PICK A WINNING LOTTERY TICKET!
A SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING YOUR ODDS
If such a "system" was possible, its author would make the first position on the best seller list their permanent home. For those who have passion for fine old pieces, there are systems and books that can improve your odds of ferreting out antique treasures. This week, let's talk books.
First on your recommended reading list are American Treasure Hunt by Harold Sack and Max Wilk, and Objects of Desire by Thatcher Freund. Both books describe the exciting day-to-day events of major inside players and the American antique masterpieces they covet. No textbook can compete with a riveting story.
Recently, identification and price guides have become available in almost every collecting category from art, to fountain pens, to Roseville pottery, to Wallace Nutting prints. These are money making tools. Buy them- especially in your favorite areas - study them, and most importantly, TRAVEL WITH THEM! Having the right book at the right place can make you money hunting antiques. At least one general price guide; Schroeder's, Kovel's, Warman's or the Antiques Trader, as well as one pictorial price guide by; Lyle, Hammond, or Miller should be selected to complement specific category price guides.
Any beginner, and most dealers, would be well served to acquaint themselves with the following general reference guides; Reader's Digest Treasures In Your Home, Emyl Jenkin's Appraisal
Basic Book of Antiques and Collectibles, by George Michael. A favorite book of mine is Thomas Armsbee's, Field Guide to Early American Furniture. Written in 1950 - don't believe it's prices - it's a pocket-sized plain talking masterpiece designed for "on-the-spot" use in shops and auctions. Long out of print, you must seek it out in old book stores, church sales, etc. Pay no more than five bucks. Doesn't that sound like a fun hunt! Fine Points of Furniture by Albert Sack is a good-better-best pictorial guide to evaluating style and form. It trains the antique "eye." Avoiding fakes is a lifetime obstacle course in antiques. Fake, Fraud or Genuine by Myrna Kaye is a good substitute if you can't find an old copy of Antique Fakes and Their Detection by Yates. Sloan's Green Guide to Antiquing in New England list's thousands of antique dealers, auction houses, antiquarian booksellers, shows, flea markets, and museums. No traveler should be without it. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art published American Arts & Crafts-Virtue in Design in 1990. It's packed with beautiful photographs and expert essays covering the American spectrum of art pottery, furniture, metalwork, and glass. These simple appearing pieces, often found at tag sales, can garner big prices. It is wise to make their acquaintance. A series of Collector's Guides to American Antiques by Knopf, Inc. dedicated to specific areas of interest has recently gone out of print. These books contain many helpful hints. Look them over if you encounter them. Buy the ones on pottery, folk art, and furniture.
I suggest a visit to a unique book store in our area called BOOKS ABOUT ANTIQUES on New Milford Turnpike in New Preston. The proprietor, Greg Johnson (860-868-1611) is a good man who can assist you with your library.
Scholarly reference books can have significant value themselves, especially when out-of-print. In your travels, don't forget to add to your library. And don't forget to bring a little library with you for quick reference. "Hey, you never know. You can't win if you don't play."
A System For Improving Your Odds
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