The More The Merrier - Subcultures and the Antiques Business

There is a constant debate in this business as to how to get "younger blood" involved and interested in antiques and the history surrounding the objects. 

Now, there are tons of young, mold able minds out there. Directing this throng of disorder into the antiques business would be like trying to direct a nervous bull through a dealer's show full of Lalique and Tiffany art glass. 

 However, there are tons of young minds who are already interested in history, its related objects and accoutrements.

You may have already heard of some of these terms:

Steampunk

Dieselpunk

Clockpunk



My personal opinion of such genres, subcultures, etc; like Steampunk, Dieselpunk (etc, etc) is that as antiques folks and history lovers, we should ALL embrace these groups. 

Why? 

These groups are full of people who are as like minded as the antiques crowd. the only difference is they just happen express their interest in history, the fashions, the "gear"/objects, etc in a different way than we do. 


They do throw less traditional things into the mix, and even in some ways "improve" what we know as factual history. The mixing of fiction and factual history is nothing new. The term "Historical Fiction" is a long standing tradition in writing circles.

 Steampunk is simply a a modern version of Historical Fiction. They have pulled science fiction of a "past" age into the fold, and hit "MIX" on the old eggbeater...and added a steam engine to it.

 The problem with the "antiques business" I quickly noticed/encountered when I was a young dealer/picker, was those in the business projected staid, snobbish, boring, dry, elitist (etc, etc,etc) types of attitudes. 

Not exactly appealing to a younger crowd...not by a long shot. The business has changed in many ways, loosing some of those negative traits from some circles, but it has a long way to go. 

Many of those individuals who participate in Cosplay, LARP, Steampunk conventions, (etc,etc,etc) and those such events are interested in history. However, they are not keen to be bored to death.

 SO many people make history what it is not.  Take, as an example, all those history teachers we encountered in our school years who, to our chagrin, managed to make our favourite subject a snoozefest.  

What we all know history is NOT is BORING ! 

We all need to expand our horizons, experience new things, look at the world in a different way. Perhaps picking and dealing in antiques has forced me to look at things differently. I would think that this business, more than any other, should be full of people who look at things differently than the mainstream public.

I suggest you check out these genres, even if no where else but the web, on sites like  Google Images, Google, eBay,  Etsy, Pinterest as well as the list of links I have listed at the end of this post.

Expand your horizons. You might just find you fit in to these groups, find new markets for your merchandise, make friends, find partners, meet kindred spirits and just generally open up your eyes to many possibilities of the antiques business you never even realized existed.

I have to go...I've got an airship to catch!

Part of a quickly made Steampunk outfit I created for a Halloween party I attended

LINKS 

(Feel free to send your comments with your favourite Steampunk website links! If they are not "spammy" or already represented here, I will be happy to add them to this list!)

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/steampunk

http://www.datamancer.net/ - Modern technology with a Victorian flair!

http://www.steampunkemporium.com/steam.php?gclid=CPLA566748ACFQGPaQodVz0AaA

http://steampunkartsupplies.com/

http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/gentlemans.php?gclid=CP7i_KS848ACFcRAMgodQQEAUA

http://www.pinterest.com/staceet/steampunk-fashion/

http://www.museumreplicas.com/s-50-steampunk.aspx

http://www.steampunkcanada.ca/

My Junk Lifestyle: Lighting Up My Life

I have always had an artistic/creative "bend."

No, I am not totally bent totally out of shape...

 That is, I am no where near to the point of cutting my ear off like Vinny.

I've always enjoyed creating things from nothing. Not sure if that makes me an "ar-teest"?   A picker friend recently said that he considered my works to be in the line of "folk art."

So I am a Folk Artist? 

Maybe an Outsider Artist?

Years ago I had a girlfriend who had her Masters in Fine Arts. She had been told by one of her (respected) Profs that she was one of the few truly talented young artists in the program at the time.   I respected my girlfriend's opinion, and I remember her stating that she felt I was "very creative", but not an "artist."

Ok, that was a little disappointing, but not real bothersome.

