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| Muskoka-Parry Sound M.P. Tony Clement will open Saturday evenings concert with Faye Blais and Tricia Foster. Tickets still available. Concert takes place at St. James Anglican Church, Gravenhurst starting at 8 pm |
GETTING AN OLD BOOK AND EPHEMERA SHOP UP-AND-RUNNING - NOT SO EASY!
BUILDING BACK AN INVENTORY - WELL, IT WILL BE THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
THERE IS A VERY REAL CONCERN, BY OPPONENTS, WORK ON THE BALA DAM PROJECT, IS GOING TO START AS EARLY AS THE FIRST OF NEXT WEEK. THE TIME FOR PROTEST IS RUNNING OUT. GRAVENHURST GOT TO PLAY A MINOR ROLE TODAY, IN A HUGE PROTEST SPILLING OVER FROM ANOTHER TOWNSHIP. INSTEAD OF BEING ANGRY ABOUT WHAT WAS PROBABLY SEEN, BY SOME, AS AN INTRUSION ON FOREIGN SOIL, I THINK GRAVENHURST CITIZENS GENERALLY, SHOULD WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE, AS THEY SAY. THERE'S A LOT TO BE LEARNED FROM THIS CITIZEN FIGHT FOR THE NATURAL INTEGRITY OF THE BALA FALLS.
MY SIDE BAR STORY FOR THE DAY; BAGPIPER PROTESTS BALA DAM PROJECT, DURING AFTERNOON PERFORMANCE - WITH SOLITARY MARCH - IN THE OPERA HOUSE SQUARE, UPTOWN GRAVENHURST. PRETTY SURE THIS IS AN ENDORSEMENT OF THE HIGH TRAFFIC POTENTIAL, ON OUR MAIN STREET, EXPECTED DURING THE PILGRAMAGE TO BALA THIS WEEKEND, FOR THE ANNUAL CRANBERRY CELEBRATION. GUESS THIS IS WHY THE BALA PROTEST HAS COME TO OUR TOWN; TO GET THE VISITING PUBLIC AND COTTAGERS INTERESTED; BECAUSE FRANKLY, GRAVENHURST DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF PULL POLITICALLY, TO STOP A DAM-BUILDING VENTURE, IN A NEIGHBORING TOWNSHIP. THE CITIZENS HERE ARE AS MIXED ABOUT IT, AS ANYWHERE ELSE. BUT THERE'S NOT MUCH FERVOR IF THAT'S WHAT THE BAGPIPER WAS TRYING TO DETERMINE, OR RAISE BY THE SCOTTISH SKIRL ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON. CURIOUS TO SEE HOW OUR LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS HANDLE THIS PROTEST, IN OUR PUBLIC SQUARE, OUT FRONT OF THE OPERA HOUSE, AND THE CARNEGIE BUILDING ON MUSKOKA ROAD. SEND SOMEONE ELSE TO DISPATCH THE PIPER? THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! OR JUST LET HIM PLAY, AND PROTEST, UNTIL HE FEELS HE HAS ADEQUATELY MADE THE POINT INTENDED. SHOULD INVITE HIM OVER FOR A POP, BUT THEN WE'D START A DISTRICT INCIDENT; AND WE'RE ALREADY CONSIDERED SUPREME POOP-DISTURBERS IN THE BUSINESS NEIGHBORHOOD. I ADMIRE THE PIPER'S DETERMINATION TO SPREAD THE WORD. IT IS A PUBLIC SQUARE AFTERALL. SEEING AS WE DON'T HAVE A "SPEAKER'S CORNER," DESIGNATED, LIKE LONDON'S "HYDE PARK," MAYBE WE SHOULD GET THE NEW COUNCIL TO PITCH IN SOME TAX DOLLARS, (WHY THE HELL NOT) AND BUY A REALLY NICE, OLD FASHIONED WOODEN "SOAP BOX," TO OFFER PROTESTERS, OR THOSE WHO WISH TO SPEAK THEIR MINDS, AND SET OUT A CORNER OF THE PROPERTY FOR THE EXERCISE OF FREE SPEECH. IF WE DID IT SOONER THAN LATER, CANDIDATES FOR MUNICIPAL OFFICE COULD CLIMB UP THERE, AND GIVE US THEIR PLATFORMS AND EXPECTATIONS, ALL THE LIVE LONG DAY. WHAT'S TO FEAR ABOUT THAT? WE MIGHT JUST LIKE WHAT WE HEAR!
