Collecting antiques either for profit or pleasure is a rewarding activity. You can start your collection with one item and choose to expand with similar pieces or buy items that are totally different. If you’re interested in taking up this activity just as a hobby, there are no real steps except being given, finding or buying your first item. However, if you want to take it more seriously, here are tips on how to collect antiques.
Collect Things You Love
Find something that you like and start from there. It may be paintings, coins or even furniture. As long as it’s something that you’d want to be surrounded by a few years to come, it’s worth collecting. The best thing about collecting antique items is that no two collections are the same. Items are so diverse such that you can pick almost anything. There are people collect specific brands or types of antiques, while others prefer pieces from their childhood. Find something you love and start the road to your first antique collection.
Gather As Much Knowledge As Possible About the Items
After deciding on your preferred items, go online or get books to get more knowledge on the items. Also, you can talk to experts and other enthusiasts. This way you will become more informed. Experts will give you advice on where to look, what to look for and pitfalls they have come across. They’ll also tell you about the rarest or most valuable items, or if your collection is good. If you find an expert, they will also tell you how to spot imitations and fakes.
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Know What You’re Buying
Familiarize yourself with ways of identifying, clarifying and confirming these antiques before buying them. Regardless of your chosen type of item for collection, knowing the signatures, hallmarks, tell-tale signs and giveaways that tell if the item is genuine or not is very important. Also, you need to know what makes some pieces collectible compared to others. Get as much knowledge as possible about identification and it’ll enhance your love of the antiques you’re collecting.
Spend Time at Antique Selling Points
Markets, auctions, antique shops and second-hand shops are just a few of the places you can find antiques. There are also plenty of sites like eBay, where you can get good deals too. This may be a good place to start collecting antiques but ensure that you buy from sellers who have a good reputation. One thing you need to keep in mind is that an item being old doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s an antique. What matters is scarcity and whether most people would like to own that item.
Follow these tips and you will be on your way to becoming a master of your own antique collection!