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Antique Collectibles

Some Ways to Find the Collectible You Want

Antique Collectibles

Serious collectors of antiques know that it is not often easy to find a specific piece of furniture, the right antique chandelier or a painting by the artist you like or of the subject matter you collect.

Some people love to "antique" - browse shops, flea markets and garage sales looking for something that strikes their fancy or appears to be undervalued.

Others are more serious and only want a specific item.

Finding Antiques

Serious antique collectors establish relationships with good dealers or auction houses. Since they are good customers the dealers will call them when items of interest appear on the market.

While the major auction houses - Sotheby's and Christies do tend to carter to the higher end of the collectibles market, you will find that they also deal in more affordable pieces - paintings, sculpture, other fine art, antiques, books, jewelry, toys, dolls, collectible memorabilia,

You can go to their sites and learn about upcoming auctions, buy catalogs for upcoming and past sales and read articles about buying and selling at auction.

There are many lesser known and regional auction houses, some of which specialize in certain collectibles like folk art or antiques dolls.

And there are antique dealers all over the place - from 5th Avenue in New York City to barns in rural Pennsylvania.

If you find a dealer who specializes in want you want, ask them to help find you the items you want even if they don't presently have any in stock. There are professional networks that allow them to hunt for specific items in the inventory of other dealers.

Less Haughty Places to Find Antiques

Flea markets and gargage sales are places to start. You may find an item unappreciated by the seller - or recognize that what he thinks is a reproduction is real. There have been many stories of people picking up very valuable pieces at these places - even in other peoples' trash.

Then there is the internet. A site like GoAntiques.com can put you in touch with thousands of dealers.

Or you can search for the specific item you are looking for. Rarely will not find it listed for sale on the internet.

If you do this, you will also find dealers specializing in the item and maybe even organizations devoted to it. These sites may allow you to trade with members. Since the organization is devoted to the collectible you are looking for, chances are you will find high quality specimens for sales.

eBay

Whether you love or hate eBay, there is no question that it is a treasure trove of antiques and other collectibles. If you look at the box to the right you will see over 200,000 items classified as antiques (whether they are is another matter) for sale either directly or on auction.

Thousands more are added daily. No single dealer - or group of dealers - can compete with the selection eBay offers.

The accepted profile of a eBay buyer is close to the flea market or garage sale buyer - bargain hunters. So you will rarely see top-of-the-line quality antique collectibles for sale, but some of those bargains have turned out to be real gems.

Clubs and Groups

If you can find local groups that collect what you do, you will be able to share information, buy, sell or trade and learn about resources that you might not know existed.

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