Collecting 101

My husband and I have been in the business of buying and selling for more than 20 years now. It has been a lot of fun and we’ve met some great people. We deal in antiques and collectibles, and anything else we think we might make money on! We sell at the Stillwater Antique Mall, on EBAY, and at the Big Red Barn. Over time, we have seen many, many intriguing collections!

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To me, collecting has very little in common with what is seen on the American Pickers. I do not go up to a strangers house and ask them if I can look around at their stuff; and, sadly, we don’t have someone to set up meetings for us!

I am often asked, how do you start a collection? This might sound ridiculous, but I think collections often start themselves. You might be browsing at a garage sale or flea market and find an item you love! Before you know it’s grown to two, three, four…… Collections can be very specific – a certain brand, or more broad – certain items. I have a good friend I worked with for years who collected frogs. I have another friend who loves to collect Mickey Mouse!

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We like to travel through small towns, and check out the local antique stores or flea markets. You can find some real gems in these places. Do not be afraid to ask for a discount. The worst they can tell you is no. The only thing I would caution you is, don’t make your discount offer too low. As a seller, I’m generally open to a 10 – 20 percent discount.

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One item I collect is spoons. I LOVE old collector spoons. I am not what you would call a “pure” collector. If I find a spoon I like, it gets added to the collection. But, my favorites are turn of the century (early 1900s) collector spoons. To me, they are a work of art and are heavily influenced by Victorian Era art. They have beautiful designs, some are very colorful, and each one tells a story. They are also small, don’t take up much space, and you can find them rather inexpensively.

Happy collecting! Jackie