However, after having spent time over the years thinking about, and eventually creating some of my "functional sculptures", I do feel somewhat entitled to call myself "an artist".

I say "functional sculptures" because I like the objects I create to do things beyond just "sit there."

Lamps, clocks, and other things that we use daily fall into that category.  If I were to build an "art car", for example, I want it to be truly functional....I don't want bits of it flying off when I hit highway speed....and not just because I can't afford a RCMP issued ticket for littering.

How else can you describe what I do with materials that were not found together, nor put together by someone else,  nor ever envisioned to be put together in that way, other than "art"?

Hey, I heard that! SOMEONE said "I call it junk!" 

Well, maybe to some it is "junk". 

I try to remember that I am in a business where SO many things are considered junk by someone....sometimes even the owner of that junk.  So, even if someone calls my creation "junk", though I might be offended a little, maybe very offended, even, I know that really is not the case in the big picture. It is "junk" in their eyes, sure. That is, IF that is why they have called it that in the first place. The statement may be based in something other than their actual thoughts of the item. So many other factors can be involved; like jealousy, mood, intelligence, narrow mindedness, and a million more possibilities and combinations of possibilities.

Sometimes it may be tough to locate that person, people, or crowd, who views those finds, creations, etc as "treasures" or "art", but they are out there.

Anyway, here is one of my recent creations, a desk lamp made from 100% reclaimed, repurposed, recycled components.

I realize that "upcycling" is all the rage these days, with various people undertaking this sort of work.  The thing is, it is far, far, far from being a new concept...not since human kind appeared on earth, really.

Pickers, antiques dealers, second hand dealers, and other folks in this business have been doing similar things for years, also.  

The fact is, sometimes you need to be creative to make a buck.  

Creativity in this business sometimes equals survival. 

That buck is what helps to pay the bills, after all.

Sometimes, though, that creativity goes beyond the call of duty. The lamps I have been creating of late tend to take more time than I can be paid for, really. If I were to consider all the time spent on the lamp above, for example, I'd have to charge $20000 for it.

It is one of a kind, a work of art, no?   

How do you place a dollar value on art?
 
Paying for "time" is what many people will try to take into consideration. When you tally up the true amount of "time" spent on this piece, it adds up fast. The minutes turn to hours, and the hours stack up rapidly when you consider the amount of thinking spent on the concept, finding each piece, storing those pieces, putting them together, taking them apart, modifying them, waiting for a certain piece to pop up that ties 2 pieces together, and on and on and on.

And what is my time truly worth? 

And does my "talent" for seeing something in a piece of  "junk" and bringing that "thing" out of the piece of junk worth anything?  

Who knows. I just want to enjoy making the things.  

But that does not pay the bills now, does it?

I probably could have simply slapped something together, and it might look darn similar to the lamp pictured above....and then even ask $150, $250, maybe $300 for it....and maybe even get it. 

"Upcycled" pieces, be it would.

(Hmmmmm. I seem to be channeling Yoda.....)

But is it art if there is no "soul" put into it? 

Philosophy....that is about all the debate is, really. 

Who knows where the line should be drawn, if it should be drawn at all.

Who knows what is "art" and what is not. 

Guess it is not for me to decide.  I shouldn't really care, when it comes down to it. 

We all should just enjoy creating.

Once it becomes "work", I think the "art" part falls by the wayside. If something becomes "work" (in my experience) then there is far, far, far less soul put into it.

Perhaps, without an artist putting a bit of their soul into a piece,  the less the piece can be truly considered art?





  

 

TRASH TO CASH - Upcycle Your Dogs!

Ever since I started this blog, I have been meaning to write on "upcycling"  vintage (and not-so-vintage)"junk."  I have been doing this sort of thing for YEARS.


Long, long, long before the "Picker Chicks" even existed (or even thought about doing the things they do) I was creating many things from "junk".  As early as I can remember I was creating things from "trash".  Craft and art supplies are expensive. Why go out and buy them when you can get them for free or near free?

This carries over into the world of antiques, collectibles and vintage items...and the business of selling those items.

One of the things a hardcore picker and a newbie picker have in common is:

Needing to sell that low-end merchandise....and in the process end up making some real money from it.

