antiques

Those of you who have read my blogs know that I am a seller of antiques and collectibles and one of my favorite places to do so is the flea market! Hubby and I set up at a small, local ‘flea’ this past weekend. It was our first time selling at this one, but had been there numerous times to buy, and with some success. There were probably 50 vendors. I am reluctant to call them ‘antique dealers’ since many were very new to it and had items that were more contemporary and probably plucked from boxes in their basements.

The lady next to us introduced herself as Mabel and told me it was her 2^nd time there.  She was quite old, perhaps in her late 70s, and came with a friend who had shared the rental costs with her. Her items were few and far between – I don’t think she had more than 15 items on her table.  And they were most likely from the low-end or discounted stores, for example, a ceramic lighthouse, 2 green bowls that were not from the Depression Era, and a cow figurine that had a chip. Mabel was a nice lady and I enjoyed chatting with her, but she was a little down because she had only sold one $5 item and it was nearly time to close up shop.  I gently suggested that next time she should bring more items, giving better offerings to the shoppers.  She smiled and said she had numerous collections and had her late husband’s things to go through, but hated to drag more than a boxful to the sale. I said I could understand that. And I did, at least until I saw her grandson come in to pack her up. He was about 6 foot 3 inches tall, a solid young man, and could readily have carried in as many boxes as she wanted.  Before she left, I asked her how she did and it turns out it was only the $5 she had mentioned earlier.  She told me she had sold $15 worth the last year and hoped she would top that.  I smiled and said “maybe next year” and she agreed.  I wonder if she’ll catch on and bring a nice assortment next year!

I shopped at a booth with a young man who shared with me that he had sold on an Internet site for over 3 years.  He told me that everything he brought had been tested on the site and not sold.  Gee, why would you tell that to buyers who may have intended to sell them that way. Now they know these were ‘rejects.’ While I was in the booth, he told me of a lady who just  bought a rather nice glass vase from him. They evidently haggled a bit and she walked out with the prize for $35 instead of the $50 he had originally wanted. He relayed the story and then he exclaimed to me (and anyone else in the area) that he had found it in a dumpster so it was ALL profit! Now, we all know that the intention of sellers it to make some money on their sales, but we did not need to know that it was free and the buyer was a “sucker” in his mind!

Among the many people through the booths was a former co-worker and his wife.  Through the years she has asked me to save any “sewing items” for her. Items such as darners, needle cases, unique buttons, etc.  Well, I had found the coolest item – a combination egg darner, needle case (the handle turned off), and it even had advertising on the ‘egg’ part! I held it for a few sales, waiting for her to show up and she did!  I proudly displayed the piece and expected her to be happy and ready to buy the treasure.  I offered it to her for a little over what I paid for it. She picked it up, turned it around, and said “Uhhh, I’m just not sure.” I said that it was OK, I’d put it in the display case and see if someone else liked it.  As luck would have it, the next person through was so thrilled with it they did not even quibble over the price (quite a bit more than I had quoted the friend.)  About 10 minutes later the friend returned, and said she’d take it. I had to tell her it had just sold and she pouted.  (You snooze, you lose is a famous motto in antique buying and boy, was this appropriate.)

You may recall my nemesis “NEWMAN” from earlier blogs.  This is a red-headed lady who has tortured me in searches for my treasures.  Some of our run-ins have been written about. Well, here she was at our booth.  She was, as usual, all smiles and trying to be a charmer (it does not work.) She asked how we were doing and we embellished a bit on our profits, and smiled back sweetly. She picked up a figurine and asked what our “best price” was.  We gave her a discount but she wanted more.  We came down a tad and she bought it.  She then proceeded to tell the story of a super vase she “stole” from a young man at the sale. She knew it was an expensive vase and she was able to get him to lower the price to $35! She was so proud.  I smiled even more sweetly after that and said it sounded like a great deal.  I was glad that the lad had shared the story with me.  I knew that he had gotten one up on my Newman and that made my day.

Any stories of the road you’d like to share or collections you are proud of?  CQ would love to hear about them.

The new show on the History channel has been getting a lot of discussion and controversy. Called “American Pickers”, it features a pair of guys who travel the country in search of antiques and collectibles, hoping to find items to sell, for a profit of course.  Hubby and I have watched the last few shows and thoroughly enjoyed them. There are instances where they spend the better part of a day and find nothing (probably a lot more of those than are shown, but who wants to see a lot of failures?) We smiled over their dilemma, perhaps misery loves company, because we have “been there-done that” on too many occasions to speak of. There are also times when they meet up with a delightful old coot who has no intention of selling the treasures. Even though they are well up in their years, their intention is to someday fix/repair/improve or otherwise enhance the value of the item. Both the pickers and TV viewers realize this is most likely not ever going to happen, but the owner is just not ready to give it up.

