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Discover Mid-America — May 2005
Estate sales
What happened
to the days when everyone walking out of an estate sale had a smile on
his or her face? The estate was loaded and there was something for everyone.
Obviously, the quality of the estate is paramount.
However, I’m sure the wide range of estates has always been the same.
When one checks the estate sale ads in the newspapers, the high-end neighborhoods
get first choice. From time to time, wonderful little estates can be found
tucked away in secret hiding places.
Then, there are the estate brokers. They
can range from the totally ignorant and the totally competent, to the
slightly unethical. When I first started in business 23 years ago, estate
sales were my major source of inventory. (Hey, you dealers out there,
how many times have you been to a sale and the prices were higher than
what you can get in your shop?) Or the brokers were totally ignorant and
everything was either over priced or under priced depending on what they
fancied.
On the other hand, thank God for brokers
who truly know what they are doing. And if they don’t know something,
they are willing to call in someone who does. They also are willing to
invest in an extensive library and to take the time to do research when
necessary. This type of broker also has a healthy respect for dealers,
understanding that they know what they are looking at and they also have
the funds available.
Where does this leave the general public?
Well I think in a couple of places. First of all, by doggedly pursuing
estate sales, you cannot help but learn by trial and error, and hopefully
without too much damage to your pocketbook. Secondly, the great variety
of merchandise available in sales often leaves something for everyone.
Remember, there is a sleeper in every sale — shop, and show. Estate
sales are great learning grounds.
Estate sales appeal to dealers, true collectors
and to the general public, who are enticed with the thought there is a
buck in this somewhere. For many dealers, these sales are their major
source of inventory. Their approach is far different from the general
public. They can walk through a sale in five minutes or come back three
days running. True collectors seem to have an uncanny knowledge of where
items of interest might be found! You can find them at the proper sale
and not the next. The Internet, the mall scene and Roadshow have drawn
the general public into the estate sale scene.
As you might have guessed, I attended a very successful estate sale this morning!
Syrma Sotiriou is the proprietor of The Treasured Scarab in Denver, and a regular contributor to Discover Mid-America. Contact her at (303) 777-6884.
> Antiquing in Colorado Archive — past columns
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