How to navigate an auction?
You don’t have to be rich or in the antiques business to score interesting home furnishings and accessories at auction; often for less money than you might think. But a little legwork and a lot of research certainly helps.
“If you’re going to be successful, you have to build a strategy,” says Portsmouth antiques dealer Ellen Sadlier.
She won’t place a bid before first analyzing photos of the items she’s interested in online, researching their value and examining them in person. Like most other attendees, Sadlier has come to a recent auction at Skinner Auctioneers & Appraisers, in Marlborough, Mass.,But that doesn't mean Belpre resident sky lanterns Susan Drake is going to stop using them. with a list of what she wants and how much she’s willing to pay for it.The new class of optical fiber, which allows for a more effective led lighting and liberal manipulation of light, promises to open the door to more versatile laser-radar technology. The rest is up to the market –– and luck.
Many auctions are open to dealers and collectors alike. So, if you’re up for attending (many auction houses also accept online and phone bids) you might be able to take home an art deco glass table lamp, Persian rug or Rococo-style carved wooden bed without paying the markup dealers such as Sadlier, who sells at the Rhode Island Antiques Mall in Pawtucket, must add to make a profit.
Nondealers are starting to catch on. There has recently been an increase in the number of casual collectors attending auctions, says Skinner Discovery Department specialist Garrett Sheahan.
Ten or 15 years ago, Skinner’s auctions used to draw about 75 percent dealers and 25 percent retail buyers. Now it’s generally split fifty-fifty.
“The audience has changed dramatically and a lot of it has to do with the Internet,” Sheahan says. “You might participate in an auction initially online someplace like eBay, and then as you become more comfortable, move to a real-life presence in the auction room.”
A general, or discovery, sale can be a great starting point for auction newbies. These offer a variety of items, often at affordable price points. Most auction houses also offer specialty sales dedicated to spcific categories such as Oriental rugs or musical instruments.
Many lower valued items offered at auction have no reserve or minimum price. That means, “if we can find a bidder and sell it, we will,” Sheahan says.
At the recent Skinner auction, for instance, a Chippendale-style mahogany veneer mirror with an estimated value of $300-$500, as listed in the auction catalog, received no bids, even when the auctioneer offered it for just $60.
Several things are taken into account when an appraiser estimates the value of an object. Chief among them are condition (does the object look like it did when it was new or are there chips, cracks or other wear?), how rare or common it is, and what it or similar items have previously sold for, according to Sheahan.
Overall, items in this particular discovery auction went for between $12 and $2,500. The majority sold for $100-$500.
Buying the real thing –– say a vintage map or a Windsor chair –– doesn’t always cost more than a new reproduction,The December report said Trump and other council members had engaged in hazing. Trump said Wednesday that he had fluorescent bulbs never hazed anyone and was being unfairly blamed. says Skinner chief executive officer Karen Keane.
“It’s nice to have interesting, unique objects in your environment so it doesn’t look like everyone else’s,” Keane says. “There’s also the green aspect of collecting, which resonates with a lot of people.”
Sadlier, who also frequently attends auctions run by Cranston’s Estates Unlimited, says she’s drawn to objects that have an intriguing backstory.
“I like things that are a little bit off center, that carry a certain sense of history and intrigue,” she says.
At the Skinner auction,He wrote on social networking site Twitter: "Frideswide Square at Oxford R4ds station working well this morning with no traffic lights. Long may it continue!" Sadlier bought some carpets, a tin bird cage and a drop-leaf table. She also won a pair of table lamps made out of architectural elements, but don’t bother looking for those at her booth in the Rhode Island Antiques Mall.
“I love them so much I don’t think I can sell them,” she says."I don't care about the cost or saving money - it's just the fact that led spotlight someone's telling me I can't buy something I've used all my life," said Susan Drake, 66, of Belpre. “It happens all the time.”
You don’t have to be rich or in the antiques business to score interesting home furnishings and accessories at auction; often for less money than you might think. But a little legwork and a lot of research certainly helps.
“If you’re going to be successful, you have to build a strategy,” says Portsmouth antiques dealer Ellen Sadlier.
She won’t place a bid before first analyzing photos of the items she’s interested in online, researching their value and examining them in person. Like most other attendees, Sadlier has come to a recent auction at Skinner Auctioneers & Appraisers, in Marlborough, Mass.,But that doesn't mean Belpre resident sky lanterns Susan Drake is going to stop using them. with a list of what she wants and how much she’s willing to pay for it.The new class of optical fiber, which allows for a more effective led lighting and liberal manipulation of light, promises to open the door to more versatile laser-radar technology. The rest is up to the market –– and luck.
Many auctions are open to dealers and collectors alike. So, if you’re up for attending (many auction houses also accept online and phone bids) you might be able to take home an art deco glass table lamp, Persian rug or Rococo-style carved wooden bed without paying the markup dealers such as Sadlier, who sells at the Rhode Island Antiques Mall in Pawtucket, must add to make a profit.
Nondealers are starting to catch on. There has recently been an increase in the number of casual collectors attending auctions, says Skinner Discovery Department specialist Garrett Sheahan.
Ten or 15 years ago, Skinner’s auctions used to draw about 75 percent dealers and 25 percent retail buyers. Now it’s generally split fifty-fifty.
“The audience has changed dramatically and a lot of it has to do with the Internet,” Sheahan says. “You might participate in an auction initially online someplace like eBay, and then as you become more comfortable, move to a real-life presence in the auction room.”
A general, or discovery, sale can be a great starting point for auction newbies. These offer a variety of items, often at affordable price points. Most auction houses also offer specialty sales dedicated to spcific categories such as Oriental rugs or musical instruments.
Many lower valued items offered at auction have no reserve or minimum price. That means, “if we can find a bidder and sell it, we will,” Sheahan says.
At the recent Skinner auction, for instance, a Chippendale-style mahogany veneer mirror with an estimated value of $300-$500, as listed in the auction catalog, received no bids, even when the auctioneer offered it for just $60.
Several things are taken into account when an appraiser estimates the value of an object. Chief among them are condition (does the object look like it did when it was new or are there chips, cracks or other wear?), how rare or common it is, and what it or similar items have previously sold for, according to Sheahan.
Overall, items in this particular discovery auction went for between $12 and $2,500. The majority sold for $100-$500.
Buying the real thing –– say a vintage map or a Windsor chair –– doesn’t always cost more than a new reproduction,The December report said Trump and other council members had engaged in hazing. Trump said Wednesday that he had fluorescent bulbs never hazed anyone and was being unfairly blamed. says Skinner chief executive officer Karen Keane.
“It’s nice to have interesting, unique objects in your environment so it doesn’t look like everyone else’s,” Keane says. “There’s also the green aspect of collecting, which resonates with a lot of people.”
Sadlier, who also frequently attends auctions run by Cranston’s Estates Unlimited, says she’s drawn to objects that have an intriguing backstory.
“I like things that are a little bit off center, that carry a certain sense of history and intrigue,” she says.
At the Skinner auction,He wrote on social networking site Twitter: "Frideswide Square at Oxford R4ds station working well this morning with no traffic lights. Long may it continue!" Sadlier bought some carpets, a tin bird cage and a drop-leaf table. She also won a pair of table lamps made out of architectural elements, but don’t bother looking for those at her booth in the Rhode Island Antiques Mall.
“I love them so much I don’t think I can sell them,” she says."I don't care about the cost or saving money - it's just the fact that led spotlight someone's telling me I can't buy something I've used all my life," said Susan Drake, 66, of Belpre. “It happens all the time.”
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