Beginners Guide To Collecting Antiques

Collecting antiques can be a fun hobby to participate in and a great way to earn some money later on down the road; however, it can certainly take the fun out of beginners when they haven’t the slightest clue what they’re doing. Lucky for us, there are a lot of online articles and tools that can get you moving in the right direction. When you’re just starting to collect antiques, the best place to start is with the garage sales. At garage sales people are trying to get rid of old stuff all the time and it’s ridiculous how low their prices are, but the truth is that some people don’t even realize how much money their items are worth. As the old saying goes “One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure.”

You can get information about garage sales in your area from the newspaper, online and even from people in your community. However, it’s best to visit them early in the morning so that you can get to the good stuff before others do. Not only should you check out garage sales, but online auctions are even better, and later, you can visit some antique dealers. Now that you know where to look to obtain your antiques, let’s talk about what to look for. There are a lot of items that can be considered antiques such as furniture, watches, clocks, glass, stones, plates, lace, musical boxes, ivory, metalwork, tapestry, pottery and so much more.

In order to make sure you are getting an antique, there are some things you must know such as the time period of its origin. This way you can get an idea of what it might be worth in the future. Because it can be hard to recognize an antique, you must evaluate the pieces that go with the object. People are known for changing parts on an antique and then it becomes less valuable than it would have been with its original pieces. Once you’ve determined that an item is an antique that you’re willing to invest in, decide what it’s worth. If you’re not sure what it’s worth, then name a price that you feel comfortable with paying. If you want to successfully obtain an antique for a price that is reasonable, you must know how to bargain. Not to mention, the seller is more likely to lower the price if they suspect that you really want the item.

If you decide to visit some antique stores or other places to shop for your antiques, know the reputation of the seller. There are some sellers who’ve been doing this for a long time, while others are just getting started. It’s important that you know who you’re getting your antiques from, because if you have a problems later, you want to feel confident that you can go back to the seller for assistance. It’s easy to get ripped off by people and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you could lose a lot of money. There have been many times people have bought items, found problems, went to the seller to ask questions, only to find that they’ve vanished. It’s best in the beginning to only deal with dealers who have solid, positive reputations. Happy hunting!

Article Source: sooperarticles.com/hobbies-articles/collecting-articles/beginners-guide-collecting-antiques-665682.html

About Author:

Mike Gatusso is an author, business owner, and social media promoter. In addition to running TheBros, an internet marketing company he also creates niche sites about diverse topics such as garage doors.Author: Mike Gatusso