McKenzie - Antiques on the Cheap: a Savvy Dealers Tips: Buying, Restoring, Selling

A Savvy Dealers Tips:
Buying Restoring Selling

James W. McKenzie

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Deborah Balmuth and Marie Salter

Cover design by Meredith Maker

Cover photography copyright Eric Roth Photography, of bureau owned by Harry Zeltzer, Ipswich, MA

Text design and production by Susan Bernier

Production assistance by Eileen Clawson

Illustrations, except those on pp. 15, 19, 23, 33, 35, 39, 46, 47, 51, 58, 62, 65, 119, 178, and 186, by Robert Strimban

Indexed by Barbara Hagerty

1998 by James W. McKenzie

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other without written permission from the publisher.

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Printed in the United States by Lightning Source
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McKenzie, James W. (James William), 1943

Antiques on the cheap: a savvy dealers tips on buying, restoring, and
selling / James W. McKenzie.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-58017-073-4 (pb. : alk. paper)
1. AntiquesPurchasing. 2. AntiquesRepairing. 3. SellingAntiques.
I. Title

NK 1125.M3515 1998
745.1028dc21

98-12316
CIP

To my wife, Wanda, who is my partner, helper, loving
(and loved) constant companion, and third hand,
who tolerates a dining room full of pottery,
a garage filled with antiques, and a basement
that shes afraid to even look at.

To Susan, who shares my love of things old.

To Dianne, who gives me grandbabies to love.

To my grandchildren, Allison, Daniel, and Dennis,
who make me stop and play.

Lets get something out of the way right up front. This is not just another antiques identification book, price guide, or refinishing manual. It isnt going to make you an expert on antiques or collectibles overnight, and, if you buy it, its not going to make you rich or even good-looking. Oh, and theres another thing it isnt: a book for antiques dealers only.

What exactly is it, then? In short, its the authors knowledge of buying, improving, and selling antiques and collectibles, gained through years of experience, and condensed into the simplest terms possible.

Its a book for those of you who want to become dealers. Its also a book for people who have no interest in selling, but who like the idea of obtaining antiques at reasonable prices. And its the perfect how-to for the folks who want to improve their finds with a minimum expenditure of time, effort, and money.

If you think that you, and just about everyone you know, fits that description, youre right. Interior decorators, people furnishing a home on a budget, bed-and-breakfast operators, and everyone else who likes old stuff will appreciate the information provided here.

By mastering a few of the tricks discussed throughout the book, even the longtime dealers among you can begin improving your profit margins. You should understand that this book is not really aimed at the dealers who can spend thousands of dollars on fine antiques and can afford to hold their purchases indefinitely before selling them at large profits. Chances are, those guys arent out there looking for a book to tell them how to make money, anyway.

Primarily, the advice and information imparted here are intended to allow those of you with more modest means and limited expertise an avenue of acquiring some additional income while enjoying an interesting and rewarding occupation. If your time is limited, if you want to start out small or only work in the business part time, then this book is ideal for you.

If you dont want or cant afford to go out and buy a lot of expensive, specialized tools, then this book is for you. If you get a lot of satisfaction out of reaping the rewards of your own cleverness and efforts, then this book is for you. If you dont mind getting your hands a little dirty, then this book is definitely for you.

All craftsmen, tradesmen, or specialists in any business have tricks of the trade that they rely on to make their product more desirable or more salable, to make their jobs easier and their time more productive or profitable. Many of these so-called tricks are simple techniques learned through trial and error. Sometimes theyre bits of information passed along by word of mouth, usually to a select few. Many are closely guarded secrets, jealously hoarded once learned.

Why is this information so closely guarded? Because in many cases it was so hard to come by in the first place, and because sometimes the technique or knowledge is a moneymaker. Its the old law of supply and demand. In theory, the fewer who know, the more money those in the know can make.

Still, the tricks that youll learn in this book are not tricks in the sense that they are intended to dupe someone. You will not learn how to fake antiques.

What you will learn are techniques that will make what you sell more attractive and easier to sell. It will prepare you to be able to buy, at lower cost, the things that many dealers pass up because they dont know how to repair, replace, touch up, refinish, clean, display, or market what they have purchased.

Throughout this book you will find practical advice advice that works for the author. Not everything will work as well for everyone. Regional differences make for differences in tastes. So while oak, for instance, sells well in one part of the country, perhaps it cant be given away in another.

As youll discover, the overriding theme of this book is one of cost saving. Because of that fact, many of the processes and techniques prescribed are downright unorthodox.

The next most obvious concept underlying most of the advice youll get here is the idea that a lot can be accomplished quickly without sacrificing good results. Its still true that time is money. Some things you do in the antiques business bring in relatively little money, so its essential that you spend as little time on those projects as possible. The nice thing is that those little things add up.