I did not see the one show where they purchased a saddle for a low amount and “valued it” in the thousands of dollars. But “valuing” and “getting” are often two different things. They do an accounting at the end of a “buy” and often use the “valued at” or “sold for” terms. Now, “sold for” means just that. They were able to find a buyer for the item and you see the profit on the screen. They do not state where it was sold, so perhaps there were additional fees, such as charged  on ebay or other internet auctions. Or maybe it was sold at a live auction where the house takes a percentage (30-35%.) Perhaps they ran an ad for it in a newspaper or antiques paper. This can be expensive as well. So the “sold for” amount could be seriously skewed.

Another consideration is the fact that much that they buy is in-the-rough. We do not know if they spend time and money in refurbishing items, or have to store them until they find the parts.  And what about their other costs of doing business? They have an expensive building to store things and a workshop, a large van that can hold a variety of items, their assistant who does research and handles phones, gas and meals while on the road. It also sounds like this is their only income, so they need to make a profit to even exist.

Having been antique dealers for over 25 years, we only tell tales about the “great ones!” We are a lot like gamblers and you only hear about the times we made a big hit, not mentioning all the unsold items in our basement or shed.

I have chatted with a few folks that are not in the business and they say it looks like a great deal of fun. You hop in your car, stop by an old farmhouse, pick through the barns and load up the treasures.  Uh-huh. Boy, give me some of that action!

It is a fun show and I for one enjoy the ups and downs of the episodes and the camaraderie of the co-pickers.  I guess the bottom line is that if the potential customers do not want to sell, they should keep their barn-doors closed.

I would say that our home is pretty formal. Oh, we do have an oak ice box in the back hall for our canned goods, some wall items that are a bit rough, but I have never been prone to lean toward the primitives. Lots of folks love the old wooden bowls, granite ware, utensils that have most of their paint worn off, things like that. Not me.

But a few weeks back hubby and I took off on another “day trip” where we head in one direction, aiming to find a new antique shop or mall.  We were in central Wisconsin when we walked into an antique store we’d never been to (getting harder and harder to find!) Anyway, there it stood.  I ran up to it. As an experienced antiquer I realize that this is something you should not do since it shows you are anxious and it may be harder to negotiate. But I lucked out because the owner was nowhere to be found. I asked hubby if he had ever seen anything cuter.  Being such a good guy, he smiled and said, well, YOU!  I smiled back and once again turned my attention to the item. I was not 100% sure what it was, but the tag cleared it up for me. “Cobbler’s Bench”, it read, “circa 1900.” Ahhh, I could envision the old gent resting on the leather part and working on a shoe form which may have been in the center. His nails and tools resting in the little ‘cubbies’, making for easy retrieval.

By now, hubby had moved on to another room, but I continued to check it out. I loved the partial leather strap, the legs that were still solid and the roughness of it. The door opened and in walked the proprietor.  She greeted me and then asked if I was “into primitives.” I was taken back, as they say, not really considering what it was that was so appealing to me. “No”, I said slowly, “this just looked so charming.”  She told me that her husband had just brought it in,  and she thought he got it an auction the week before.  Sometimes it is great to

learn that things were just brought into an establishment. That could mean that not many others have seen it and it is indeed a bargain. But it can also mean that the price is more firm than when it has been languishing there for months.

Hubby came back for me and asked to show me something in a case.  The lady and I moved in his direction.  I was a bit reluctant, what if someone walked in and saw “my” bench and wanted it right then.  But I did pull away, proud of myself.

We discovered other items, found a few to purchase and then I asked hubby to re-examine the bench.  He walked over to it and checked it out, verifying that it was very old and although it was more than likely that the leather seat was not original, all else seemed to be in order and “of the period” stated on the tag.

He was ready to move on to the next place but kindly questioned me as to my intentions with the piece.  I asked him to negotiate with the lady, just in case there was some wiggle room, then I’d make my determination. Wouldn’t you know it, she came down nearly 1/3 on the price, stating that business has been rather slow over the winter months.  It was decision time. I pulled out the check book, handed my payment to the lady and hubby and I each grabbed an end to place it into the van.

