opening your own shop, at this point, this may be a good thing. If it has turned you off antiques, then this would have happened sooner or later. If like me, you couldn't care less about such critiques, and you are prepared to trudge onward, out of respect for the industry, ready for the very next bone jarring quest, then you will benefit from the stories upcoming……some funny, some quite unfortunate. A few might even prove inspirational. You know, I wouldn't change anything in my life, and that includes the life-long pursuit of antiques and collectibles. Chances are, you probably feel the same. My rewards have been immense, yet not so much to do with money. When you love history as much as I do…… the joy of immersion means even more than cash on the barrel head.

     Thanks once more, for dropping in for a wee visit. I love writing about antiques, and I love having company when I'm all fired-up, about the possibilities for the coming antique hunting season. Like a veteran pool player, I'm planning shots well down the table. Speaking of being fire-up, this hearth is getting a little cooler with these frigid temperatures lately. Just a second while I toss another bit of wood atop. See you again real soon. Goodnight John Boy. Goodnight Daddy. That's right. We're the last few members of "The Waltons" fan club (here at Birch Hollow). Gosh I loved Walton's Mountain.