Antique Auction Rejects and Other Prizes
By Loretta Crawford
The owners of the really fine antique stores filled with $5,000 Chippendale tables and the like aren't going to like this but I love auction rejects. I adore boxes that have free scrawled across them. Anybody can walk into a lovely boutique and buy an antique but the hunter's pride is most fulfilled by the bargain.
One of the guiltiest of pleasures of antique collecting is rummaging amongst the ruins. I have made a number of my favorite finds amongst items deemed unworthy at auction or too burdensome at the estate sale.
The end of a long yard sale is often not a pretty thing. Those responsible for it sit exhausted among the wreckage and wrappings counting their earnings. The objects left they want rid of and rarely care what they get for it. If it is late Sunday and you're willing to haul it a way often times you can have it for next to nothing.
The obvious question is, if it's leftover junk why bother? The answer, it's not all junk. Okay, the majority of it is but if you are not looking to make a fortune and willing to put in some restoration work there are plenty of splendid pieces to be had.
The first tip to buying good antique leftovers is work fast. The longer it takes you to pour through the remnants of the yard sale the more tired and impatient the sellers become. If they think you're going to relieve them of some of the remainders they will give you a good deal. If they think you are going to keep them on their lawn all night they will throw things at you.
The second tip is don't be shy and don't be squeamish. Look through cardboard boxes damp from drizzle, piles on the ground, and boxes thick with dust. What is putting you off about that trunks smell has been putting people off all day and chances are the grime and smell will wash off a pewter teapot hidden at the bottom.
Knowing what to look for is the most useful of tools and luckily there tends to be a pattern to what gets left behind. Here are a few things to look for and some of my favorite finds.
The first things I look for are stacks of mismatched plates and ugly ceramics. You&aposd be surprised how many Haviland plates I found between worthless plastic ones. I once rejected a tacky teddy bear shaped cookie jar without a thought but it stuck in the back of my head. I later learned it was most likely a Stratfordshire design I saw a little later for $75. China is amongst the most over looked of antiques. Especially if you are not experienced with china look at the bottom of any porcelain object you see. Any mark, even one you don't recognize, is worth a dollar just to check into.
I have seen very good antique chairs get ignored because of ruined upholstery. There is no skill as valuable to an antique collector as the ability to replace upholstery. Ignore the material and check out the back, legs, and arms.
Picture frames are the classic estate sale reject item. A lot of people simply don't consider them at all and many collectors, who aught to know better pass on them because of broken glass or ugly paint. The glass can be easily replaced and the woodwork refinished.
In a similar vein, antique mirrors are often rejected because of cracks or breaks in the corners. Antique mirrors are valuable in of themselves. You can cut the glass to fit a different frame and, like magic, a whole new mirror. I have found frames and the mirrored glass to fit them in the same pile.
For some reason people often accumulate old glass bottles. This is surprising given the fact that no one ever seems to buy them at rummage sales. There are always bottles left at every yard sale I've ever been to. Of course most bottles are worthless but if you invest a little time to learn to identify the really old ones and a few glassmaker's marks you can find some valuable ones.
By the way, you won't be alone. I know plenty of antique buyers that are brave enough to face the end of the sale. They take perverse pride in a penny pinching one up-manship that's far cry from gentile company comparing 16th century armoires over brandy. Don't be shy, they're a harmless lot unless approached while combing through the piles by a rival collector they don't know. Wait for the right moment to engage in conversation and you will almost certainly learn something because almost no one can resist bragging.
Loretta Crawford is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Collectible Antiques Etc. She can be reached at Content and Solutions.