The newbie may have bought the items in error, and needs to re-coup some of their investment. The hardcore vet likely has accumulated the items as parts of bulk purchases, auction box lots, house clean-up contents, etc, etc, etc.

Hardcore vets, like myself, like to maximize our money. Combine that with the fact that this sort of low end, common stuff is impossible to sell to bulk to our regular dealer and decorator customers.  Plus, we are not afraid of doing work.

You CAN make lemonade out of those boxes and boxes (and boxes, etc....) of lemons.

 All you need is IMAGINATION...and a little hands-on effort.   "Upcycling" is a recent term, but antiques dealers have been doing it for YEARS. Human kind has been doing it for centuries, actually.

The concept is darn simple....taking low and/or "no value" junk and creating something of value by reworking it and/or combining it with other low/no-value items.

Here is a simple thing, that takes items with low and no value, all items you have lying around, or ready to go to the trash, recycling or thrift store, and makes something you can sell at a flea market, craft sale, and even in your antiques store.

Grab that box of round cookie tins you have been hesitating putting in the recycle bin. Dig in the boxes of old hardware you have in the back rooms, the ones you bought at the auction so you could get the antique door knobs and Eastlake drawer pulls from...oh, and snag that busted 1980s table lamp you scavenged a socket from...you can use some of the parts from it, too.

You can create an item that you can retail for $15 - $45...just from some of these tins, some short lengths of copper, brass, or chrome tubing, (or even rusty pipe!), maybe an old lamp part or 2 some washers,   and some elbow grease!

Below you will find a link to the article describing how to do it. With a little imagination and your own pile of "junk", you can now create some salable inventory from that trash you have been hoarding....!

----- Click here to go to what I call the Vintage Tin Tree Storage/Organizer article -----

After you sell a bunch of these creations, you can get back to pickin'!

Makin' Lemonade from Lemons - Vintage Reflections

You likely read about my mis-buy at the auction in the last post.

The remnants of the deal was a 1950s, faux-paint-textured cardboard print in a faux-antique frame. The thick cardboard these sorts of prints are made from is useful as stiffener when shipping paper collectibles and other thin items, to prevent bending in transit. So, off it went into the shipping room to be sliced up for that purpose.

I suspect in 50 years I'll be lamenting my destruction of 1000s of those things, cursing myself for not hoarding them...a potential million dollars destroyed. Then again, with inflation the way it is, "a million dollars" then might not be what it is today. So, I may only be loosing out on covering the cost of a meal at a good restaurant by not hoarding them...Ah heck, I'll probably be sucking my means through a straw by then anyway.

What to do with the frame....

It was sort of attractive...could paint it white, and distress it...

Toss a mirror into it...but, that means buying a mirror...

Or does it?

I had a broken mirror, removed from a cheap, paper/fibre-board dresser acquired from a clean-out I did. I smashed up the dresser itself, as it was beyond repair, and tossed it in the trash.  The mirror was intact, for awhile. My main storage space is, well, just that, space...outside.   It was in a frame that did a poor job of imitating real wood...other than being made of the industrial equivalent of laminated sheets of paper. That materials acts like a sponge for water...especially rain. Yes, it got wet,  warped in 5 directions, then the thin mirror fell out...and broke.  Never saw nor heard it break, so should I assume I missed out on the predicted 7 years of bad luck?

 Does a mirror make a sound when it falls, breaks and no one is around?

Anyway, there was a chunk that was big enough to cut to size to fit the frame!

VOILA, add a piece of "junk" mirror to a "junk" frame and you have a $35 - $45 hall mirror!

Two negatives DO make a positive!

Hmmm...might make some profit on my bad buy yet!

Yes, I am being melodramatic... it didn't quite happen with the "voila" with magician type flair. I already was thinking about how to make lemonade out of my lemon of a purchase, after I was done flogging myself for the stupid mistake.

The lesson here is that 2 pieces of junk can still make you MONEY. 

