THE I'VE FOUND THE "HOLY GRAIL" SYNDROME - AND "I REALLY SCORED THIS TIME."
EXPERIENCED DEALERS KNOW ALL ABOUT THE "I'VE GOT A VALUABLE ANTIQUE" CLAIM
YESTERDAY, WHEN I WROTE ABOUT THRIFT AND CHARITY SHOPS, GETTING INTO THE ANTIQUE AND COLLECTIBLE BUSINESS, I REALIZED, IN RETROSPECT, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE EXPLANATION OMITTED. TO SEASONED ANTIQUE DEALERS, IT'S PROBABLY THE PIVOT OF EVERY MISCONCEPTION ABOUT RARITY AND WORTH. IT IS THE GENERAL MISCONCEPTION OF A FIND BEING EXCEPTIONAL, WHEN IN REALITY, IT'S MOST LIKELY QUITE ORDINARY, AND OF MUCH LESSER VALUE, THAN ORIGINALLY HOPED. ANTIQUE DEALERS ROUTINELY LEARN THIS EARLY IN THE FIELD ANTIQUE HUNTING. HELL WE'VE ALL COME HOME FROM FLEA MARKETS AND GARAGE SALES, BELIEVING WE HAD FOUND AN ARTIFACT FROM KING TUT'S REIGN, OR A FAMILY KEEPSAKE FROM THE ROMANOVS……MAYBE EVEN A RELIC FROM THE ROMAN EMPIRE; AT A YARD SALE ON SARAH STREET, OR AT THE ANNUAL LEGION FLEA MARKET. I'VE HAD IT HAPPEN MANY TIMES, BUT THE DIFFERENCE FOR US OLD FARTS OF THE BUSINESS, IS THAT WE KEEP IT UNDER WRAPS WHILE WE'RE INVESTIGATING THE SUBJECT PIECES. WE'VE BEEN EMBARRASSED AND HUMILIATED PREVIOUSLY, BY ANTIQUE APPRAISERS, WHO PRICKED OUR RESPECTIVE BALLOONS, SO WE VOW TO KEEP OUR FACT FINDING QUIET, UNTIL WE PROVE, WITHOUT DOUBT, WE HAVE FOUND AN ORIGINAL GROUP OF SEVEN LANDSCAPE. OR A REALLY GOOD PAINT BY NUMBERS. IT'S JUST BETTER THAT WAY. IT STOPS-UPTHE BLUSHING BEFORE IT STARTS.
THE SAME MANIFESTATION OCCURS, WITH THRIFT AND CHARITY SHOP MANAGEMENT. THEY'RE NOT TRAINED IN ANTIQUE IDENTIFICATION, AND HAVE COME TO RELY ON THE INTERNET FOR EVERYTHING, INCLUDING EVALUATIONS. WELL, THIS IS A HELPFUL TOOL, BUT IT CAN MAKE YOU A TOOL, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE HALF-ASS APPRAISAL IS ONE HUNDRED PERCENT WRONG. WHAT HAPPENS THEN, IS THEY MISREPRESENT THE ITEM, INCLUDING IN SILENT AUCTIONS, AND GULLIBLE BUYERS FALL OVER THEMSELVES TO MAKE THE PURCHASE. THERE'S A BIG PROBLEM WITH CALLING A PAINTING AN ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR, THAT TURNS OUT TO BE ONE OF A MILLION "PRINTS" PRODUCED WITH THAT SAME SCENE. NOT AN ORIGINAL. NOT OF A COMPARABLE VALUE. JUST A PRETTY PICTURE TO HANG ON THE WALL. THE PROBLEM IS, THE WINNING AUCTION PRICE, MAY HAVE BEEN FROM TWENTY TO A HUNDRED DOLLARS, FOR A PIECE OF PAPER WITH A PICTURE ON IT, INSTEAD OF A SIGNED ORIGINAL. A LOT OF FOLKS I'VE MET IN THESE SHOPS, IN CHARGE OF SETTING OUT THE AUCTION ITEMS, AND PRICING COLLECTIBLES FOR THE RETAIL OPERATION, HAVEN'T GOT THE BACKGROUND EXPERIENCE TO APPRAISE THESE VINTAGE MATERIALS. SO WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS SITUATION, IS THAT THEY PRICE HIGH….EXTREMELY SO, NINETY PERCENT OF THE TIME, WITH ONLY TEN PERCENT IN THE RANGE OF "TOO LOW."
