Before you refurbish antique furniture: READ THIS

I had a client email me today regarding their grandparent’s antique sofa and 2 chairs. They wanted them appraised and sold for the ‘appropriate’ money. They pointed out that they had been professionally reupholstered and that the ‘original springs and woodwork remain’. 

It is not the first time I have had this type of email, it’s not even the 10^th or 20^th. Sadly and understandably people get impressed with the look of a piece of antique seating be it a couch, fancy armchairs or a chaise lounge and they choose to make an investment in it. They all too often meet up with an unscrupulous restoration person who sells them on a big refurbishing job that’s going to cost many times more than the pieces are worth, perhaps mentioning that they will keep the ‘original springs and woodwork’.

I could hear the conversation in my head ‘Oh yes, $4,000 might sound like a lot of money but you’ve got a piece here that’s going to be worth $12,000 once I’m done with it.’

First off, keeping the original springs has absolutely no effect on value (in fact it sounds downright uncomfortable!), secondly, original woodwork? Isn’t that a given? You’re refinishing the piece, not building a new one. 

So the client gets sold a bill of goods and goes ahead with the job. Once they get it home they may enjoy it for a bit but soon realize that it doesn’t really suit their living arrangement or style anymore (see BLOG) and want to sell it. Now they’re in for a surprise and the reseller has to be the bearer of bad news.

Be careful what someone who has an interest in getting you to invest in something is telling you what it is worth, especially if it’s how they earn their living. This goes for reupholstering and refinishing of any piece of antique furniture. Make sure you’re doing it for you and not because it’s going to increase its value.

A hot collectible that is found in almost every household

 

People often ask me ‘What’s hot?’ in terms of antiques and collectibles. It’s a question that usually follows my grim speech about the largely declining resale marketplace.

One of the first things that comes to mind is photos. And I’m referring to everyday snapshots, the kind that are often found in shoeboxes in closets. Many times people are shocked by this ‘You mean collectors are interested in photos of people they don’t know?” they ask. And the answer is Indeed they do, it’s called vernacular photography;  photos taken by unknown or anonymous photographers for themselves, family photos essentially. And it’s a burgeoning collecting field. 

Supply

Photography was invented in the 1820s so by 1900 almost every household had a camera. Flash forward 5-6 generations and what we got are literally thousands of snap shots of ancestors we didn’t know. These often have little interest to families and therefore end up being given away, sold or (god forbid) thrown out and are currently flooding flea markets, auctions and antique store shelves.

Demand

Now one of the big appeals to photography is the human element. Nothing is much more personal than a photo, it allows us to look into a person’s face, examine their clothing, analyze the people they are with or the situation they are in, and imagine what was going on or why the photo was taken, by whom and so on. It allows us to fill in our own narrative.

Diversity

Additionally, the potential variations within the field are limitless. For example, I have a client who collects photos of wedding cakes, some people collect images with dogs or cats in them, while others may be interested in photos that depict a certain geographic area like their city or cottage area. So you can see there are literally thousands of categories appealing to a huge range of collectors.

Affordability

There’s something for every budget. Lastly, because you can go down to your local flea market or antique show and buy a photo starting at a few dollars or less, it means the bar to entry to starting a collection is very low and virtually anyone can begin. It makes them very accessible to a lot of people.  The reverse is also true, some photos and photo albums regularly sell in the hundreds and thousands of dollars locally and on eBay. An early photo of Billy the Kid sold for 2.3 million dollars in 2011.

So there you have it, supply, demand, diversity and affordability all colliding to create a very robust and growing field of collecting.

 
Tips

· Black and white is a good cut-off point. Anything later is generally of less interest.

· Unusual subject matter (different lifestyles, exciting images, buildings that don’t exist anymore).

· Specific subject matter (profession related, local interest).

· Gay interest. Photos depicting the gay lifestyle and same sex affection are very popular.

· Photos that tell a story. Photo albums that are well laid out and follow someone’s journey, through life or on a trip can be of interest to collectors.