ANTIQUES ... A Gallery of Golden Oldies ... How It All Started ... How To Acquire Antiques On A Budget ... What To Do With Them Once You Have Them ... Making Your Antiques Grow ... Closing Thoughts

A GALLERY OF GOLDEN OLDIES A few of the things we've collected over the years

A fun collection of old bric-a-brac. The colorful stained glass window is from a pre-war building that was being renovated.	The same stained glass window during the day with the sun shining through it

Circa 1920 tiger oak server with hand carved lady faces. My first refinishing project.	Circa 1920 tiger oak server with gargoyles. Someone had painted this one blue!	Top... Victorian children and wicked witches Bottom... An army of well behaved cats
Circa 1920 tiger oak dresser with carved gingerbread mirror frame	Art Deco alabaster lamp. Woman feeding a peacock. Priced low due to hairline cracks.	The desk whose drawers Katzenberg cannot open. Look closely and you'll see him trying to solve the puzzle.
Carved mantelpiece spotted in junk shop with peeling paint. A real find at $50.	Stained glass in bathroom window. No, that's not a real cat.	A pretty 1920's floor lamp whose broken panel has been placed out of view. The old stained glass window was another find due to a few minor cracks.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

It all began many years ago with a craving for 7 layer cake when my ex-husband gallantly ventured out into the snowy night in search of an open bakery. The bakeries were closed but Jay didn't return empty handed. Instead of a cake box, he walked through the door with a snow-covered, dusty old typewriter which some good samaritan had polluted the sidewalk with. I stifled my impulse to argue and halfheartedly agreed to let it share a tiny part of our home - a closet floor. Something unexpected happened the day I took it from the closet to tinker with it. Lightly touching its keys I experienced a strong sense of oneness with the past and found myself wondering who had owned it, what impressions its keys had left over the years, and how many broken hearts those impressions may have caused. It didn't exactly fit the decor, nor could I get it to work, yet with all of its history this typewriter was too noble to live in a closet. So I shined it up and sat it atop a $999 Mediterranean coffee table. Over the next few weeks I developed an affinity with this old hunk of machinery and, quite unexpectedly, the expensive Mediteranean decor surrounding it began to look out of place. And so began my introduction into the world of searching and collecting and restoring, and falling in love with the past over and over again. Armed with very little in the way of dollars, and very much determination, the hunt began. Piece by piece the Mediteranean furnishings went, and, piece by piece we began to build an empire of days gone by. The following is what I learned along the way...

FABULOUS FINDS -HOW TO ACQUIRE ANTIQUES ON A BUDGET...

Apartment Building Basements - Your Friendly neighborhood Super Get to know the superintendents of the apartment buildings in your area. They can generally be found in front of their buildings caring for the premises. Having a dog to walk is beneficial as it gives you reason for being out there often. But only if the dog behaves. Smile every time you see them. And when the timing is right, make some small talk. Soon you will be able to approach them and ask "any old furniture in your basement?" Never let on that you are looking for antiques. I have been given the basement tour many times and have ended up with some remarkable finds for which I have forked over a ten dollar bill. This leaves both of you happy. The more you clear out of his basement, the less he has to lug out on garbage pickup day. You wouldn't believe the things apartment dwellers discard. At this very moment I am sitting at an oak desk whose legs are ornately carved ladies --- for which I have been offered $500. Cost? $10.

Basements - On Your Own WARNING: To be done at your own risk and always accompanied by a couple of brave friends. Wear good running shoes and bring along a flashlight with EverReady batteries. Do not go it alone for even if no-one is lurking in nooks and crannies to grab you, the smallest sound will do you in. CAUTION: Do this quietly. Supers often hang out down there to escape their nagging wives and they do not appreciate uninvited guests treading on their territory. If you get caught, say "Hi, we're looking for cats." Every basement has them so you will be believed. Should you get caught exiting with goodies, first smile. Then say " hi, we were looking for cats and found this junk." The most he can do is have you put everything back. If your finds are good, quickly offer money. Never look guilty. If you do, he will assume you are.