MANAGEMENT PUTS AN IDENTIFICATION FEAR, IN THE MINDS OF SORTING STAFF, TO CATCH THE ANTIQUES AND PERCEIVED COLLECTIBLES, AND THEY MAY GET INTO TROUBLE, FOR LETTING SOME "SPECIAL" ITEMS GET THROUGH THE NET. I PROBABLY COULD GET QUITE A FEW STAFF MEMBERS IN CRAP, ALMOST EVERY TIME I VISIT THEIR SHOPS, BECAUSE LOW AND BEHOLD, MANY ITEMS OF VALUE SLIP BY THE UNTUTORED CLERKS. I WOULDN'T DO THAT TO THEM. WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY, IS THAT MANAGEMENT OF THESE STORES, OFTEN GET CAUGHT UP IN THE STORIES THEY HEAR……AND MANY ARE URBAN LEGENDS; TALL TALES OF HIGHLY VALUABLE WORKS OF ART GETTING PRICED AND PUT ON THE FLOOR, WITH THE VALUE OF A SIMPLE PAINT BY NUMBERS. I'M NOT SUGGESTING THIS HASN'T HAPPENED, BECAUSE IT MOST DEFINITELY HAS…..AND I'VE MADE MANY FINDS OF CANADIAN ART, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT SHOULD HAVE AND WOULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT, IF THE SHOPS HAD EMPLOYED THOSE TRAINED IN ANTIQUE EVALUATIONS…….OR AT LEAST THOSE WITH EXPERIENCE IN BUYING AND SELLING ANTIQUES. BUT WHAT HAPPENS, IS THAT THE MEDIA GETS A HOLD OF ONE OF THESE STORIES, SUCH AS "JACKSON POLLOCK MILLION DOLLAR PAINTING FOUND AT YARD SALE," AND THE WHOLE SECOND HAND RETAIL SECTOR GOES BANANAS, AND OVER-PROTECTS EVERYTHING……IMPULSIVELY INSISTING THAT ALL PAINTINGS AND PRINTS, MUST BE VETTED (SCREENED) BEFORE THEY HIT THE FLOOR. THIS OBSESSION CAUSES A LOT OF ISSUES, AND BAD BUSINESS; BECAUSE SUSPICIOUS ITEMS ARE MISTAKENLY IDENTIFIED, AND BECAUSE SILENT AUCTION ITEMS ARE BEHIND GLASS…..(AND STAFF WON'T REMOVE THEM FOR INSPECTION), IT IS A PROFOUNDLY "BUYER BEWARE" SITUATION…..OF WHAT TO BELIEVE AND WHAT CLAIMS TO BE SKEPTICAL OF. WHILE I CAN TELL A PRINT FROM AN ORIGINAL ART PIECE, OR A REPRODUCTION, A MAJORITY OF THE POTENTIAL BIDDERS ON THOSE MISREPRESENTED ITEMS, HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE…..BUT ARE WILLING TO GAMBLE…..AND FREQUENTLY, YUP, THEY LOSE. THEN WHEN THESE FOLKS RETURN TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE, WITH OUR APPRAISAL FRESH IN THEIR MINDS, THEY ARE TOLD "NO RETURNS," AND "NO ONE FORCED YOU TO BID." THEY'RE RIGHT. AS MUCH AS I HATE THIS COMPANY PROTOCOL, IT'S LEGITIMATE; THEY'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, TO SUGGEST YOU HAD THE OPTION TO WALK-ON-BY THE AUCTION CABINETS. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF I FOUND THAT THEY HAD MISREPRESENTED A PIECE, AND CONCEALED SOMETHING THEY SHOULD HAVE REVEALED, SUCH AS UNSEEN DAMAGE, I WOULD HAVE NO RESERVATION TAKING IT BACK FOR A REFUND. ACTUALLY, EVEN BEFORE I PAY FOR ANY OF THESE ITEMS, I INSPECT THEM FOR DAMAGE OR EVIDENCE THEY ARE REPRODUCTIONS, BUT WERE SOLD AS ORIGINALS. I HAVE ONLY BID IN A FEW SILENT AUCTIONS IN MY LIFE, AND ON ONE OCCASION, IT WAS FOR A NICE PIECE OF CANADIAN ART I HAVE ALREADY EVALUATED AND AUTHENTICATED. THUS I ELIMINATED ALL RISK TO MYSELF, AND STUCK TO A STRICT CEILING FOR MY BIDDING……WHICH HAD TO BE RAISED FIVE TIMES BEFORE THE END OF THE SALE. I STILL HAD A HUNDRED BUCKS WORTH OF ROOM TO GO.
