There are many potential "treasures" that people overlook, discard, pass over, ignore, etc.
"Prototypes" can be worth big money. But, finding one is the trick....but before you find one, you will have to figure out how to identify an item as a prototype! And a historically SIGNIFICANT one at that...
Late last year (December 2011) one of two known prototypes the "hobble skirt" style Coca-Cola bottle was sold at auction, with the original drawing.
The lot only sold for a mere $228,000.
Not bad for a chunk of glass and a piece of paper!
If you tripped across one of these bottles in some attic, basement, storage locker, would you have dug a little deeper as to it's origins?
Learning to identify such things comes down to more than just reading.
You also need to get over the "if only it was me"...and that is one of the things we all struggle with....some will not admit it, but at times, I wear my heart on my sleeve. I admit it. I wish I had found that prototype.
But, I know that if I come across something in the same vein, I will recognize it...hopefully!
All I can do is prepare, learn, train, and live life as best I can.
If you follow my blog, you will end up with tips & hints, and links to information you may well have not found on your own. I will also be adding some videos to future postings, with some "how to" segments. I am one of the few true pickers on the web that is willing to give away information. Sure, there are lots of "self proclaimed pickers" out there professing prowess, and spouting rhetoric about "how easy" it is to make money, even make a living, from "picking."
When you view and listen to these self proclaimed experts, you need to:
Beware.
Be cautious.
Be critical.
And turn on your B.S. detector to MAXIMUM.
If someone has done garage sales for a few years, that does not make them a professional picker.
If someone has gone to 50 auctions, that does not make them a professional picker.
If someone has done storage auctions all their life, that does not make them professional picker. it might make them a professional storage auction buyer, possibly only in their own minds, but determining that is a whole different topic, and I will leave it up to you to check out Glendon Cameron's wise words at www.urbanpackrat.com. You will probably find that Glendon and I have slightly different views on what a "picker" is.
Thus far, it is a friendly banter/debate. LOL.
As a result of the Reality TV trend diving into the "Junk Biz" and many aspects related to it, I have found myself having to refer to myself as a "hardcore picker". Glendon calls me a "hustler", and that is a positive term in his realm....but that term, up here, has yet to take on a 100% positive connotation...so, I will stick with "hardcore picker".
IE: I do what I need to do to make a buck from buying/obtaining, selling and marketing "junk", and using my skills in that arena to the best of my ability. I adapt, and "multi-task" when I am picking. By that I mean evaluating situations, sites, and prospects that may not profit one way, but could profit very well another way. Taking an attitude of looking at things from different angles...such as seeing value in things that someone with limited skills and/or blinders will not recognize.
Surviving in the "junk biz" in Manitoba is no easy task. Any Manitoban antiques dealer, second hand dealer, auctioneer, picker etc, etc will likely back up that statement....as will those from other provinces who have had experience in the Manitoban/Canadian Prairies marketplace.
Thus, I have "trained" in one of the toughest markets in North America for over 20 years.
I jumped in "green", and those surrounding me said to my face and behind my back that I would not be in business for long
Twenty plus years later, many mouths that made those statements have respectfully retracted their words, and stepped up, giving respect where respect is due.
Others have denied they even uttered such statements, but yet are unable to hide their embarrassment.
Many others' mutterings have entirely disappeared from buzz of the junk biz entirely, their statements having predicted not my demise, but their own.
I have asked myself "Will I survive the new trends?"
For me that is easy to answer....I live, breath and will die in this business. I've adapted, changed and learned, took chances, tried, failed, tried again, failed, tried again...day in and day out. I will be making a living from the junk biz, in some shape or form, until the day I die.
The question is:
Will you survive in this business?
Follow my writings, videos, etc, and you may gain some insight on how I have survived in one of the toughest markets in the "first world." I have not even managed to chip an ice cube off of the iceberg of accumulated knowledge gained from my experiences.
This is hardcore stuff, from fun, humorous and hilarious happenings, to devastating & heartbreaking experiences. It is all coming in the new year, laid out, spread out for you to read, view, see, and, most importantly....
learn.
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