What is it worth?

How much is this worth?

As an antique dealer--this is probably the question that I get asked the most--mainly by people who are not in the business. Friends, acquaintances, friends of friends, neighbors--at some point in our lives almost everyone is given or inherits an item and wants to know how much it is worth.
This is probably the most difficult question to answer--worth to whom?

What is it worth to the family who inherited Grandma’s rolling pin? The same one she used to roll out her beloved Christmas cookies each year? To the family it is priceless. To sell a 1930s wooden rolling pin in a antique mall--maybe 15 bucks--if it does not have old dried up hunks of cookie dough adhered to it.

What are my English flow blue plates worth? Ask me in 1990--and I would have said--send your kid to Yale on the selling proceeds. Today--depending on pattern and condition--you will be darn lucky to get 20 bucks each. Flow Blue is out of favor now.

How about my great Eastlake Victorian commode? Certainly this piece that was passed down through the family since its manufacture in 1880--CERTAINLY has to be worth alot. After all--its OLD. Victorian furniture was hot hot HOT in the 1980s--now today’s home making public wants sleek lines and not fussy--and it is out of favor. I have seen all wood Eastlake style dressers go at auction for 100 bucks. Tops.

Trust me--old doesn’t make it valuable. Condition in whatever you are looking at means everything. EVERYTHING. I once heard a rule of thumb--the more recent the item the better condition it has to be in. In an increasingly visual society--what people see adverts, television, movies and in magazines is key to what is currently in vogue. Believe it or not--when Martha Stewart shows it--it still sells.

Many times Husbola and I will be at an auction--and we are stunned at what an item brings--either very high or very low. So in the auction world--and item is worth what two people in the same room would pay for it. This can be fueled by poor auction attendance or whether it is an estate piece and family members are in hot pursuit.

When asked by someone--”What is this worth? I actually would like to run and hide. Your guess is as good and mine--and we are both frequently wrong.

Remind Me Again Why We are Doing This?

Husbola asks me that question-- alot. And often, really often when we are doing something antique business related and especially when we are experiencing extremes in weather and temperature and are getting ready to exhibit and sell at an antique show.

In November each year--Husbola and I review what antique shows we sold at earlier in the year--those that were successful and which were not. We pull out our calendars and decide which shows will be "keepers", whether we will add any new shows to the schedule and if there are any we wish to dump. (The criterian for adding or dumping a show will be the subject of another future post). In November--a few months removed from our last show--ALL shows for the upcoming year look fresh and new and interesting and we start submitting contracts and booth deposits.

Then the inevitable happens. A month before a show--we need to start putting together the inventory--and the dash to fill in inventory holes begins. Where will we get fresh, innovative goods that will fit the current buying trends of today's customers? Can we get it prepped (cleaned/repaired) priced and ready for the show in time? How do we price it this year--so that is sells after one or two showings only? When do we pack the truck--will it all fit--are we taking too much--too little--what is the booth set up strategy? When will we make hotel reservations, stop the papers and mail, get enough currency for change? Do we have all the supplies-extra alight bulbs-booth rods and curtains-lights--supply bucket? Have we sent show cards to customers, have enough reciepts and business cards and fresh shopping bags and tissue paper and bubble wrap? The list is long.

Show set up day arrives--and inevitably it is hot. Humid maybe. Maybe REALLY humid. We hate humid. Once the booth is set up--and Husbola and I have co-existed and everything is ready--we wonder--remind me again why we are doing this?

When the 1 out of 100 customers is a real jerk shows up--and tries to buy something for nothing--remind me again why we are doing this? When sales are under expectations and it comes time to packing this all up again--remind me again why we are doing this?

Because we love it. Will we ever be able to support ourselves on our sales? No. But antiquing is something Husbola and I love--have been doing most of our lives and certainly our almost 28 years of knowing each other lives. Our first date was an antique show. Our house has two modern things in it--a television--and I can't remember the other thing.