Combining things that are otherwise useless, have no value, etc is like creating gold with Alchemy...except in this case, using junk as your ingredients CAN create gold from combining other things, unlike using Alchemy to create gold...which is impossible...as far as anyone has revealed, anyway! And if you HAVE figured it out, let me know, I won't tell a soul! I promise!

Janet Picard, friend from years back, an artist, and the original owner/founder of Ragpickers Anti-Fashion Emporium of Winnipeg, created jewellery from found, salvaged objects. She created works of quality, long before the now commonly seen pieces with watch gears, brass buttons, bits of china, chain, etc, in a collage form. She created many wearable sculptures in the form of earrings, brooches, necklaces and assorted other jewellery.  She called her artistic enterprise "Salvage Alchemy".  After doing a quick online search, I see many others of a similar artistic bend, as well as folks in different areas of "salvage" have found/thought/adopted the use of the name as well.

To me, though, "salvage alchemy" a perfect term for what many of us in the junk business do...

Or rather, those of  us who can think "outside of the box."

That trash can be made into CA$H with a little effort, and it can pay you back in spades for that little bit of time and imagination.


If you wish to survive in the "junk biz", as a picker, antiques dealer, storage auction locker buyer, scrapper, flea market seller, swap meet seller, etc, etc, my advice is to embrace "salvage alchemy" as part of your business wholeheartedly.   

Ok, junk alchemists, now go dig into those piles of mis-buys, junk, trash and scrap and see what gold nuggets you can come up with!

LOOKING BACK AND FORWARD - Recycling, Upcycling, Repurposing

One of the things I have been doing for years is "up-cycling" vintage items.

To save space in this blog, and help me to stave off carpal tunnel, check out Wikipedia's definition of the word HERE.

I come across all kinds of cool junk....and to most people, it is just that...junk.

And, frankly., it is that to me, also...BUT, it the operative word is COOL.  It is junk with obvious POTENTIAL!

Pretty much 99% of the junk around has potential in my eyes.....which can be a problem....think HOARDER.

No, no, I am not a hoarder by definition (a pack rat, maybe), though I am sure those who do not know me (and some that do!) believe I am. The thing is, I can get rid of items without remorse. It is all for sale, or can be disposed of if needed to be...even (HORROR OF HORRORS) dumped in the trash.

Experiences in my past, stressful, soap opera-esque and as unimaginable to some as they may have been, have hardened me to getting rid of things when required.

But, this blog is not about that. For the curious, yes, you shall get a chance to hear/read about some of those experiences...some day. You might have to buy my/one of (future) book(s) to read about them, but they likely will be revealed at some point.

So, that junk you got with the good stuff in that auction lot, that estate clean-out, that scrap pick up....yes, it is all TREASURE..and salable merchandise, if you know how to go about making it such!

I will offer you some of my unique takes on this sort of thing in videos and future blog postings.

Imagination & creativity are important to survive in this business....you need to maximize your profits. You can't always afford to donate the rest of that "box lot" to the thrift store.  Word of caution to those getting into the junk biz, if you don't have an imagination, nor are creative AND inflexible in your thinking, well, forget the "junk business" in its entirely and go work at a Rotten Ronnies....otherwise you are on a road to going broke.

Things I used to view as junk are now valuable. Not because I can upcycle them, but because my knowledge had increased AND times have changed.  As an example of times changing, those mass made/marketed tacky 1960s, 70s, and 80s stuff is now collectible and desired by certain segments of the market. My stepdaughter has fallen in love with 1970s love seats and couches...and I don't mean those ones with funky, nigh end designer patterns......I mean GRANDMA'S/AUNT MAUDE's couch.... with the not-really-paisley, shiny green fabric, with copper or gold thread, stiff button tufted upholstered things...the bad Victorian-esque copies of every 1970s/early 1980s household.

I can see the appeal, but that is because I have learned to observe those younger buyers, and what they would have seen at Grandma's & Grandpa's...the fondness I think may well grow from that exposure. We gravitate to things that have been imprinted on us early on...so early we have no or little recall of the time or place. You likely messed your diaper while lying on one of those couches...

Early thought "ahhh...of that feels good...such relief, and is so warm....."

