Greenville Business Magazine 2010 February issue : Page 48
››executive lifestyles interest personal BY MARY ANN HESTER Antique Collecting | A ANTIQUE IMAGES COURTESY OF WILL SEIPPEL mementos of famous people and manuscripts. State historical societies brought an increased interest in colonial history and in the late 1850s “an association was founded to restore and preserve Mount Vernon, the first of the country’s many house museums.” Furniture and other household pieces were featured in Philadelphia at the First Centennial Expo in 1876 and since then, everything from snuff- boxes to jewelry to postcards have run hot and cold as antiques and collectibles. But what makes something an antique? In the Tariff Act of 1930, US Customs declared that A anything produced before 1830 (when mass production became common) could be defined as an antique and was free of import tax. Then in 1966 the 100 year old standard was adopted as being the definition of duty-free imported pieces. One caveat to this was “if the essential character is changed, or more than 50 percent of the item has been repaired or restored, the item is no longer considered an antique and is subject to duty.” So basically, according to this, an antique buyer is one who collects a piece or item that is over 100 years old. But there is also another definition for those who collect. According to antique buyer and lover Mary Lawson of The Polished Antique, an antique “connoisseur” is an individual who collects “some- thing that is of the period when the style began.” A writer on antiques with Suite101 goes further with “connoisseurs...[don’t care for the 100 year old definition] as it gives no consideration to the quality, style and craftsmanship of a piece…an item that was ugly and of poor quality over a hundred years ago likely still is.” mericans, by nature, are collectors and antique collectors understood the “green” concept long before it was popular to recycle. Author and philosopher Leon Rosenstein says “often our most prized possessions are those that have a long history before they came into our hands.” In the United States, collectors have been active since the 18th century, honing in on old books,
>>executive lifestyle - Personal Interest: Antique Collecting
Mary Ann Hester
Americans, by nature, are collectors and antique collectors understood the “green” concept long before it was popular to recycle. Author and philosopher Leon Rosenstein says “often our most prized possessions are those that have a long history before they came into our hands.” In the United States, collectors have been active since the 18th century, honing in on old books, mementos of famous people and manuscripts. State historical societies brought an increased interest in colonial history and in the late 1850s “an association was founded to restore and preserve Mount Vernon, the first of the country’s many house museums.” Furniture and other household pieces were featured in Philadelphia at the First Centennial Expo in 1876 and since then, everything from snuffboxes to jewelry to postcards have run hot and cold as antiques and collectibles.
But what makes something an antique? In the Tariff Act of 1930, US Customs declared that anything produced before 1830 (when mass production became common) could be defined as an antique and was free of import tax. Then in 1966 the 100 year old standard was adopted as being the definition of duty-free imported pieces. One caveat to this was “if the essential character is changed, or more than 50 percent of the item has been repaired or restored, the item is no longer considered an antique and is subject to duty.” So basically, according to this, an antique buyer is one who collects a piece or item that is over 100 years old.
But there is also another definition for those who collect. According to antique buyer and lover Mary Lawson of The Polished Antique, an antique “connoisseur” is an individual who collects “something that is of the period when the style began.” A writer on antiques with Suite101 goes further with “connoisseurs...[don’t care for the 100 year old definition] as it gives no consideration to the quality, style and craftsmanship of a piece…an item that was ugly and of poor quality over a hundred years ago likely still is.”
So how do you start collecting and how do you get help? The knowledgeable owners of Antiques on Augusta at Lewis Plaza have over forty hand selected dealers who “have a price point that is reasonable. We find now that individuals and decorators like practical pieces like chests of drawers and silver that can be used. We want our customers to feel like they are investing, not just spending on our pieces, and we truly believe we have something for everyone.”
With the internet, there is another dimension to collecting that cannot be ignored. Attending auctions is one way to learn about antiques but you can now do that from your armchair. Proxibid is the world’s largest provider of online auctions and has conducted over 20,000 of them, including auctioning the assets belonging to Bernie Madoff. They work with Greenville and other local auctioneers and have obviously have changed the scope of pricing and availability.
Another part of the equation of collecting is a category known as “collectibles.” In 2007, Will Seippel, a former acquisition expert, founded Worthpoint a site that “organizes the world’s information into a central library or ‘worth’ database.” Turning an avocation into a vocation, the Worthpoint CEO says that “everybody collects something – coins, stamps, glassware, memorabilia – these collections have meaning and people are naturally curious about the history and value of their things.” What is making people happy now are the prices of coins and militaria – hot items in the worldwide marketplace. Worthpoint is definitely global – they have over 180 customers in Russia, over 80 in the Ukraine, 19 in Iceland and even some from Botswana.
All the experts agree – when starting out, start piece by piece. Buy from a trusted source. The four owners of Antiques on Augusta spend time with individuals educating them on the value and origin of pieces. As they say “we don’t mind spending our time with people, as we were founded on customer service. We are honest in our opinions and prices; that is a good investment for us and customers appreciate it and keep coming back. We even have a ‘wish list’ of pieces that customers are looking for so we can let them know when we find them.” Worthpoint’s Seippel says that “people buy things that make them happy” and that is a good measuring stick of what to buy when it comes to collectibles or antiques. All he does is connect you to other buyers and sellers to swap goods and of course, stories.
So when it comes to buying or selling antiques and collectibles use your feet and fingers to educate yourself!
Antiques and Collecting Magazine
www.acmagazine.com
A 75 year old standard for collectors; published monthly and written by collectors
Worthpoint
www.worthpoint.com
Online worldwide data on collectibles for buying or selling.
Proxibid
www.proxibid.com
The largest provider of online bidding
Greenville County Museum of Art
www.greenvillemuseum.org
Our local resource for art and antique information. Home of the Antique Show which is now in its 25th year.
Antique Collectors Club
www.antique-acc.com
They publish books on antiques and the decorative arts.
Antiques: The History of an Idea by Leon Rosenstein
The philosopher and collector traces the history of collecting and connoisseurship
Young Greenville Collectors
The Greenville Museum of Art offers a membership category for individuals from mid-20s to mid 40s who are interested in collecting art and antiques. The purpose is to “educate your eye” while having a lot of fun at museum parties and classes and day trips. This special membership includes invitations for two to Museum lectures, parties and programs and a 10 percent discount on purchases in the Museum shop and classes. There are also two special events each year specifically for this group so you can meet like-minded patrons.
For more information visit www.greenvillemuseum.org.
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