BACK ON THE OLD PAPER TRAIL - AND IT FEELS LIKE I NEVER LEFT
IT'S LIKE THE VETERAN HOCKEY GOALTENDER, WHO RETIRED YOUNG, BUT STILL HAD SOME VIGOR LEFT, FOR A FEW MORE GOOD YEARS TENDING THE PIPES. WELL, IT'S LIKE THIS. THE KNEES AND HIPS NEGATED A RETURN TO HOCKEY, BUT AS FAR AS BOOK AND PAPER COLLECTING, ALL I NEEDED TO ACCOMMODATE TO GET BACK INTO PLAY, WAS TO PROMISE SUZANNE I WOULD NEVER AGAIN RETURN TO BIBLIOMANIA. I GAVE UP BOOZE EXACTLY THE SAME WAY, WHEN I CAME HOME ONE NIGHT, WITH A GIRL'S PHONE NUMBER'S NAME WRITTEN ON MY SHIRT SLEEVE (NO IDEA HOW THAT HAPPENED) SMELLING LIKE A BREWERY, AND MY BAG WAS PACKED AND WAITING AT THE DOOR. I'M NOT A QUICK LEARNER BUT EVENTUALLY I GET THE MESSAGE. OR GETTING A KICK IN THE ARSE FIRST, ASKED TO PICK UP THE PACKED BAG, SECOND.
AS I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT SEVERAL TIMES RECENTLY, I HAVE RETURNED AS A BOOK COLLECTOR / DEALER, AND EPHEMERA HUNTER-GATHERER, AFTER A LENGTHY HIATUS. I TURNED AWAY FROM MY BOOK OBSESSION, (OUT OF FEAR OF DIVORCE) FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, BUT MOSTLY BECAUSE SUZANNE PUT HER FOOT DOWN, AND DEMANDED HER RIGHTS AS ONE OF THE TWOSOME OWNING OUR HOUSE. SHE GRACIOUSLY AGREED, I COULD HAVE BOOKS OCCUPYING FIFTY PERCENT OF THE HOUSE, BUT AS I WAS WELL PAST SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT, AND SCATTERED THROUGHOUT, SOMETHING HAD TO GIVE, OR I WAS GOING TO BE ASKING YOU FOLKS FOR A GUEST BEDROOM IN WHICH TO CRASH - FOR SEVERAL MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS. WHEN I STARTED GOING THROUGH THE BOOKS, AND SELLING A MAJORITY OF MY PRIVATE STASH OFF, AS WELL AS DONATING SEVERAL THOUSAND, (RECYCLING SEVERAL THOUSAND ON TOP OF THIS), I STARTED TO UNDERSTAND JUST HOW EXCESSIVE I HAD BECOME. HAVING WRITTEN THE BIOGRAPHY OF A BOOK HOARDER, DAVID BROWN, GOSH, I WAS FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS. DAVE WAS A SMART MAN, TEACHER, OUTDOOR EDUCATOR, AND ONE OF THE MOST KNOWLEDGABLE BIBLIOPHILES I'VE EVER KNOWN, BUT HE WENT WAY TOO FAR BUILDING A COLLECTION. IT COST HIM HIS MARRIAGE. I ADMIRED DAVE, BUT I THOUGHT I KNEW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIM AND I; AND I REALLY DIDN'T THINK THERE WERE ANY PARALLELS. UNTIL, THAT IS, I STARTED TO DEAL WITH THE OVER-BURDEN OF TWENTY YEARS IN THE ANTIQUE AND OLD BOOK PROFESSION. I WAS BUYING MORE THAN I COULD SELL. WHEN WE SHUT DOWN OUR BRACEBRIDGE ANTIQUE SHOP, SO THAT I COULD TAKE A POSITION WITH THE CROZIER FOUNDATION, IN THE MID 1990'S, I MOVED ALL THE BOOKS FROM THE STORE TO THE HOUSE. SUZANNE