Antique Videos

Cash Reward if You Can Tell Me What This Is

2008-06-24T04:25:00Z

UNCLAIMED AS OF YET, Reward for identifying, with proof, what this Dragon, poker, coat of arms, poison? sheathed item is.

This article may look familiar to some of you, I refreshed the date on this post and republished it.
This article was originally posted on www.auctionwally.com February 27th of 2008, and no one has been able to tell me what this item is yet. So I'm going to up the stakes. I'll give anyone who can tell me what it is $25.00 cash, a copy of my eBook "Selling Your Valuables in Tough Times" and a link to your website on www.auctionwally.com for one month! (Your website must be related to the antiques/auction world in some way to be eligible for this part of the prize.)
All you have to do is be the first person that can tell me what it is and prove it. If no one can solve this in 3 months I'll increase the booty! Go to my website to find the email address to send me your answer. The first one that can prove they know what the item is will win the prizes mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Diane and Bob ask:
Hi Wally,
Thank you for the prompt appraisal on our Japanese Urn. We had no idea that
it was quite that old.

This particular item is more or less a curiosity. My mother purchased it in
an antique store 60 years ago in Chicago. However, all she can remember
about it is that it had something to do with poison.... It has some weight
to it so, despite the fact that it doesn't tarnish, it could be brass or
perhaps some metal alloy. It's probably made from a mold. The details are
quite intricate. The two pieces fit together extremely well so that when
the 'treasure box' is inserted there is no wobble and it is as one piece.

The dimensions are as follows:
Total Length: 12"
Treasure box piece: 4 1/4" in length
Dragon piece: 8" in length
Width of treasure box at widest point: 3"
Width of dragon at widest point: 1"

AW says: ...duh,

I have to admit, I'm stumped on this one. So like any good auctioneer I feel I should exploit that to it's maximum commercial level by offering a reward to the first reader that can identify with absolute proof, what this is.

I'll send the winner whatever I promised in the opening paragraph.

Please note, that comments and opinions are welcome as well, but the declared winner will have to provide documentation.

Here are the things I've noticed, it's of very good quality, it has a coat of arms or a crest that would seem to indicate Royalty as well as a Dragon would in many cases. It is much like a poison, but seems much too large to be one.

For Dealers Only, Your First Estate/Collection Buy

2008-06-20T02:16:00Z

OK, your ready to answer your first call to go look at a house full of items for sale. Mrs. Jones has found your ad in the paper, and said she needs to liquidate her mother's estate. As the excitement builds and dreams of treasures fill your head with magic, you might realize that you don't know where to start, after all this is your first time.

What do you do first?
How will you be expected to pay?
Will she accept a check and if so, how do you make an offer?
Gulp, how do you dare offer a price low enough to guarantee that you can make a profit?
What if you buy the contents and you can't take it all then?

These questions and more are all legitimate concerns. You could fill a book on how to handle this and I do have plans to include this information in an upcoming book, but let's look at just a few of the most important quick, easy to remember things that will help you land your first purchase.

ALWAYS wipe your feet upon entering any dwelling, I don't care if it looks like a goat barn. This simple show of respect puts you in good standing right away.
Have a business card and hand it to the prospect upon introducing yourself. You may be new at this, but they don't have to know that.
Find something to remark about their dwelling in a a positive way, then thank them for the opportunity to look at the items.
Ask them what their goals are, and find out if there is a deadline. (Many estate purchases have a real estate closing pending.) Don't forget to listen here.
Ask if you can take pictures with your digital camera for reference and mark some of these references on your clipboard. These two tools are relatively inexpensive and a must for anyone going into a home to make purchases.
After a few minutes of looking around, you should know whether or not your interested at any price. The first question I like to ask myself is: "If this lot was given to me free of charge, would I be interested in it?" If after getting a good look, the answer to that question is no, your wasting their time and yours, thank them graciously and leave. There is always another deal around the corner. If the answer to the question is yes, now the game begins.
Start planning an offer strategy.
Resist the urge to knock items that have flaws to get the lot at a cheaper price, this puts the prospect on the defense, not to mention that it's an old worn out tactic. Be different, find good things to say about what you like. If you need to knock something down a peg to bring the lot price down, knock the current market prices, or the cost of hauling and re-sale overhead, but NEVER their merchandise.
If at all possible, make an offer based on the entire lot, this is the best way to buy low enough to make a profit, of course, you'll have to find a market for all of the mediocre and low end items.
When you make an offer, SHUT UP! Look for signs as to what they think of your offer. So many people will make an offer to buy, then keep talking out of nervousness. This is perhaps the biggest mistake in negotiating.
If they've accepted the offer, make sure the terms are clear, such as: How long do you have to remove the items? If you have to leave things behind until a later date, I like to put a deposit with the remainder due upon removal of the rest. A check should be fine in most situations, you should be a little suspicious of anyone that doesn't want to take a check, although there are sometimes legitimate reasons for doing so.
Get a receipt for your purchases. While it's often not practical to list every item in a big buy, put as much detail on your receipt to avoid confusion. Your digital pictures also help to avoid any mix-ups as to what was and wasn't included in the purchase.
Make arrangements for the removal of your items, the quicker you take them the better off you are.