It now sits in my formal “art deco room” with a white chaise lounge, and naughty lady pictures,  a sad misfit for sure. I am sure that I will be selling it. I just cannot find the place for it. (I did hint for a larger house, but was quickly rebuked.) But it has been fun just seeing it when I walk in. A new owner will more than likely put glass over the top, maybe some collection underneath that, and use it as a display or coffee table.  I wish them well.  For a moment I have envied all those lovers of primitives, raw items from the past that are revered and proudly  displayed. If you are one of them, I hope you find the “rough treasures” you desire.

February is here and the Super Bowl is over with the winners celebrating and losers well, probably trying to understand the loss.

It’s also a time when many antique malls and stores have sales, with markdowns and discounts throughout. And with our outdoor antique market season coming, it’s time to start restocking our depleted inventory. We’re looking for items that are unique and underpriced, and that requires lots of work finding just the right pieces. Being collectors of far too many things, wer’e also looking for additions to our own collections.

One of our favorite antique malls is Fox Lake Country Antiques located in Oconomowoc, WI., and a short jaunt from home. Their mailing on a special sale had been attached to our calendar and with the Super Bowl starting so late in the afternoon we had “Time To Buy.” And while out their direction another must stop is the Antique Center at Wales, WI.

Looking at the first photo you may wonder about our purchases, so let me justify our buying habit. The window frame and coffee pot are both for our personal use. Wifey has a good collection of pots and pitchers of all ages. This one is old transfer ware in the Kenilworth pattern by H. Alcock & Co of Cobridge, England. It had a tiny chip on the spout and was priced “As Is” but as the display shelf is high up, only Wifey, You and I will know it’s not perfect. It was purchased at Wales. We also bought bronze hinges at Wales, and they are to sell. We seem to favor metal hardware and these three are very decorative and large. Made by Yale & Towne and signed on back, STANDARD Y&T. Let’s hope these find a buyer when its “Time To Sell.”

Our purchases at Fox L.C. included a rubber St. Bernard figurine, a souvenir plate from a jeweler in Ithaca, MI, an advertising pen holder marked Rexall Drug Stores, a deck of playing cards with Citgo Oil advertising, an old nut cracker with lion heads on the handles and two Masonic pins. All these will go into our stock for now as its “A Time To Hold”

Now lastly let me show you what my reason is for buying the window frame. I already had one for many years, it’s in our powder room off the master bedroom. With long winters, the room has a garden theme that includes this window and a “view” of the flowers in our gardens.

Oh, wait, “A Time To Pitch” is not in Wifey’s vocabulary, but I’ll be taking some time soon to sort through a lot of discarded electronics and other things relegated to the basement; too old to use – too new to be collectible.

Wes Cowan, Antique Week

In the January 11, 2010 issue of Antique Week, Wes Cowan discusses how “2010 will be a great year to buy antiques for the home,” for collectors who like to ‘buy low.’

While insisting he’s “bullish on the business” of antiques, Cowan says that now’s the time to buy antiques for your home because prices are low and “dealers are eager to make a sale.” He credits (if we can use that word) the low prices to three factors, “the triple play of economic woes, eBay, and demographics.”

I probably don’t need to comment on the economy. And Cowan’s thoughts on the subject of eBay affecting supply and demand (you can click the scans to read them) echo my own. But the matter of demographics is an interesting one.

When we met Wes, he accurately and kindly noted that our kids were weird — for being collectors, that is. So I’ve heard Wes’ thoughts and discussed issue with him; but his column in Antique Week he puts it it more succinctly than I ever could:

Demographics continue to play another major role in the diminishing value of many antiques. If you’re a collector who visits shows and auctions, you already know that the average age of most antique collectors continues to climb. There simply aren’t enough young folks in the market.

I’ve written before on the values of collecting, how we’ve bonded with our children over games, vintage vinyl, books, and shows like History Detectives. In this economy, it also makes sense to teach children the values of money, of recycling and using previously used things, of decision making, and how to be good consumers; but it also makes sense to encourage and allow children to enjoy the hobby of collecting so that there’s younger people looking for older stuff.

Children aren’t just our future, they will be the guardians of our past; they have to start learning to value it now.

So take them out to the auction, the flea market, to antique shops, etc. and let them help you snatch-up the bargains. (And tell the dealers that Wes Cowan and Deanna Dahlsad sent you!)

All scans from AntiqueWeek, Vol. 42, Issue No. 2112.

Wes Cowan Article, Part Two