WHERE THE MISTAKES ARE PERPETUATED
As I go back in the antique trade, to the late 1970's, I have experienced many curious encounters, with those who adamantly believed they had found a lost masterpiece, or who purchased a rare first edition of "Gone With The Wind." I have broken a lot of hearts. Crushed a lot of high hopes. Dashed wishful thinking, time and time again. I had a woman approach me, one day a year or so back, because she was told by the second-hand store's clerk, I was an antique expert, and could give her a ball-park appraisal of a very old map she possessed. Rule one. Tell those folks who direct others to you, for quickie appraisals, to cease and desist. Secondly, I will never give an appraisal, ball park, or on-the-money, for any alleged antique piece that is sight-unseen. So when this lady imposed on me, to give her a value of this historic map, I grimaced at first, scowled at the clerk who had sent her my way, and then asked, out of courtesy, for her to describe the map to me. It took about fourteen seconds, to recognize that it was a modern era copy of an old map, worth next to nothing, except to hang on a wall to hide a big hole in the drywall. When someone comes into our family shop, and blurts, "I made a really big score," I know right then, this is going to involve me attempting to explain, that in all likelihood, they have a twentieth or later issue of "Gone With The Wind," "Wizard of Oz," or "Alice in Wonderland." The list is a huge one, of vintage pieces, that have been copied millions of times, and then sold off as originals in second hand shops all over the world. Things that look old, to the possessor, but are newly copied to look vintage. I feel sorry for these folks, because I know how much of a thrill it can be, to find a legitimately valuable antique or sought-after collectible….such as a Rolex watch. While I'm not a Rolex expert or buyer, I know a fraud when I handle one. I've had many folks in tears, finding out they were ripped off by someone, who misrepresented a piece as being an original, that was at best, a poor quality copy. This is what happens in our trade, and the precise reason why it is precarious, for thrift and charity shops, to be dabbling in a field they know so little about…..and then routinely and recklessly goosing the prices of these supposed antiques, when a professional in the industry, would identify it expediently as a copy, fraud, or general piece of crap.
My lads Andrew and Robert, in the field of vintage vinyl, (records) and old musical instruments, deal with this dilemma four or five times every week of the year. They will have someone come in with some records, and even before Robert can have a look-see, the owner will claim he or she has a very "rare and valuable" record. One day recently, that meant an "Al Hirt" record. Sometimes its a "Mills Brothers" album; or a Walt Disney collection for children. It's a job, Robert admits, "is nasty business some times," because the crushing reality is, the records are usually worthless. This relates to the law of supply and demand. There are too many of these records and too few people buying them. What most of these folks do next, is to berate us for not knowing the business…..and how dare Robert refute what someone close to them had appraised, as the current book price for the record. Usually, they've read the book wrong. Got their lines crossed. We can trace some of these improper representations back to thrift and charity shops, who put them in auctions with much more daring descriptions, than we would offer under the same circumstances. These disgruntled record-holders, leave our shop with sad faces, after coming in, all full of vim and vinegar, thinking we were going to pay them fifty bucks for a damaged, scratched, fungus laden, warped record, just because it was Elvis on the cover.