If you stay in the business, you'll undoubtedly come across lots that are out of your league. Why pass them up? If you've got a good eye, and know there's great deal but just don't have the time, money or other resources to deal with it, why not network with an auctioneer or fellow dealer. Some of the pie is better than none and the relationship you build could be more beneficial than the contents. A good auctioneer or dealer will always pay a respectable finders fee for quality purchases, I do.

Also, if your not sure what exactly your looking at, it may pay to consult with a professional, I'm available for phone consultation and plan to have chat consultation on my web site soon.

As I mentioned earlier in this article, there are many things to learn about purchasing large collections. I've been doing it for more than 25 years and I'm still learning. If you care to learn more about this aspect of the auction world, then you'll want to stay in touch here and at www.auctionwally.com as well.

Other resources that may be helpful. How to Liquidate an Estate.
My online radio show ep.5 Buying Lots and Collections.

Thanks for reading and feel free to leave comments or ask questions, you may also email me at wkolenda@gmail.com

AW

Categories: antiques , auctions , liquidation

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Antique Tools, Collectibles You Can Use

2008-06-19T03:41:00Z

There is nothing more satisfying than knowing you'll get the maximum benefit out of an antique purchase and when you invest in a good antique tool, that's what you can expect. A great quality old tool will almost always go up in value as it ages as they are classics, plus you get to use and display them as well. Most often an antique hand plane or set of old wood clamps are much better at performing their task than today's counterparts, and if you take care of them they will last forever.

As with many antiques they can be retro-adapted for another use. For example, those wonderful Oak Machinist's chests are a fantastic way to store and display coins, jewelry, buttons or any other similar small item. They have many drawers which always glide with ease and are aesthetically beautiful.

Recently I purchased the estate contents of one Eino Lukula of Ashburnham MA. Mr. Lukula was a machinist and a carpenter, so his estate was jam packed with antique tools. As with every large estate purchase or consignment, as I go through it, I come to know quite a bit about the former owner through the the inspection of the contents. Eino obviously took great pride in his craftsmanship and owning the right tool for the right job. The lot of tools consisted of about 50% of new/old stock tools! New/Old stock is a term used by antique dealers for a an item that is old, but has never been used still in it's original packaging, there is no better, it's a dealers dream. Not only were there many new/old tools, but the ones that were used by him were very well cared for.
Mr. Lukula also custom built many of the cases for each of his vintage power tools and I later found out he built the home which the contents were housed in, as well as the house next door and several others in Ashburnham MA. This estate was a pleasure to work on, every drawer, nook and crevice held a treasure. The Holy Grail of the lot was a custom built, solid 3.5 inches thick, butcher block top tool bench. It was truly the best quality antique tool bench I've ever seen with a wheel vice on one end and a standard vice on the other.

Other antique tools also found in the estate were Stanley planes, wooden handle chisels, thousands of dyes, taps, bits, end mills, Starrett's gauges and micrometers, early wooden clamps, specialty saws, hundreds of other items, many which I've never seen before or have seen rarely. Most of the better quality small tools will be auctioned on eBay in my usual format which always consists of a low starting bid, without reserve.

A rare Stanley #92 Shoulder Plane in the original box.

Some tips for those thinking of investing in antique & vintage tools.

Hand tools made in the U.S.A. are usually of the highest quality and thus value.
Any antique tool with a good looking wooden handle on it is worth something if it's in good condition.
While many antiques such as glassware and Silver Services lose value if they are monogrammed, old tools with the former owner's initials engraved on them are perfectly acceptable.
Because they are useful as well as valuable, old tools can be hard to find on the secondary market. The last things a craftsman will part with are his tools. Look to find them in estate sales, someone selling off due to a divorce or from the children of an elderly person who does not have an affinity for them.
A badly broken tool is worthless in most cases. If a wooden handle is broken, this may not be the end of the world if it can be replaced, but if it's structurally unsound forget it unless you want it as a display piece. Note that even a replaced handle will result in decreased value.
A new/old stock tool is worth 3-10 time more to a collector than it's counterpart in good condition.
The more unusual a tool is, the better. The more specific it's purpose, generally the more valuable.
Tools with a documented provenance will command a premium.

Also found in the Ashburnham estate, a Stanley no.48

Many antiques come down in value after they cycle out. Old canning jars, sewing machines, and lots of glassware are just a few of the things that can go out of style as quickly as they came in, dropping in value even though they are old and getting older. These fad or trend antiques will undoubtedly come back in later on, but the classics, like antique tools, never go out of favor and investing in the classics is one of the soundest things you can do in the antiques world.

Click here if your curious to see what some of these old tools actually sell for.

If you have a question or comment about antiques contact me at wkolenda@gmail.com or leave a comment here.

Thanks for reading,