As antiques dealers, we'd all like to possess that innate sense that can weed out a treasure amongst a pile of rubbish. Lovejoy, the character from the British television series of the 1980's was renowned for possessing such intuitive skills, and was hence called a 'divvy" or diviner, by his peers (such as in a divining rod). But how do you go about building a business on gut reaction?
Taking a look back over the years, I've come to the realization that a large percentage of the of the very best items I've sold have been bought as "sleepers", overlooked by the general public and other experienced dealers. These sleepers have generally turned out to also be the most lucrative after doing the necessary homework to present them to the marketplace.
Here are some guidelines that I consider my Modus Operandi in buying inventory:
-Instead of heading to the pretty tables full of marked china, whether at auctions, flea markets, etc., look for those pieces that are/feel old and unmarked. Items with backstamps are easily identified, usually have a perceived market value, and your cost to buy will likely be 30-50% of that value, leaving a fixed margin for profit. If you're in it just to make money, that's OK, this way you can compute your anticipated profits. But...unmarked china can lead to such treasures as majolica, old Staffordshire, continental porcelains, wonderful old Chinese and Japanese ceramics, etc. The general public feels warm and cozy buying marked items, you'll have less competition, and the profit ceiling can be much higher.
-Look for well-made, good condition items you know or sense to have great age. Old methods of manufacture were often more labour intensive, and the detailing will be apparent. I often buy things that I haven't a clue about, but if it's costing me only a dollar, I'll take the chance and enjoy the research as it just adds to your accumulation of knowledge. Some of these weird, wonderful and well-made items have been my favourite finds. As an example, one of my first purchases in the business was an 1870's iron chastity belt, complete with lock, that had been passed over by other dealers at a yard sale. It was $5.00, and the owner thought it had something to do with horses, but as others couldn't figure out how it would fit on a horse, they left it behind. I just thought it looked very intriguing, and pretty, with some old Victorian engraving on it, so I bought it, researched "iron belt", and lo and behold :)..chastity belts are pretty rare finds. Another example was a Victorian skirt lifter being presented as sugar tongs by the auctioneer, didn't seem right to me, but it was well made, I had never seen anything that looked like that before, so I bought it. It's true, not everything old is good, but an awful lot of good gets passed by.
-Artwork: this is one of my favourite areas. After time, you will develop an eye for good artwork, but for reassurance before grabbing that $2.00 painting that you're not just adding to your pile of mediocre amateur attempts, I look it over and feel really good should it have a gallery label affixed to the back, or even remnants of one. This is not the same as a framing gallery, usually just the shop that made the frame and mounted the artwork that Aunt Flo painted. Old department stores also used to have in-house galleries, and this artwork can also be from some very good commercial artists. Inventory tags are really exciting, and can indicate the piece had been in a collection, museum inventory or gallery show. Check to see if the frame appears original, and I specifically look for paintings from 1930-40's and earlier, but I am sure great opportunities are there for later pieces as well. It goes without saying a signature is your starting point, but unsigned pieces can be plein aire sketches, these often oil on board with notations scribbled on back from known artists.
-Look for foreign import tags on items such as china, glass, wooden jewelry boxes, figurines. These were often applied late 1890's-early 1900's and look like stamps, often with red borders and hand written numbers or country in foreign languages and usually done with a nib pen in ink. Paper labels are no longer used, so this usually indicates good age, and above all, leave the label on the piece!
-Textiles: check for natural materials such as cotton and silk, get to know early fabrics like rayon. Look for labour intensive handwork. As fabric and clothing is a fugitive material, in that, over time it does deteriorate, buy only the best condition you can, and learn proper storage practices. Learn about sewing techniques so you can identify modern overlock seam finishes, man-made fibres, and be able to date a textile by it's newest element.
Reproductions: If you get fooled and end up purchasing a reproduction that you thought was old, forgive yourself! you're learning for the next time. What's that saying? "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me".
Now that you have gone out, hunted, and purchased (for a song!) all those interesting looking treasures, you must research what you have in order to be able to sell it. Google by description, walk around antique stores, peruse online auction listings, or ask for help from online groups...we live in a time where it has never been easier to get information. Once you have some basic information it is up to you to delve further and get as much knowledge as you can before presenting it for sale. Above all, enjoy the process, from that first "divvy" moment to the confidence that comes from knowledge.
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