There is a fear amongst hobby antique hunters, of finding a valuable piece, and then getting ripped off on its value. It happens. I have evidence it occurs, and some times more frequently than you might think. Some times, and I hate to admit it, unscrupulous dealers will low-ball or misrepresent a valuation. It's why, when someone comes to me for an evaluation, I will tell them bluntly, that if I give an appraisal it will only be ball-park, and nothing to "bank on." Just a helpful clue to continue their research work. I am very good at appraising Muskoka related antiques and collectibles, but that's it. I am not trained to do appraisals for insurance purposes. On the retail side, I am perfectly capable of evaluating the pieces I sell. So when someone approaches, wishing me to make a purchase from them, I ask them first of all, what they would like to see in the way of a purchase price. I let them know, that I don't low ball, and I won't counter-offer. I trained this way, as a rookie, with an antique dealer I trusted very much, who put reputation in the industry well above acquisition-at-the-lowest-cost. And to avoid any perception of dishonesty, I let the possessor identify the purchase price, without any influencing explanation on my part…..other than, "I will respect the price you are asking." In all my years in the antique profession, I've never once been let-down by this strategy. If I can afford your asking price, and fits with what I consider an acceptable mark-up to meet our expectations running a shop, then we will have a deal. They're happy. I'm the new owner. As I have always practiced, these same people can return to my shop, and if the piece is still in my possession, when they return, they will be able to see that the price of the article has increased one hundred percent. So if I paid twenty bucks for the item, it will be on sale for $40. This of course hinges on it being worth $40 in the first place, and a fair deal to anyone I might sell it to in the future. I would never triple the amount, because it would reflect poorly on my sense of fair play. Considering that a large volume of retail goods can't withstand a doubling of price, from the retail cost, to appeal to the marketplace (such as with grocery items), I think a hundred percent, in the antique trade, is still a reasonable increase. This isn't to suggest we are restrained from adding a four thousand percent increase, if it is warranted to meet market value. But most of us wouldn't do such a thing to someone selling us an antique over the counter. This is bad business.
There are times when, for example, we might buy a piece of art at a yard sale, for ten dollars, (paying the asking price) and judge that it has a market value of one hundred dollars. We won't offer any apology for this kind of market based increment. It's our reward for being good at the hunt and gather, and in tune with market values for art of a comparable style and size. The difference here, in contrast to thrift and charity shops, is that we will defend our pricing when asked, not solely based on what we found on the internet, or in a couple of outdated price guides….but what we know from multiple sources of research, and what our experience suggests, based on the sale of similar items. We are always cross referencing market values, and the reason dealers shop with dealers, is not only to buy and sell, but to share information. When it comes to buying, especially when dealers are forced to make an offer, it is always a difficult situation, if there is no standard to adhere…..such as the case for buying time pieces, for example, where there are guidelines and current evaluations, so that pay-out scales are more transparent. Gold purchasing is a good example. Where there is no guideline, there's a lot of room for manipulation, and although I hate to admit it, there are, and have always been rogues and scoundrels, associated with the antique profession. Charles Dickens wrote about these characters he knew existed in real life. Opportunist gadabouts, who would buy and sell anything to make a profit. All of us in the antique trade, have had to live-down those characterizations, and the rogue and scoundrel thing. There are a lot of fine people in our trade, who treat customers with fairness and respect for the integrity of the profession. And obviously, there just as many in the thrift and charity shop sector, who are faithfully honest, and would never purposely misrepresent an antique as authentic…..if it wasn't. Unfortunately, it's often store policy that causes the problems.
There's just no substitute for appropriate research, and paid-for appraisals, to determine the market and insured value of special pieces. Before you sell…..get advice first. Know if you've got the genuine article, a copy or outright fraud.
Thanks once again, for taking the time out of your busy day, to join me here at Birch Hollow. It's going to be a cold, cold night, so I've got to rustle up some more wood for the fire. Please visit again, soon. See you again, friends!
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