Remind me again why we are doing this? Because we can't help it.

Mrs. Mike's Potato Chips

After a long day of trudging around and antiquing, whether we are browsing shops or a flea market or attending a show--we get a bit "peckish" and want to sit down and have something to eat. After all-you need strength to carry on for the rest of the afternoon. The Brits really have the right idea--many antique centres have a "tea room" someplace in the building--frequently on the top floor. Usually somebodies sister-in-law works with a girlfriend to make "freshly cut sandwiches" or a "jacket" (baked) potato to offer shoppers. There might even be a few lopsided layer cakes under glass domes. You can always count on mismatched china and cutlery and a fabulous pot of tea--just the refresher needed. And why do sandwiches always taste better when someone else fixes them?
British antiques fairs that are held in showgrounds always have purpose built wagons-each with a specialty--cornish pasties, a carvery (mystery meat whacked off big bones) or our favourite--the toasty wagon. This is the British version of the panini--just the ticket for a ravenous shopper--and all the best if consumed when it is brisk outside--at a picnic table with a cuppa tea.
Now--our American antique promotors could take a lesson here. It is quite hit or miss--and mostly miss-and not healthy food. Fried stuff-greasy stuff and lots of orange plastic nacho cheese sauce. Think ballpark food but not as colorful.
One of our regional auction houses conducts auctions in a large warehouse building. The food concession is offered by a man in a motorized wagon that he pulls into a huge loading door. Dan and I usually take a thermos of coffee and our own "freshly cut sandwiches" or granola bars. But this particular wagon offers Mrs. Mike's Potato Chips. RETRO POTATO CHIPS. These are made in Freeport Illinois and are like chips used to be made in the 1960s. And they taste like the 1960s. Three ingredients--and you can pronounce them all.
So--if being at an auction and bidding on and buying old things doesn't transport me to my childhood-- then munching some Mrs. Mike's chips sure does.
(the attached photo has nothing to do with antiquer's food. Pecorino, whole grain bread, acacia honey and orange zest. It is a lunch we had in Italy. Maybe a "Tuscany Wagon" at the next antique fair?)

Got Any Jesus?

Every once in awhile, I take a turn at using my limited active retail selling skills and work a day as a floor walker in the shop we sell in. This is an established general merchandise antique mall in Southern Wisconsin that has three floors of selling space belonging to about 50 dealers. Husbola and I sell from two large spaces on the 1st floor and have been in the shop about 5 years I think. The shop owners like to have dealers staff the shop and I enjoy the odd day of taking my turn wandering to help customers, open cases and wrap purchases as needed.

Late last Autumn, while wandering the second floor, a customer walked up to me and simply said, "Got any Jesus?" That was it. I suppose being a preacher's kid and enthusiastic church volunteer--a more theologically based and creative answer should have come to mind--but I stared blankly and said ,"Excuse me?"
"Jesus, JESUS--you know THE Jesus--framed pictures of Jesus--the Last Supper, praying, arms out--you know J-E-S-U-S". The fellow was agitated and impatient.
"Yes-yes--I know Jesus--weeeelllll--yes-let me show you what we have." He and I headed off to look at the mall's offerings.

What he was looking for--and collects--are those early 20th century framed prints that used to grace many homes and Sunday school rooms--Jesus at the table with his disciples--Jesus alone in the Garden--or Jesus with arms outstretched with little lambs and kiddies. All six feet tall of handsomeness--complete with brown naturally wavy hair and blue eyes and clean robes. That Jesus. All the better if they are in their original frames--with no foxing or mildew marks and good unfaded color. The mall had one print--and it was not in the best condition.

My surly customer looked at what we had for sale--"No-No--I already have that Jesus--I am looking for the unusual Jesus." And off he went.

I couldn't help but think if I was a preaching pastor--somehow this would make for good sermon fodder.

