Thoughts and Musings about Collecting

NYS CurioBox First Thoughts:

When your purchase from NYS CurioBox you are not only purchasing a quality item, but also our dedication to providing you with a delightful web store experience.

Both Gary and I have made internet purchases (even though we are very tactile folk) we are seldom disappointed.  

We carefully check out all the photos provided, the detail information, and if we are not sure about any aspect of the transaction we contact the seller and we have our favorite websites bookmarked.  We are seldom disappointed with our online purchases.  Having said that, we know that you will be pleased with your purchases from NYS CurioBox !

Pricing Thoughts:

At NYS CurioBox generally we price our items below retail.  What is retail ?  A retail price is what you would expect to pay in a home decorator store, antique store or as listed in a price guide.

Price guides are valuable tools for both buyers and sellers because they are great for identification purposes and provide a range of prices you can expect to pay for an item.  Be sure to check the guide for the method used for evaluation and pricing.

Research Musings:

Your public library is an excellent resource for information books and periodicals about collectibles and antiques and many also carry specific price guides.  If you have access to an art school library, even better !  Please borrow responsibly !

Other great research tools are the numerous online discussion groups and collecting organizations.  Passionate discussions, knowledgeable collectors --- what more could a researcher want ?  See the NYS CurioBox links page for a few of our favorite groups.

The Great Hunt:

Now for the hunting aspect of collecting.  

Perusing antique shops, antique shows or specialty shows (e.g. toy shows, art pottery shows, etc) and flea markets where you can actually talk to the "dealer" about what you are looking at are other excellent ways to learn about the world of antiques and collectibles.  

Perhaps you will find the perfect addition to your collection.  

Antique malls are also excellent places to hunt for treasures.  However, most antique malls are rows and rows of glass cases with a few assistants in charge who are generally not familiar with the history of the thousands of items in the rows and rows of glass cases.  

Also, unfortunately for you the collector, many "dealers" who rent display space at antique malls are NVKs (not very knowledgeable) about their merchandise and price items either too high or too low in relation to current values.  

This is one reason why knowledgeable dealers love antique malls -- they scoff at the too high prices and scarf up the too low priced items before you can.  I'm Serious !  They watch and wait until the NVK dealer is restocking the case ( some even ask the mall management when the NVK is expected to pick up the monthly check, which is often the restocking day) and there they are -- kindly grabbing the lowest priced piece that would have completed your collection !  Seen it happen, been on both sides -- this is hunting !

Auctions Musings:

Live auctions are both wonderful and frustrating.  Onsite auctions are my favorite, but one must go prepared to spend 5-8 hours, rain or shine, hot or cold, and not fall asleep !  

The three most important auction rules I try to follow are:  (1) Determine my highest bid price for an item, including the auctioneer's commission.   (2)  Check and recheck the item for any damage.   (3)  If bidding on a box lot, check the lot immediately before the bidding to make sure the item/s I first saw in the box are still there. 

It never ceases to amaze and anger me how unscrupulous people "build" their own box lots from other boxes and steal !   

Yes, beware of theft, and please report it to the auctioneer immediately !  Those thieves are not only stealing opportunity from you, they are stealing from the estate -- arrgghhhh !

Investment Thoughts:

Gary insisted that this caveat be placed here:

Unless you are an expert in a particular collecting field, buying antiques and collectibles for investment is very risky.

The saying goes, "buy what you like and buy the best that you can afford". 

Finally, there is no doubt when collecting antiques, collectibles or curiosities there are many interesting people to meet and lots to learn about -- and did I mention recycling old stuff ? 

Enjoy the Hunt !

Carole