I have been threatening to write a basic guide to buying/selling stuff of worth for a while now. In fact, I even wrote up a huge post about it; but then I didn't publish it because it seemed too angry and not informative enough. But that's only part of the reason it's taken me so long to get to this...I just haven't been able to figure out how to provide the most useful information in the shortest amount of space with the least vitriol. The other reason, is that I've been so tense and angry lately that every time I start to think about how I'm going to put this together I lose motivation and decide not to do it.

 

Well, enough of that. I'm finally going to get my act together and give the advice I've been threatening for so long! Hopefully it is genuinely helpful, and not angry. :-)

 

The point of this post, then, is to impart some general rules for those who might be interested in buying used stuff. I do intend to also give some advice to those with the intent to sell, but in the interest of brevity, I think I'll put that in a separate post.

 

So, what are some general parameters for determining whether you should buy that thing you've found that looks like it might be worth something, and therefore good to have?

 

The most, if not the only, important factor is condition.

 

Before any other consideration, you need to take into consideration the condition the piece is in. Yeah, the thing might be old, and it might be cool, but if this is an investment, then you better consider the condition.

 

(NOTE: Obviously, this post is geared a little more toward people who are looking to buy as an investment, but the advice is the same even if you're simply looking to own, because once you keel over, your junk is going to have to be sold...just sayin.)

 

Items that are similar/identical and in excellent condition will always cost more, and, therefore, be worth more, than those with issues. The more issues, the lower the price; regardless of how old it is (unless it was owned by someone "famous," then all bets are off - except at Christies and Sotheby's). So if it's clearly in bad shape, then, unless you want it for personal reasons, forget about it.

 

Now, why did I emphasize "clearly?" Because some things are naturally deceptive. Take metals for example...

 

My advice on metals is simple...if the seller has left it in crap condition (read: heavily tarnished), ask yourself why. And don't make the mistake of thinking that everything that looks silver is sterling, because 9 times out of 10, it ain't.

 

Most of the silver you are going to come across is plated. But that doesn't mean it's junk. I've got some very nice silver plate sitting in the kitchen right now. But if the item is plated, and it's heavily tarnished, then chances are, it's going to have some issues.

 

For example: I have purchased several pieces of silver plate this last week, and all of it was tarnished; some pieces more than others. But after half an hour of polishing, I know why the seller didn't bother polishing the teapot...

 

But don't let this completely dissuade you from buying some silver plate, as it is possible to re-silver damaged pieces. There are companies that will do it; but that tends to be prohibitively expensive; and there are solutions that can be used to do it at home. Here is a source for finding re-silvering solutions. Bear in mind, the initial cost of the products will likely exceed the pristine-condition value of the pieces you're re-silvering, but if you really like the pieces you're doing, then the sentimental value is all that should really matter.

 

BELOW: Some of my silver plate. It's not very easy to see, but the teapot is still fairly tarnished.

 

Unless...(there's always a "but," isn't there?)...it really is black. Truly blackened silver plate doesn't get that way by merely sitting on a shelf. If that cream and sugar set is black, then it's probably been in a fire. Best way to be sure is to look for scorch marks or soot. Fire damaged plate is just that, damaged. Yes, there might be some silver left under that black, but it's going to take a great deal of work to find it, and then you're still going to have to re-plate, after that. If you find blackened silver plate, don't spend more than a few dollars on it, because it's just not worth it! For the price, in time and supplies, it's going to take to restore that piece, you could have found an identical piece that you don't have to fix. Also, be aware that a pink or purplish hue is a good indication that the silver is very thin in that area; the tint is very likely the base metal showing through. Not as dire a situation as black, but still to be considered when haggling over price.

 

What about things like glassware?

 

Glassware tends to be a good deal easier to handle. The best pieces will show it; in cut and clarity. Want to know if that glass is really "just glass" or if it's "crystal?" Easy. Do the sound test. Plain glass (with no "lead" content) will make a dull thudding sound when flicked with a finger. Crystal (and the higher the "lead" content, the better the crystal) will sound like a high-pitched bell.

 

The best crystals come from Europe, especially England, Czech Republic and Poland, and they do tend to label their work, so that makes identification easier; and the best glasses were made during the early part of the 20th Century. Best advice: become familiar with EAP Glass, ABP Glass, Depression glass, and Carnival Glass. There are countless sites on the internet and I've given a few links in previous posts.

 

Other general advice is:

 

Just because it's dirty, doesn't mean it's old. Just because it's old, doesn't mean it's valuable. The more common a piece is, the cheaper it should be. Don't buy a damaged piece and think you're going to "fix it up" and it will be worth what it would have been worth if you hadn't had to "fix it." Restoration is a tricky business and, as I've mentioned before, can do more harm than good.

 

A lot of good bargain hunting is having some general idea of what you're after before looking for it. But if you happen upon a piece that you weren't expecting, then listen to your gut, it probably won't steer you wrong (unless you think everything is worth a mint...in which case, best let someone who isn't quite so gullible do the shopping).

 

A good case in point: early this year I went to the Acorn Antique Show & Sale. I found a vendor with a pile of bayonets. I really wanted to buy one for a friend, but I knew nothing about bayonets beyond the fact that they attach to the front of a rifle...anyway, I really wanted to buy one, so I rummaged through the stack and let my instinct take over. For some reason, I kept coming back to one particular blade. It looked pretty much like all the others, but it had Arabic script just below the guard. It was cheaper than the majority of the others, so that was appealing, too, but that Arabic kept telling me this blade was the one to get...so I did. Turns out, that was a dang good purchase! It is a Turkish blade, circa 1890's. That Arabic script is actually the mark of the Sultan of Turkey, and was stamped on all blades prior to the dissolution of the sultanate. This blade was in great condition, and typically worth at least twice what I paid for it.

 

BELOW: The Turkish bayonet, circa 1890's. Second picture shows close-up of the Tughra of the Sultan. (Click image for larger)

 But my instincts aren't always good...the other purchase I made at that show was actually quite poor...and purely reactionary. It was a badge. It had three crowns and a lion. It had the colors of Sweden...ahh, Sweden...damn you in this instance, because it was that element that made me too blind to think clearly. I paid a good 14 times more for that badge than it turned out to be worth...because it turned out to be a fake. But that lady...ah yeah, she could see I wanted it...so I paid. Very good lesson for you here: don't let your emotions get the best of you; because vendors at shows will take you for a very expensive ride if you let them.

 

BELOW: The liar! The "lady" I bought this from told me it was the badge of the Swedish SS Volunteers...heh, this insignia is not even Swedish; it's Ukrainian! This particular insignia belongs to the 14th Waffen Grenadier  Division of the SS "Galicia" (1st Ukrainian)...and the genuine badges don't look quite like this. >:-(