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Decorating
Antiques: The
Modern Day Treasure Hunt
by Jerry Goldfarb
In today's world,
everything that's old can be described as antiques and generally
speaking that's quite true. A product is considered to be an antique
if it is over a hundred years old or is rare enough to have some
value. In other words, these are old items that are in limited supply.
An antique is
something collectible. It may be a piece of antique furniture that
you want to collect to enhance the look of a room, or a piece of
antique pottery to decorate a corner cupboard, or some antique books,
antique camera and photographs, antique jewelry, antique money,
antique car, antique clocks, or antique watches that you want to hand
down to your grandchildren but the items must be rare enough to be
considered an antique.
The others are
just secondhand goods junk. Most people have a common misconception
about an antique: the older they look, the more antique they must be.
Appearance has nothing to do with it, just because a piece looks like
it came out of grandma's attic does not necessarily mean that it's an
antique. The value of an antique is based on demand due to
suitability and limited supply.
Most people become
fascinated in an antique for two reasons; either they have an
interest in collecting antique purely for personal enjoyment and are
willing to shell out money for antique restoration or they inherited
it from a family member. The most common are antique pottery, antique
car, antique furniture, antique books, antique camera and
photographs, antique clocks, antique money, antique jewelry and
antique watches. However they came about it, everyone wants to be
sure of one thing that what they buy or inherit will escalate in
value as time goes by. That is what antique collection is all about.
There are two main
principles that apply when collecting an antique: The first is to
know everything that you can about the antique that interests you and
second is to obtain them at the lowest possible price. Doing so will
not only give you satisfaction and enjoyment, but at the same time
you will also be assured that your investment will appreciate in value.
Some people only
developed an interest in antique because they inherited an item or a
whole house full of antique from a relative. The dollar signs started
to appear and they began their hunt for some antique appraisals and
antique auction. But what most failed to consider is that much of
what Great Grandmother had is probably just junk, unless she was a
seasoned collector who's into antique restoration or an expert in
antique appraisals.
It's true that
people could have bought a piece of furniture to decorate their home
a long time ago and that furniture, if it were of fine quality, would
now be worth something. But only a professional appraiser can
guarantee that, and appraising costs about $100-150 an hour. So if
you are keen on bringing you item in an antique auction and
contemplating about asking someone how much an item is worth, be
prepared to shell out a few bucks for the information. Appraisers
charge so much because they shoulder the lion's share for insurance
companies and lawyers settling estates.
Although
appraising is not an exact science, it still requires an appraiser to
do lots of research and then prepare a detailed report that's
acceptable in a court of law.
About The Author
Jerry Goldfarb is
the owner of two websites devoted to the subject of antiques.
Thinking about exploring the exciting world of antiques? Utilize
these resources in your treasure hunt for the exquisite. There is no
membership required:
http://www.asianartantique.com
and http://www.dynasty-antiques.com.
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