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    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.
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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.comAW
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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. If you have a question or comment about antiques contact me at wkolenda@gmail.com or leave a comment here. Thanks for reading,
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