LANDLORDS Make it known that you are a junk collector. Tenants pass on and in many instances landlords have the task of disposing of the contents of his apartments. My landlord has knocked on my door several times with offerings. Never refuse anything or you will get no more. I have thanked him profusely.... once for a broken radio and once for a flower pot. But the third time he knocked at my door he handed me a magnificent old hand-crocheted bedspread.

HAUNTED HOUSES One never knows. It is not worth the risk. Stay away.

ANTIQUE RELATIVES Insist on visiting to inspect everything before they discard it. Chances are that if they have been around a long time so have the belongings they are getting rid of. FLEA MARKETS / GARAGE SALES Anything can turn up here. Best to wait almost till closing time when vendors are desperate to get rid of what they couldn't move earlier... at much lower prices. Never believe a price tag. Bargaining is the name of the game. If you must, walk away from your find and return a little later when you are likely to be offered that $25 vase for $15. AUCTIONS Not for the novice or those on a budget but attend to see what is being sold and what prices are being paid. Some day you may happen upon a windfall and then you can go back armed with all the knowledge you gained. ANTIQUE STORES Here, again, bargain! There is no such thing as a fixed price. The numbers on the tag are only there because the store owner was drunk and had a fat, felt tip pen. Some antique store dealers never tag their merchandise. Rather, they will size you up when you enter the store and try to determine how much cash is in your purse. Always go antiquing in torn jeans and leave the Gucci bag at home. THRIFT SHOPS This is where your local antique dealer goes to pick up something for $10 on which he adds a tag and uses his fat felt tip pen to write a big number. Go often and be alert. Thrift shops carry many small pieces of furniture with huge possibilities. They are also a good source for old costume jewelry, bric-a-brac and lots of jazzy stuff.

CRAIGS LIST This is the actual photograph the seller posted on Craigs List in July of 2010 of a 100 year old tiger oak carved server. It was posted for sale for $125 in the New York City "Items For Sale section. It was found by clicking on my state, clicking on "Antiques" in the "For Sale" category, and entering the words "Tiger Oak." The piece needed repair and refinishing but the work was well worth it.

WHAT TO DO WITH THEM ONCE YOU HAVE THEM

Salvages You spot something fantastic at a great price but it is badly damaged. Or, worse yet, you spot half of something fantastic. It doesn't have to be aggravating: A broken desk with an ornately carved drawer is salvageable in part if the price is right. Pay for the drawer and leave the desk behind. Sit it on the floor in front of a sunny window and fill it with plants. Or use it to house magazines. Spot another piece that is entirely damaged all except for its heavily carved legs? Screw a couple of cup hooks down the length of the leg and mount the leg on a kitchen wall to show off some fancy mugs. Collections There are many old collectibles out there waiting to be found. The thrill of the chase is exciting, the habit addicting. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Small mirrors	Cover entire wall behind bed or couch
Salt & pepper shakers	Display on shelf in kitchen
Paperweights/snow globes	Crowd atop a desk
Evening bags	Hang on wall, or on a hall tree or coat rack. Or have them framed.
Old hats	Wear them. Very foxy
Tiny tables	Group together to hold collections
Perfume bottles	Display on dressing table
Old Keys	Mount on velvet covered plywood and frame them

MAKING YOUR ANTIQUES GROW

Two years ago I purchased an old oak server at a steal: $100. A year later I sold it for $175, added $50, and with $225 in my pocket invested in a bigger and better piece of oak furniture. After 6 months I sold this piece at another profit, added a few more dollars and went shopping again. This process eventually turned the original $100 oak server into an huge oak server with hand carved gargoyles. Although a previous owner had painted the server blue, the refinishing task was well worth the effort. You can see the server in the photo gallery above. The trick to buying this way is to keep an eye out for unique pieces at good prices which go up in value as they become scarcer. A few sure bets are stained glass windows, anything made of oak, anything funky and all that is Deco.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Antiques are rarely in perfect condition. Never paint wood. Invest in a book on furniture refinishing and practice. it is not as difficult as one might think. Learn how to use tools and make minor repairs... or find a friend who is handy. A few years ago the New York Times reported that "A lamp found hanging in a church rectory in the South Bronx had been identified as having a Tiffany shade and has been appraised at $15,000-$19,000. The lamp had been hanging there for years before being noticed." "It was just a lamp to me," someone at the church was quoted as saying. "I thought it was ugly."