TOLERATED IT THEN, BUT THE PROBLEM WAS, MY BUYING HABITS DIDN'T CHANGE. WE DID HAVE A PROFITABLE ONLINE BUSINESS, AND IT'S QUITE TRUE WE SOLD A LOT OF INVENTORY TO BUYERS, LITERALLY AROUND THE WORLD. BUT STILL, I KEPT BUYING AND HOARDING. I CAN LAUGH ABOUT IT NOW, AS BEING AN OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD, BUT MY GOD, I HAD NO IDEA HOW BAD IT HAD BECOME. I HAD MORPHED INTO DAVE BROWN. I WAS ABOUT TO MEET THE SAME CONSEQUENCE. SUZANNE KNEW ALL ABOUT DAVE BROWN AND HIS EXCESSES, SO SHE WAS ABLE TO CUT ME OFF AT THE PASS, SO TO SPEAK, AND STOP ME FROM SINKING OUR HOUSE INTO THE EARTH, WITH THE MASSIVE WEIGHT THAT WAS BUILDING WITHIN. I RESPONDED, LEARNED MY LESSON, AND STARTED TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE LAWS OF SENSIBLE PROPORTION. I PARED DOWN MY COLLECTION. I STOPPED BUYING. I TURNED DOWN OFFERS OF COMPLETE LIBRARIES, THAT NORMALLY, I WOULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING TO ACQUIRE. OLD BIBLIOPHILE MATES, WROTE ME OFF AS A VICTIM OF SPOUSAL BULLYING. IN SUZANNE'S DEFENCE, SHE DID WHAT MADE MOST SENSE. RE-FOCUSED MY ATTENTION, AND THIS IS, IN FACT, WHEN I BEGAN WRITING MY DAILY BLOG; ALMOST, I SUPPOSE, AS A DIVERSION FROM FEELING THE NECESSITY TO GO ON A BOOK-HUNT, AND SPEND ENDLESS AMOUNTS OF MONEY ON WHAT WAS SHEER SPECULATION; A BUYER MIGHT EVENTUALLY WANT, WHAT I HAD RESCUED FROM SOMEONE ELSE'S BOOK SHELF. IT WORKED. I'M STILL AT IT, BUT I HAVE SHIFTED, EVER SO SLOWLY, BACK TO THE METHODICAL BOOK HUNT AND GATHER!
"MY JOB TITLE OF ONTARIO'S OFFICIAL LIAISON OFFICER WAS ABOLISHED IN 1989, BUT MY PAPER SLEUTHING DIDN'T STOP; IN FACT IT JUST CONTINUED. AS IS OBVIOUS FROM ALL THE FOREGOING CHAPTERS, TREASURE HUNTING FOR MANUSCRIPTS, RELICS AND EPHEMERA IS A VOCATION, AVOCATION, OCCUPATION, PRE-OCCUPATION, AND A GAME I WILL CONTINUE TO ENJOY AS LONG AS I LIVE. FROM THE MOMENT I RETIRED UNTIL TODAY, I HAVE CONTINUED THIS LIFELONG INTEREST AS A PART-TIME DEALER IN ANTIQUITIES," WROTE MY FRIEND, HUGH P. MACMILLAN, IN HIS BIOGRAPHY, "ADVENTURES OF A PAPER SLEUTH," PUBLISHED BY PENUMBRA PRESS, OF CANADA, BACK IN 2004. AS A REGULAR READER, YOU WOULD RECOGNIZE THE WORK OF MR. MACMILLAN AS A TEXT I DRAW ON FREQUENTLY, AS A SOURCE OF MOTIVATION, IN BOTH HISTORICAL RESEARCH, AND THE ANTIQUE TRADE. IT'S DEFINITELY MY MOST FREQUENTLY CONSULTED BOOK, BECAUSE IT REMINDS ME THAT THE PATH, IN BOTH DISCIPLINES, IS STREWN WITH OBSTACLES; IS NEVER A STRAIGHT LINE, AT LEAST FOR LONG, AND THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF WELCOME AND UNWELCOME INTERVENTIONS TO OVERCOME.
