By Ian Langmann

This article is dedicated to the continued education of present and future buyers. Armed with knowledge people can become effective collectors who keep family heirlooms or make informed purchases. They enjoy what they have and could realize a good financial return when time comes to sell. When considering the amount of joy one receives while owning a work, art and antiques are always a good investment no matter the financial return.

ANTIQUES AND THE INTERNET

There are no two things more inherently different than Antiques and the Internet. Antiques are old, usually of limited quantity and tangible. The Internet is constantly new, of virtually unlimited quantity, and for the most part, intangible. How these two worlds ever met, let alone co-exist, is amazing, yet millions of dollars are spent buying antique items through the Internet.

Any "surfer" on the web has at some time or other seen or been offered an "antique" over the net, and possibly been tempted to buy it. What is it about the Internet that tempts seemingly smart people to purchase some "deal" sight unseen, from some distant province or country with no warranty or guarantee as to its authenticity? Or is every one else missing the boat?

For an answer it helps to look to the latest craze; buying from info-mercials, the shopping channel and mail order businesses. The main thing is that they all deal in commodities or multiples where an order, say of 100 Pez-dispensers, is not hard to fill. Many of the dealers (or sellers) on the Internet in fact deal in similar items. New, used, and antique collectibles, prints and books make up a majority of the sales over the Internet. Most of these were produced in quantity so the potential buyer, who has only a snapshot to guide him, probably has seen a virtually identical piece in person, either in a local store or at a friend's home, and has an idea of what it is they are buying. The only point to establish is the condition, after which a price can easily be established, referring to any number of price guides available.

For example lets use a 4" Moorcroft vase with Pomegranate design from 1945. A price guide might say it is worth as much as $500 in good condition (no chips or cracks), $300 in fair condition (possibly a small chip) and less than $150 in poor condition (say a major crack or chip). If a buyer is indeed educated enough to know how to ensure that it has no small repairs or chips, then it would probably be a good buy at $400. Since most collectibles sold on the Internet are below $500, it might not be a major loss if buyers later find out that the vase has a major chip that was repaired and now worth only $150 at best.

The issue of buying "true" antiques, that is items over 100 years old, or furniture over the Internet is a different issue. Antiques are usually only one of a kind or handmade and as a result do not fall into the category of commodity. Price guides only give a range from which to work. The buyer must look at the piece, say a chest of drawers and look at the way it was built. Have the drawers been cut down, are the drawers original or are they and the chest itself a "marriage" of two different or same age pieces? Are the back, feet and finish original? These questions can only be answered by viewing the piece in person. No number of photos, whether digital or not, will tell you if the wood is the same, or the finish original. If the item cannot be viewed in person, the buyer must know the dealer well enough to trust their knowledge and know that there is a guarantee in writing.

What then if the buyer gets the piece delivered, are they knowledgeable enough to inspect the item, or will they have to get it independently appraised at yet more expense. This "deal" may soon end up costing more than the buyer was willing to spend.

In our lifetime we probably only make a handful of "big-ticket" purchases. If we don't do our homework ahead of time, we are ill equipped to make these decisions without expert help. There are experts that will help you buy a house or car and to a greater degree the same is true for antiques and art. These experts spend their time, like any professional, studying their trade and making it their business to know, or find out, about these items.

The world however, and especially the Internet, is full of talented amateurs that are instant experts on any number of topics, but when asked to show some sort of evidence cannot provide it. Find yourself an established dealer with years of experience. They will likely have a wealth of knowledge you can learn from. Ask them about the piece you are interested in and make sure you understand what they tell you.

The art and antiques trade has traditionally been, and probably always will be, a hands-on and personal business. The joy of owning is getting to see a beautiful painting when you wake up or the feel of fine silver in your hand at dinner. The distance and coldness of the Internet cannot replicate or replace it, no matter the technology.

Since antique, collectible and second hand stores offer much the same items that the Internet does it is perplexing why people often pay more on-line than they would in a shop. A shop also provides the additional chance to touch the item, ask a person a question and have some sort of guarantee that the item is what and as old as they state on the invoice. All this and you get to have it immediately, no shipping cost, no customs duties!

on-line selling services have seen the importance of a dealers reputation, many now let you look up a seller's history. One can see what other buyers, like yourself, have to say about their past dealings with them. And thus base your purchase on that. The services seldom guarantee anything the seller says, and the history of an inexperienced seller, who only sells one or two things a year, would be of little help. Again it is important to establish a rapport with a dealer whether he is on-line or around the corner.

The largest on-line web site, Ebay.com, acknowledged their short-coming in establishing buyer trust over $500 in April when they bought Butterfield & Butterfield Auctions in San Francisco. They hope that Butterfield's will help attract the $500 to $10,000 range buyer.

Even last week Sotheby's and another on-line giant Amazon.com went into partnership with sothebys.amazom.com which will deal in middle market items like coins, sports and other collectibles (again mostly commodities). Sotheby's is also going on-line in September with sothebys.com which will be a partnership between themselves and established dealers across the country.

A host of other on-line services are grouping with large auction houses or galleries to attract the more lucrative buyer. The record sale price attained at an on-line auction is $2 million and shows that the trend for selling high priced art and antiques seems to be moving towards on-line selling. (It is important to remember that this price was only attained because it was backed by knowledge and a guarantee). With world-wide exposure the Internet opens the auction market to what otherwise would have be a market limited to catalogue subscribers. The Internet augments the exposure of items sold at auction, it does not in my opinion replace auctions or dealers.

The selling of large sized antiques and art, because of their high cost to ship, is still best done locally as shipping alone makes selling a chest of drawers to the other side of the continent unworkable unless the item has considerable worth. Even then local experts are still needed to help evaluate a piece to know if it is worth shipping or not. Since that same dealer likely has good access to the Internet, and its international buyers, and can authenticate it and guarantee it for the potential buyer, they are most likely still the best avenue.

As with any purchase in life, buy within your financial comfort zone and always what you like. If it ends up to be of little value and you cannot return it, it may not matter to you as you like it and can live with it. Many dealers and collectors agree that buying art or an antique, strictly as an investment, is buying for the wrong reason.

When one does buy on-line, I recommend buying for fun. The Internet can be a good source for the knowledgeable buyer, but is a mine field for the person who either hasn't done their homework, or buys from a seller they don't know. The Internet is a very powerful and effective tool, but since knowledge is still most important, it is no more of a threat to true knowledgeable antique dealers than the home-shopping channel is to a grocery store.

By Ian Langmann