I am often asked if anything outstanding and valuable has ever come into my shop or if I have found anything in a charity shop or car boot sale. I can say unfortunately not in this past 50 years in the business. I do know of a fellow dealer and friend of mine who stumbled across a piece of Fabergé. It was placed in a box on the bottom shelf of a local auction house. It was amongst several practically worthless items and although it was openly viewed by everyone it was obviously overlooked by the auctioneer. My friend’s wife spotted it and the whole box went very cheaply. It went to Sotheby’s auction house in London and made the front cover of the catalogue. It achieved tens of thousands of pounds. Good luck to him and well spotted by his wife!
Approx. 40 years ago I had an antique shop in Crossgates Leeds. One day a builder’s truck pulled up outside the shop piled up with rubble. On top of this rubble was a large oil painting of sailing ships in a stormy sea. It was obviously Victorian and very well painted. At that time, I collected Victorian paintings, and they achieved very good prices in those days. The painting was signed, and I looked through my well-known artists book – this was before the internet, now you can click a few buttons and all artists, and the value of their works comes up. Not in those days, you had to rely on experience. Anyway, the artist was not in any of my books, but I really liked the painting and offered £500 for it. The young man said he would consult his father and come back to me.
About a week later the young man to his credit came back to the shop and informed me his father had sought a second opinion. It seemed this artist had only painted half a dozen pictures and died at a young age. The picture was sold at auction and achieved over £2000. I would never have known because it would have been hanging on my wall at home.
The only other item which springs to mind was a lady with a Lalique figure made of glass which I valued at around £1000. I informed the lady it was a bit too expensive for my shop and advised her to send it to a specialist glass antique auction. It turned out to be a very rare colourway and sold for over £4000 so I am afraid to say that I never had that thrill of finding something really valuable!
The shop is really my hobby and making a profit is not my main priority as long as it pays the rent. I get much more enjoyment out of meeting some really nice people and passing on some of my knowledge and generally having a good natter about old times. I particularly like to have young people in my shop asking questions about old items. You would be surprised how knowledgeable some youngsters are. I have several 12- and 13-year-olds who collect a diverse array of interesting objects ranging from old dinky toys to 1st and 2nd World War items. And then I will get 6- and 7-year-olds wondering what a flat iron was used for or how you washed clothes in a posser tub. So please bring in your children and grandchildren, I always give children an old penny and tell them when I was their age that a penny would buy a bag of sweets, but not to try that now in Tesco!
We are always looking for new stock and would be pleased to call to your home completely without obligation to give a free valuation – without any pressure to sell. I do prefer elderly people to have a member of family present, I have been in business over 40 years and have established shop premises. Alternatively, please bring items or photos to shop. A phone call would be appreciated to make sure I am not out on a call.
Thank you,
David.
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