IT'S EASY TO GET BURNED IN BOTH OF THESE AREAS OF HERITAGE CONSERVATION, AND MAKING EVEN THE SMALLEST MISTAKE, OR ERROR IN JUDGEMENT, COULD COST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, AND THE FALL-OUT OF A CREDIBILITY HIT.
IT MAKES US, IN THIS LINE OF WORK, PERSNICKETY, OVER-SENSITIVE, EVER-WATCHFUL, AND A TAD OBSESSIVE. LIKE CLIMBING TO THE PEAK OF A MOUNTAIN, BUT FEELING THE RUSH ISN'T ENOUGH, SO WE INCREASE THE BURDEN, (WITH A PIANO ON OUR BACKS) AND TRY THE SAME THING ALL OVER AGAIN. EVENTUALLY WE MOVE ON TO A DIFFERENT MOUNTAIN, AND THEN ANOTHER, BECAUSE WE ARE MOTIVATED BY CHALLENGE; AND TO PROVE WRONG, ALL THOSE WHO THINK, AND BET, WE WON'T SUCCEED. HUGH WAS OUR FAMILY'S GURU. WE DIDN'T NEED MAHARISHI YOGI WHEN WE HAD ACCESS TO HUGH MACMILLAN. ALL OF US CURRIES, ARE RABID COLLECTORS, ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE DEALERS, AND HISTORIANS IN OUR AREAS OF INTEREST. A FEW OF OUR CONTEMPORARIES IN THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION, HAVE TAKEN A PARTICULAR INTEREST IN HOW WE OPERATE, AND AT TIMES, WE CAN HEAR THEIR FOOTFALL BEHIND US. WHILE IT'S FLATTERING TO BE IMITATED, AND WE DON'T OBJECT TO MENTORING A FEW OF OUR COLLECTOR FRIENDS, TO FOLLOW IN OUR FOOTSTEPS, ILL PREPARED FOR OBSTACLES, IS A PRECARIOUS, LONG AND WINDING PATH, WHERE THERE IS HIGH RISK OF INVESTING BADLY, AND SUFFERING TERRIBLE LOSSES. WE HAVE BEEN BUYING AND SELLING EPHEMERA AND OLD BOOKS FOR DECADES, AND WE STILL NEED BRUSH-UPS AND MENTORSHIPS, CONSTANTLY, TO ENSURE WE DON'T MAKE PURCHASE BLUNDERS. THERE ARE SOME SAD STORIES OUT THERE, OF FOLKS WHO HONESTLY BELIEVED, THEY WERE BUYING A FIRST EDITION "GONE WITH THE WIND," OR A RARE 1600'S MAP OF THE WORLD (IN A REFLECTIVE FOIL), ONLY TO FIND OUT BOTH WERE NOT ORIGINAL; THE FIRST EDITION BEING A BOOK CLUB RELEASE, CUTTING THE VALUE TO A FRACTION, AND THE MAP WAS IN ALL WAYS A CONTEMPORARY COLLECTABLE.
I HAD A WOMAN APPROACH ME ONE DAY, TELLING ME THAT SHE POSSESSED A RARE MAP OF EUROPE, WHICH SHE FELT WAS AT LEAST THREE HUNDRED YEARS OLD. I DON'T OFFER APPRAISALS GENERALLY, JUST ADVICE, WHERE TO CONTINUE RESEARCHING THE ITEM'S AUTHENTICITY. BUT FROM WHAT SHE WAS TELLING ME, IT WAS A RE-PRINTING, OF AN IMAGE OF THE ORIGINAL, MADE TO LOOK OLD, BUT HAVING ONLY DECORATIVE VALUE. WHAT SHE ASSUMED WAS GOING TO FEATHER HER RETIREMENT NEST, WITH A FIVE OR SIX THOUSAND DOLLAR PAY-OUT, WASN'T IN MY OPINION, EVEN WORTH FRAMING. THE FRAME WOULD BE WORTH MORE THAN THE REPRODUCTION MAP. THE PROBLEM FOR US, IN THE OLD PAPER AND BOOK