It is probably a good thing idea we don't remember the exact thoughts and moments that drive some of our  interests....shrinks out there would have a field day and get wealthy off of the books of comedy they could write. Besides, it is already a bizarre world....we really don't need it to be any more bizarre.

When looking around, and thinking about it, my upcycling past reveals valuable things I have destroyed.

I have made lamps from vintage parts for years.  I take apart lamps of all kinds, and re-envision them.  I have disassembled an uncountable number of 1950s/60s/70s floor and table lamps.

Before you start screaming BLASPHEMY, BLASPHEMY, BLASPHEMY, hear me out...

Many were rough, incomplete, plain or damaged anyway, though some were repairable, but not salable, even when in mint condition. There was simply no market for them. All they were was an old, out of fashion, cheap, second-hand lamp.....and the parts in them were of more value than the $2 (or less) that I might have been able to get out of them. The sockets in some of them were worth more to me as repair parts for my 1920s/30s/40s designer 1950s lamps I restored. Lamp parts have not changed all that much in 100 years, by the way. I have seen 1970s parts used in the 1980s...take this chrome 1970s "Ball" lamp, as an example:

I have seen identical steel balls to the one used on this goose neck....but on 1980s lamps & light fixtures. They are the IDENTICAL part, some being plated or painted a different color.  Then, in the 1990s they popped up in other lamps, and even right now are being used to make "repros" of those same 1970s "Mod" chrome ball lamps and light fixtures, as well as assorted "retro" lamps and light fixtures....plus being incorporated into "brand new" and "ultra modern" styles of lighting. Just look closely in the lighting sections of various big box stores, and specialty lighting stores. Take notice of these things, it will help when you are are picking!

Take this cool piece as another example:

The 1950s "atomic era" floor LAMP what I am referring to....not the flamed motorcycle helmet, mannequin, out of print VHS movies or other stuff in the photo!

Congrats if you did spot that stuff...ya got a picker's eye!

If you were to take this lamp apart, pretty much most of the identical parts in it have been used in lamps 30 years it's senior, some even older.  Even the identical shape of glass shade has been made before. Change the colors, angles, styles, use of the parts, etc, and VOILA you have the "latest thing" the "modern" lamp....again, and again, and again.

There really is nothing that is a brand new, a never-thought-of-idea...not in its entirety, anyway.  If you pick most things apart, do some digging into the past, you will find that those things are copies of forgotten old, reintroduced, revised, reinvented, recycled ideas, plans, designs...rehashed, reassembled, combined with other ideas, etc.

Many parts in the lamp manufacturing industry 50 years ago are still being used (and newly manufactured) right now....they might have a different color plating, a revised use, etc, but they are essentially the same part...some lamp companies produced so many or one part that they are still using up parts that were made up to 40 years ago!

Read up on  CHASE Copper And Brass, who essentially maximized the potential of this concept, and used it to survive in the 1930s. They used old plumbing parts and other "dead stock" they already had in inventory to create lines of Art Deco decor items, kitchen items, etc. The retail/manufacturing industry did not ignore Chase's and similar firms' successes with the idea....and it was not a new idea to begin with.

Here is a lamp I made years ago...one of my favorites I kept for myself.

I realize it looks old. For all intents and purposes it IS old....it varies in age.....the parts ARE all old...but they vary in vintage. I'll go over the parts in another blog posting. Let's see if you can figure out what valuable piece I scavenged some of the parts from. (HINT: Think EAMES ERA designer!)

Other dealers, pickers, artistic/creative types do/have done this sort of thing. One fellow in Winnipeg (Manitoba) who dabbled in this business, made some similar sorts of lighting. His lamps are wonderful in design, fantastic even.  They tend to emulate the 1880 - 1920 eras of lighting. This fact is in part because of, but not solely due to, the use of vintage parts. However, 99% of the population would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a legit, factory assembled, circa 1900 piece and many of his "made-up" lamps.  He didn't mark them in anyway, and many were done 20, even 30 years ago (or more?), so have now acquired a bit of patina even, making it tougher to nail down their origins.  He was just that sort of fellow; maybe thinking along the lines of purposely passing them off as old, or perhaps just didn't care, figuring this is a "buyer beware" sort of business.

