Antiquing Can be Quite an Adventure... Both on and Off-line

Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated with Antiques. Partly because they are often shiny, ornate or interesting to look at... and partly because of the sense of history you can hold in your hand, so to speak.

My mother did not share this love, nor did her mother who called any collectible a "dust collector". My mother finally explained one day that my grandmother spent most of her youth dusting her mother's treasured nick nacks and resented them from then on. As such, she taught my mother to despise them... but from somewhere (a DNA gene perhaps?) I was enamored by any collectible, miniature or antique.

One of my favorite treasure hunt memories was with my aunt. We were antique shopping (more looking than buying) at the Jersey Shore many years ago. Upon walking into one store, my aunt went towards the jewelry counter while I eyed the Hummels and other figurines.

Suddenly I became aware of my usually animated aunt becoming quite still. I zeroed in my attention upon her and realized that she was like a deer in the headlights - something had stopped her in her tracks, so I meandered over to see what was up.

There I tuned into the conversation as my aunt queried the store clerk about the glass beaded necklace on display. At the time it was quite cheap (this is in 1960 dollars)... so as I recall it was less than $5.00. My aunt seemed to be questioning the price. The woman was becoming distressed saying that she could not lower it any further, after all she had overhead and couldn't give things away.

My aunt told her she'd take it, offered her the payment in cash, grabbed the bag and sped out of the store. Curious, I followed my aunt out onto the boardwalk. "What's up?" I asked her. My aunt, nearly speechless and quivering with excitement said, "I just can't believe what she charged me."

Sensing her excitement, I was confused by her remark and asked, "What do you mean?"

"This isn't glass... it's crystal! She sold me a crystal necklace for less than $5.00."

Up to that point I had thought that it would be fun to have my own antique store... surrounded by the treasures and enjoying them with shoppers. Now it struck me that a store owner who was quite experienced in the trade had made such a ghastly mistake. I realized there was much to learn and that a truly keen eye -- and cool head -- was needed in order to find... and to sell... antiques.

Since that time, the Internet has really changed the finding, selling, buying and pricing of antiques and collectibles. What had once been a family treasure (a plate, a figurine) may have taken a nose dive due to the give-away pricing on some of the online auctions sites.

On the other hand, something like the Beanie Baby can become a hot overnight craze fueled by heat-of-the-moment bidding and International competition.

Had that glass / crystal necklace been placed on Ebay it would surely had fueled a bidding war.

If you have found a great bargain that you'd like tell about, I'd love to hear from you. Please contact me with the details.... and happy hunting!