FIELD, INCLUDING ART, IS THAT WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL TO READ ALL THE SIGNS, AND PICK-UP ON EVERY CLUE, WHEN TALKING TO FOLKS WHO SAY THEY HAVE PARTICULAR ITEMS OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE. THERE HAVE BEEN INSTANCES, WHEN I DISMISSED SOMEONE AS HAVING A REPRODUCTION, WHO ACTUALLY HAD AN ORIGINAL IN THEIR POSSESSION. FOOLISH ME. WE ALSO HAVE TO BE CAREFUL OF STOLEN PROPERTY, BEING FLOGGED TO UNSUSPECTING ANTIQUE AND SECOND HAND DEALERS, BECAUSE THIS HAPPENS ROUTINELY, WITH UGLY CONSEQUENCES. DEALERS DO MAKE MISTAKES, AND BUY ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN STOLEN, AND IN THE CASE OF ART, PAPER, AND BOOKS, FROM ARCHIVES, AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS. HUGH MACMILLAN HAD EXPERIENCE FERRETING OUT SOME OF THE FOLKS STEALING DOCUMENTS FROM PUBLIC COLLECTIONS, AND THEN TRYING TO UNLOAD THEM TO UNSUSPECTING VENDORS AND COLLECTORS. IT MAY NOT BE WIDESPREAD, BUT IT WOULD BE FOOLISH TO DENY IT HAPPENS, AND FAR TOO REGULARLY. YOU JUST HAVE TO BE CAREFUL, IN A THOUSAND DIFFERENT WAYS, AND DUE DILIGENCE IS AN OPERATIONAL NECESSITY, IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO PROFIT FROM THE WORK, AND STAY OUT OF LEGAL CONUNDRUMS. SO WHEN WE FIND WE HAVE FOLLOWERS, TRAILING CLOSE BEHIND, IT'S OFTEN TOO LATE TO WARN THEM OFF A DIFFICULT PASSAGE THROUGH HISTORY.
"NOT SIMPLY A MATTER OF HAVING IN MY POSSESSION ITEMS OF HISTORICAL INTEREST, THE OBSESSION ALSO INCLUDES TRYING TO SOLVE HISTORICAL MYSTERIES, LOCATING ART TREASURES, AND FINDING THE BEST DESTINATIONS FOR CERTAIN VALUABLE HISTORIC ITEMS," WROTE HUGH MACMILLAN. "PEOPLE SAVE OLD PAPER FOR VARIOUS REASONS, OFTEN BECAUSE THEY JUST LET IT ACCUMULATE, SOMETIMES OVER GENERATIONS. WITHOUT THESE CARING PEOPLE, (AND PACK RATS), THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN FEW USEFUL HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS LEFT FOR ME TO COLLECT FOR THE ONTARIO ARCHIVES. MY OWN OBSESSION WAS WITH COLLECTING FOR AN INSTITUTION, TO MAKE THE MATERIAL AVAILABLE FOR RESEARCHERS, RATHER THAN BUILDING A PRIVATE COLLECTION FOR MYSELF. MY SUCCESS IN FERRETING OUT COLLECTIONS WAS DUE PARTLY TO NAIVE LUCK AND A NOSE FOR IT, BUT MOSTLY TO THE RAPPORT I LEARNED TO ESTABLISH WITH THE COLLECTORS, FROM THE VERY SERIOUS TO THE MOST CASUAL."
AMERICAN COLLECTOR, ARNOLD BENNETT, ONCE SAID, "COLLECTING IS A WORLD HABIT. COLLECTORS PRACTICE IT CONSCIOUSLY AND WITH A DEFINITE RECOGNIZED AIM. THE REST OF US PRACTICE IT MORE OR LESS UNCONSCIOUSLY."