Grandpa Went to School With John Wayne

Local house estate sales can be a great way to find treasures without having to travel very far from home. I look for local sales conducted by reputable estate sale companies as they want to stay in business and value their reputation. These are easily found on line and by checking local newspapers on line as well.
However--I do keep my eyes open for the odd sale that is organized and priced by family members of the deceased. These can be gold mines for good things at attractive prices. Ebay and the Antiques Roadshow has created a more careful seller these days--the last thing you want to do is attend a sale put on by amateur heirs who think everything Grandpa touched is worth a million. Sentimental value and real value are two very different things. The best thing is to find a sale where the heirs have not done any homework--they just want to "unload the stuff" and get a move on.
One summer day, I happened upon a local sale--run by the family selling what appeared to be just junk. I did not arrive early--but after it had opened--and everything seemed to be picked over. I was glad I had not wasted time standing in line for an admittance number to this one. As I was leaving--I noticed a stack of old school yearbooks on the sofa. I never look at yearbooks--but because of the age and interesting cover I decided to pick one up. It was from California Someplace. Who cares? Well out pops a handwritten note in pencil "Grandpa went to high school with John Wayne"
Hmmmm.
Being an old movie buff I knew that John Wayne before he was John Wayne was Marion Morrison. Paging through the notebook--there he was--at a dance--his senior picture-in a football uniform. Gorgeous Young John. The book was priced high for an old yearbook at $30.00--but why not? I put that baby on ebay that afternoon and $1200 later--a California collector was happy and needless to say I was stunned. And happy.
Moral to the story--check yearbooks for famous people. Subsequent sales of MY college yearbooks--complete with Brian "Kato" Kaelin in all of his glory--reaped a great reward. But on that one--timing was everything!! (Thank you OJ!)

Bin Diving

In England and most of the UK, our american "trash" is called "rubbish" and is not thrown out in garbage cans, but instead in rubbish bins. Really big volumes of rubbish or construction throw outs are not tossed into "dumpsters" but into "skips". Husbola and I discovered years ago that a person who really scours the shops and fairs and shows for the hidden antiques treasure is called a Bin Diver. How very visual to think of an over eager antiquer seeing something flowing out of the top of a dumpster and then diving in after it. Have you ever done it? Come on--'fess up--I certainly have. Be honest with yourself--have you ever driven past a neighbors curbside garbage collection and seen something that made you slow down or even stop? Have you ever driven past something at the curb and turned around and driven past it going the other way--maybe slower this time--to see if you really saw what you think you saw? I have--I admit it--and yes--I have stopped--thrown open my hatchback and popped it inside my Jeep.

In the last 15 years, it has been one of my favourite projects to work on a very large church rummage sale. I actually would use that as an excuse to stop at assembled curbside treasures, clucking my tongue--"they shouldn't be throwing this out--it could be sold for the common good at the CHURCH RUMMAGE SALE." Ah ha-yep-you betcha--that is what I said. Most of the great "finds' have found there way to the church sale. However--yes I admit it--Confessions of an American Bin Diver--we have items in our home--in use today--from our neighbor's trash.

January is a Long Month

What does an antique dealer do in a long cold month--when interesting auctions seem to have dried up and the weather adds the uncertainty of attending a show at some distance. And do you really want to sit in a cold car waiting for an estate sale to open? Actually in the last twenty years--on New Year's Day--there has developed a plethora of auctions held on the holiday--our favourite trade journals are full of sales.
Husbola and I hesitate to attend auctions on "big holidays"--including 4th of July, Labor Day or Thanksgiving weekend among others. We have attended in the past--but you can be assured of much larger than normal crowds--people are sick of their relatives--and you will probably spend more money than you planned. Mostly--these auctions are consignment auctions, or "dealer dump" or huge collections of collectibles that have fallen out of favor. Please please--no more collections of toy tractors, arcade toys, depression glass or flow blue china!! It makes this Lady Antique Dealer dream of warm weather and good honest to goodness estate auction held in a big shady farm yard.