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The world of antiques can be a fun and rewarding one to enter. If you are considering a career in dealing antiques, there are many types of people you will encounter and each of them have a different role to play. If you don’t know much about antiques, here is an over view of the groups that antiquing is divided into.

Traders: A trader is someone who doesn’t have their own shop, but takes part in an indoor market that is open year round. Traders can also be those who sell their antiques at flea markets. So, there can be a big difference in this type of clientele. With all of them, be prepared to document the pieces that you are selling to them. Same thing if you are purchasing your pieces - make sure you get a paper trail on the piece to protect yourself and your end customer.

Collectors: Serious collectors know their antique niche inside and out. They are usually seeking specific pieces in a specific condition. These collectors also have a set spending limit. Most collectors do not have shops, as they primarily are keeping the items for themselves, although you may run into another dealer who is creating a complete collection to sell. To work with a collector, you need to be very well versed in whatever type of item they are looking for. Collectors can be a very picky bunch.

Runners: Runners are those people who buy antiques for dealers. They are called runners because that is what they do; they are constantly on the road looking for pieces at great prices. The runner has a set price the dealer will pay for a piece and they try to get it for less than that and pocket the difference. This give the dealer the advantage of not having to go look for items and the runner makes a fairly quick profit on the turnaround.

Exhibitors: Exhibitors are usually those that have a shop, but are open limited hours. Or they run shows for a brief period of time, say one week, at a large venue. These exhibitors have a very high quality of stock, so the shows need to be sporadic as it takes time to find that many quality pieces. With a large venue and exhibitor may invite other exhibitors to create an antiques market. Usually they will be in a non competitive niche.

Restoration houses: While not involved in the actual buying and selling, restorers are critical to the antiques industry. These are the people that bring an old piece back to life without diminishing its value. Restoring antiques is not an easy process and knowing what to change and what to leave to keep a piece’s value high is what makes restorers so valuable.

For your career in antiques, you could be dealing with any of these types of people, or you could become one of these yourself! You could start off by being a runner and then graduating to being a market trader or exhibitor. There are many avenues in the antiques trade to explore!

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Antiques

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The organic farmers are angry that Monsantos terminator GM seeds will prevent the farmers from saving seeds from their harvest for next years crops and that Monsanto wishes to put them out of business. Actually it sure makes for headlines, unfortunately that is not how free enterprise works. Monsanto does not want to run anyone out of business; they want to sell seeds. If Monsanto holds them selves out as extortionists by overly inflating the prices as the critics seem to accuse them of doing before they have actually introduced it, then the free market would in fact take over and other companies willing to sell for less would emerge as at first smaller and then much larger competing players would they not. Isn’t that the basis for our proven capitalist system, which has given Americans great quality of life, choices and the largest GNP of the next four other nations combined?

So, Monsanto is also bound by the principals of free markets, so they cannot overly over step their bounds without the repercussions of loss of business and quarterly objectives, shareholders value and increased earnings per share. Now then remember if the farmers or corporate farmers do not wish to buy the terminating seeds well then don’t buy them? I do not see it as holding life for ransom as these pessimist attackers claim, there is complete choice of the farmers vendors. Some farmers are quite appalled and will refuse to by these seeds while others will buy them because the consumer wishes to have better looking produce and food.

Free markets when allowed to run their course can in due time solve many of the worlds debates. Lets agree to disagree and let the free market decide, because it is the great leveler in debate. Monsanto is like any other company which wants to make a profit and if you feel that strongly then don’t buy the GM terminator seeds. But at the same time if your corn is not as good at making ethanol or the ears are not selling as well in the market place, well then their should not be any complaints about that either, think about it.

Lance Winslow

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One personal junk is another personal treasure. Never is that more true than when you are doing a spring clean up.

The good weather held out for Fred Dowling’s 25th anniversary junk day and treasure exchange. Each year for the past 25 years, co-op residents have gathered in the spirit of reducing, reusing, recycling of their possessions. Residents trade and dispose of unwanted items; it’s a win-win situation, all around. This year an Antiques Road Show was added to the day. I was on-hand as residents brought their prized possessions and family heirlooms to be appraised.

Some of the riches unearthed include: a 1953 Coronation toy carriage at $350; a Queen Victoria Jubilee milk pitcher at $175;a pearl brooch for $250; an antique desk for $275. The “piece de resistance” was a silver and diamond necklace valued at $750.

Here are some things to keep in mind when assessing the value of your items.

Condition

Chips, cracks and breaks on crystal, glass, porcelain and ceramics reduces the value of anything to a very minimal amount. Despite that fact, any item can have sentimental value even those with damage can have value to you.

Spotting Damage

Sometimes you can’t tell if a piece of porcelain is cracked. Use the ping test - flicking you’re your thumb and finger again the porcelain. If it gives a ping sound, there are no cracks. If it gives a thud sound, it is damaged. The same test applies to crystal.

Value

Appraised value, retail value and your selling value are all different amounts.

The appraised value, sometimes called the insurance value is the amount that you would insure an item for. It is based on the amount you would have to pay to replace the item if it made an insurance claim.

The retail value is the amount that a store would sell it for. Your selling price is the amount that you would get if you sold it.

Your selling price will always be less than the retail value because most likely, you would sell your item to a dealer who in turn marks up the price.

Martin Swinton owns Take-A-Boo Emporium, an antique shop located in Toronto, Canada. He does furniture restoration, caning and rushing repairs, custom reproductions, upholstery, teaches courses on antiques and does appraisals for estates and community events. He can be reached at 416-785-4555 or by visiting http://www.takeaboo.com

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