"WHY DO PEOPLE COLLECT? WHAT IMPELS, COMPELS, DRIVES, SEDUCES OTHERWISE NORMAL MEN AND WOMEN TO FORSAKE USEFUL, REWARDING VOCATIONS, AND SPEND THEIR LIVES GRUBBING THROUGH ATTICS OR OUTBUILDINGS FOR ELUSIVE BITS OF PAPER OR OTHER OBJECTS," ASKED MACMILLAN, OF HIS READERS. SOMETIMES, WE COLLECT TO MAKE SURE IT'S IN OUR POSSESSION AND NOT YOURS. MOST OF THE TIME, HARD CORE COLLECTORS, SIMPLY COULDN'T OR WOULDN'T ANSWER THE QUESTION. UNLESS, OF COURSE, THEY WRITE BIOGRAPHIES SUCH AS MR. MACMILLAN, AND OFFER CONFESSIONALS. BUT LIKE THE ANALOGY USED EARLIER, OF CLIMBING A MOUNTAIN, AND THEN GETTING BORED WITH THE RESULT, IT'S ONE OF THE INTIMATE FORCES WITHIN, THAT SEEMS TO COMPEL US TO CARRY ON THE QUEST, WITH NO REAL IDEA OF EVER TRULY ACHIEVING THE NIRVANA THAT MOVES US IN THE FIRST INSTANCE. WHEN WE GET THE HOLY GRAIL IN OUR HANDS, IT IMMEDIATELY BECOMES A CONQUEST OF THE PAST, AND WE MOVE ON IN AMBITION. IT IS MOST DEFINITELY SELF DEFEATING IN SO MANY WAYS, JUST AS IT IS, AS IRONY, HUGELY REWARDING FOR ITS ACRUED GAINS, AND INVESTMENT VALUATIONS. WE JUST FIND IT HARD TO REST ON OUR LAURELS, AND AS A RACE CAR DRIVER GETS A THRILL FROM INCREASING SPEED, AND THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER, FROM SCALING THE HIGHEST PEAK, COLLECTORS LIKE US, GET OUR THRILLS FROM THE HUNT, BUT SOMETIMES LESS, FROM THE ACTUAL ACQUISITION. NEVER BEING QUITE SATISFIED, HOWEVER, IS WHAT KEEPS US PRODUCING, AND SOME PRETTY POSITIVE RESULTS. BUT NO MATTER HOW I EXPLAIN THIS, WE WILL HAVE ROOKIES TAILING US, WHO WILL WATCH US, STUDY WHAT WE DO, WHERE WE HUNT AND GATHER, AND HOW WE MAKE OUR ACQUISITIONS; BUT BLUNDER FROM INEXPERIENCE, WHEN WE LEAD THEM DOWN THE WRONG TRAIL. THIS IS OUR RELIABLE STRATEGY OF KEEPING COMPETITORS AT A SAFE DISTANCE. ULTIMATELY, IT'S THEIR CHOICE, BUT I DO OFFER THE SUGGESTION, THEY GET A COPY OF MACMILLAN'S OUTSTANDING BOOK, AND READ IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER. AS IT TOOK HIM A LIFETIME TO PERFECT HIS COLLECTING CAPABILITIES, AND HE WAS A QUICK LEARNER, IT WILL TAKE THE NOVICE JUST AS MUCH TIME IF NOT MORE, TO GET IT RIGHT. MISTAKES IN OUR LINE OF WORK ARE ALWAYS A DAMNATION, AND WE HATE OURSELVES WITH A PASSION, WHEN WE GOOF-UP. IT'S AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE JOB, TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THIN ICE LOOKS LIKE, AND ALL THE SIGNS INDICATING WELL IN ADVANCE, THAT THEY EXIST IN ABUNDANCE. THERE IS NO SHORTCUT THAT I WOULD ADVISE, TO BECOMING AN ANTIQUE DEALER, FIRST OF ALL, AND ESPECIALLY, IN SPECIALIZED AREAS WHERE EVEN THE VETERANS OF THE INDUSTRY, CAN'T DO WITHOUT FREQUENT REFRESHER STUDIES. WE GET THESE ROOKIE COLLECTORS INTO THE SHOP FREQUENTLY, WITH THE PRIZES THEY HOPE TO PROFIT FROM. THEN, COME THE SAD FACES, WHEN WE HAVE TO TELL THEM, THEY INVESTED HEAVILY IN A REPRODUCTION OF AN ORIGINAL; OR HAVE ACQUIRED, IN MANY OTHER WAYS, THE TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE OF "A FRAUD." "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS HISTORIC ARTIFACT IS A FRAUD?" WE HEAR THAT ALOT, AND HAVE SOME TISSUES, IN CASE OUR BAD NEWS, CAUSES A CRYING JAG. YES, IT HAPPENS. WE HATE IT, AND DON'T LIKE PROVIDING BAD NEWS, ESPECIALLY IF INVOLVES THE LOSS OF HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS; WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO BE HONEST. SPARING THEIR FEELINGS, ENABLERS, BY NODDING APPROVAL, MEANS THEY WILL CARRY ON WITH THEIR DELUDED THINKING, AND GET CAUGHT ON THE SAME ISSUE, POSSIBLY AT A MORE FINANCIALLY VULNERABLE TIME.