It is really too bad he didn't sign all of his creations. My thoughts on that are not actually so much a concern with them being mistaken as "real" old lamps or even as restored originals. Personally, I look at this "re-creating" things as a real art, as it does take talent, and a natural instinct for design. It is not easy for "Joe Blow" to source the parts, and put them together to make a piece look "right" and pleasing to the eye. His "art" will likely never, ever be recognized of acknowledged now. His pieces may even end up attributed to some designer/artist who died 50 years prior to him. He will not receive due recognition as the true artisan who actually created the piece.

 I signed, and usually dated, all the pieces I created and/or modified heavily. I usually marked them as being "RE-DESIGNED" or "RE-CREATED." This one is from 1995.....you will see it has already acquired a bit of a patina already....I hand polished them, as I like a softer tone to the brass, and didn't clear-coat them, so they would age naturally, and evenly. You could say their natural aging is part of my artistic vision.

I am still creating cool lamps and "functional art" as my time permits. I've always leaned toward an industrial look, and now industrial is "in", so I will be leaning harder that way. I like keep my pieces refined, not crude, but still industrial...sort of a "Steampunk" look at times. Most of the sculpture/projects are in piles of pieces, waiting for that certain "perfect" component to pop up to make them complete, or bring them one step closer to completion.

"Spare time" is a scarce commodity in a hardcore picker's life!

I'll post some pictures of the creations as they are done, in this blog, for your enjoyment!

What the Dickens? Provenance Has Gone To The Dogs!

Everything is worth examining closely.

Even dog collars.

Yep, you heard me correctly....

Ok, ok, ok, READ me correctly....

As it is, "pet" related vintage items are collectible, from vintage dog collars, to training items, to water bowls and food dishes.

But that is not quite what I am leading to.

You see, "provenance" can make what appears to be a middle-of-the-road collectible item (or even very, very ordinary item) very, very, very valuable.'

SO many people have things that they swear up and down that so and so famous person used this, touched this, slept in, stepped on, fired, opened, closed, etc, etc, etc, etc.

Now, if you have a PHOTO of that person with that item (and it is DEFINITELY that item), or some other irrefutable documentation, ok, then you have something.  But, if you have only your great,great,great uncle's word (passed down through many other of your Uncles) that President Abe Lincoln left his pocket watch to be repaired and never picked it up...and you have that very watch.....well, the value of that word can be summed up in one word, also..."worthless."

A family story says little, unless your 3x Great Uncle was the official Presidential Pocket Watch Repair Person...and you can prove THAT...then maybe it has some credibility.

Even it WAS the case...if you can't prove it, well, hope there is some of Abe's DNA stuck on the watch somewhere...because that may be the only way you will be able to link that watch to him. There are other ways, such as photographs, other documentation filed elsewhere, etc...but, until you have copies of that other proof...it is a pocket watch that is worth just what any other pocket watch is worth.

So, what do dogs have to do with this?

Charles Dickens.

Well, Charles Dickens' dog, actually.

Check this out: That's some dog collar: Neckwear of Charles Dickens' dog sells at auction for $11,590

PROVENANCE.

And in this case, the collar has the provenance engraved right on it.

Normally, provenance is not that easy to nail down.  However, it does happen, on occasion. You just need to keep your eyes open, your mind open, etc. Weird things happen...nasty turns of life happens to the most famous of the population. Celebs loose items to banks, sports figures pawn their championship rings, noted heroic war vets sell their medals, etc. These people are just that...people, very human.


But, just because something has the initials "JFK" on it does not mean it belonged to John F Kennedy...doesn't; matter if your grandpa found that comb in a washroom in Washington.
.....well, it might have belonged to JFK, but the John F Kennedy it did belong to was a plumber from Tallahassee....was visiting a cousin in Washington, and never had presidential aspirations...not even for the top seat in the local Plumbers Union.

Those strands of hair that was found in it?

Yep, it is just some greasy chunk of some balding plumber's dome.

Just hope he didn't part his hair on his back...or lower.