A FELLOW CAME INTO OUR FORMER SHOP, IN BRACEBRIDGE, WITH A SILVER SPOON HE BELIEVED HAD BEEN USED, IN CEREMONY, BY THE ROYAL FAMILY OF ENGLAND. I LOOKED AT IT, JUDGED THE QUALITY TO BE LESSER THAN FROM A SILVERSMITH, (MORE SOUVENIR-LIKE), AND AS HE FELT IT WAS FROM THE 1700'S, AND WOULD BE WORTH THOUSANDS, I TOOK IT UPON MYSELF TO SEEK OUT ITS PROVENANCE. HOW DID HE KNOW THIS WAS A SPOON FROM THE ROYAL FAMILY? FINALLY, HE REACHED INTO HIS POCKET, PULLED OUT A PACKAGE, PUT IT ON THE COUNTER, AND SAID, "SEE, IT SAYS SO RIGHT ON THE LABEL. HISTORIC SPOON FROM ENGLAND." FROM THE ORIGINAL DOLLAR AND NINETY-NINE CENTS IT COST, IN THE 1970'S, BY THE MID 1990'S, IT HAD ACTUALLY GONE DOWN IN VALUE. THE CUSTOMER WAS SO MAD AT ME, HE PICKED UP THE SPOON AND PACKAGING, TOLD BE I WAS AN A--HOLE, AND RUSHED OUT OF THE STORE. ANTIQUE IDENTIFICATION CLINICS KILL US, BECAUSE THE VALUATIONS THEY GIVE, ARE NOT FOOTNOTED, BY THE DUSTING OF REALITY. UNREALISTIC VALUES ARE CARRIED BY THE POSSESSORS OF THESE MATERIALS, INTO OUR SHOPS; AND THEN WE HAVE TO DOLE OUT SOME BAD NEWS. BREAKS OUR HEARTS TO BREAK DREAMS.
MAKING PURCHASES YOU HOPE WILL PAY OFF - EITHER BY USE AS A HISTORICAL RESOURCE, OR AS SOMETHING MARKETABLE
We were called to view the contents of a local estate, a few years back, and what we found, was one of the biggest paper collections we'd ever bid on, or been commissioned to sell-off. On the first day, we did the best we could over several hours, to get a rough valuation of the ephemera in particular; this is what we were most interested in as collector / dealers. Included in the same collection were art pieces, and furnishings. The collection of paintings was interesting, but certainly not what allured us, to negotiate hard to purchase, or act to disperse the entire estate.
That night, Suzanne and I talked to about midnight, trying to come up with a cash offer for the collection, that was realistic and fair to everyone. It would have taken weeks to catalogue and evaluate every single piece of the estate, but none the less, we had to come up with a figure that wouldn't reflect badly on our business; which is always one of the main concerns in this line of work. If we low ball, and lose to a competitor, who later finds in the course of dispersal, that we had been thousands of dollars lower, than the lowest acceptable bid, we know how that can come back to hurt our reputation. At the time, we were settling my father's estate as well, and still adjusting after his death, and admittedly, it wasn't the best time to be diving head first into such demanding and extensive work. The job was huge.
We had come up with, what we thought was a fair offer, of $10,000 for the works. Meaning, we could expect, over the long haul, be able to make $10,000 profit. This would have been a multi-year sell-off, not an easy flip for quick profit. Now, the house wasn't full of antiques, and there wasn't a dump truck load of old paper and books. It was big, in terms of what we had been offered in the past, but to antique dealers in the city, it probably was tiny in comparison. We could really only afford to pay a third of the estimated value. The advantage, of buying outright, was that those managing the estate, could move on with a plan to refurbish the house, and then list it for sale. So there was a time limit as well.
We had given the estate handlers the option of selling the materials, item by item, instead of us making the purchase outright. As they wanted the matter settled quickly, we went with cheque book in hand, expecting they would probably receive our offer with a handshake of acceptance. As we spent another hour or so, going through the paper, books and art pieces, we found items in piles we hadn't seen before, that with significant provenance, and autographs, made our offer inadequate. Suzanne was thinking the same way, after she pulled out historic documents and booklets that elevated our original estimate. Pretty soon, we realized that upgrading our offer, would put us in serious financial peril, if we couldn't make the money we invested, back within two or three months at the most.
We both made an emphatic plea, with the estate manager, to let us act as brokers, to secure a higher selling price, for significant items in the collection, giving us a meaty commission for executing the huge research ahead, and then selling the materials off to the highest bidder. We then heard the only other bid, from another antique dealer, and nearly fainted. We would have been about ten thousand dollars higher. As it turned out, the manager thought the commission route might work best, and in the end, achieve more profit. The less we had to invest, other than time, was much more palatable to our bank manager.
We began soon after, to work our way through this sea of old paper, documents, photographs, old slides, books, and art, and it was without doubt, one of the most difficult and time consuming projects we had ever undertaken as antique dealers. It took us two months of deep, deep immersion, and our house looked like an archives had exploded, but stayed within a confined space. It was an exercise of the passions, because we all love delving into history, and we also enjoy the opportunity to market what we identify as being rare and of historic and antique value. There were times, as if swimming Lake Ontario, we could see the end, but it never got any closer. By the end of the first week, we knew a lot about the family of the estate. It can be a weird feeling, being this deep in someone else's family life and times. It was easier to represent the estate materials, being this intimate and knowledgeable about the family's past, travels, habits, cottage-life, recreations, and professions. We could have written the biography of the family after selling off the collection. That's how close we became, and to the estate managers. It's what has to happen, in this kind of arrangement.
Truthfully, we didn't make as much profit, as we might have, if we had presented the original offer to purchase. But I know by experience, that we would have held onto the materials for years afterwards, and not attained a profit in a timely fashion. It's why collectors and dealers often get into financial quagmires, because they want to keep everything they buy. I hated selling off this heritage collection, but it's what we do as dealers. Sometimes we become way too passionate about our finds, and estate challenges, to, on the other hand, qualify as good business practice. The antique and collectable business is entered because of passionate feelings. Being good at business is a means to an end, and the occasional profit, allows us to hunt and gather some more. Part of the dilemma, and argument here, is that a shop inventory, if its of high quality, has an investment value that arguably, in cases, increases in value just sitting on the shelf. Most dealers are visionary, in that they know, one day, a large collection of the best of the best, in their area of discipline, could be sold off for a nice, solid, retirement fund. These dealers don't often offer big sales events, with large discounts. The idea is, "I own it, and I'll be glad to keep it, if you won't pay the asking price." It's why we're often poor in pocket, but rich on paper, as relates to owned assets. It may be faulty logic, but we all do it, at some point, believing that ownership trumps everything else. It sure doesn't trump death, and many a collector has had their plans cut short by an untimely death. Then folks like us are called in, to make money for the estate, to ultimately benefit someone else.
When I suggest that those who wish to copy us, because it seems so easy to do so, and profit from, I write this warning as earnestly as I can. It might look, at a glance, that we've made a good life for ourselves, by pursuing a recreation as a profession. Don't be fooled by appearances. It's a demanding life with lots of risk, and pitfalls so deep, well, you'll never climb out without help. I learned a long time ago, to tread gently out there, in the exploitation of antiquities, and I am glad I took my mentors' advice early in my career; or I wouldn't be writing about it today. I would have failed and gone bankrupt years ago.
The learning curve, for an antique dealer, and collector, is unending. Just when you think you know it all, you run into a situation like we did, with the estate, and you have to re-evaluate all over again, the ongoing risk of value fluctuations, supply and demand, costs to sell-off what you purchase, and the burdens of inventory management, versus passionate ownership. Which means, knowing when you can hold onto a purchase, and when you can't and be fiscally responsible at the same time.
Follow us at your own risk. But do take care!
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