Generalist or Specialist?

Dear All,

I have one important question regarding the antique business especially regarding to the activity of an 'antique picker'. It is not a new question as people always ask this question in various fields. Which one is more advantageous for an antique picker? i,e, to specialize in one area of antique or to be a generalist? Or to be somewhere in between like specializing in two or three areas? I believe there are many veterans and seasoned people on the business here, hence I would like to hear your opinions and observations if possible with examples and scenarios.

thanks in advance!

TTA

 

I don't believe one consciously chooses; one only follows where one's interests lead.

Debora

 

Often, I find, when you're picking, you are more of an opportunist than anything else. What's available and sets off that little alarm in your head drives you to investigate further.

 

a Picker..........being in the right place at the right time........and knowing enuf...to know you are !

 

And knowing who/where to unload your finds.

 

Or having the space to store them until the day when...

Debora

 

That's a great way of explaining it. I also find it depends on the area in which you live, having moved around a bit I find different items are more or less prevalent in different areas.

 

You're right. And that's one of the pleasures of thrift shopping, isn't it?

Debora

 

I'm half-and-half.

I specialise in pens, pocketwatches, pocketknives, razors, and silverware, but I'm interested in a lot of different things.

 

I'm mostly a jewelry person, but will sell anything under my weight limit (for lifting) if it makes a few bucks.

 

People always ask me what I sell & my answer is always the same "anything I think I can sell for more than I paid".

I started out buying mostly glassware but between attending auctions, the old eBay boards, this forum, & just being exposed to items when I was out buying my horizons have greatly expanded.

 

Never underestimate the selling price of weird sh!t.

I buy that a great deal.

 

Great responses so far!,, here is my take...


-One advantage of specializing is that the picker has an 'above average' know how on a certain field that would enable him to discern an obscured piece of potential great value i.e. the so called 'sleepers'.. The average generalist picker may pass such a piece either because he has not trained his eye well enough or even if he feels the piece may be of importance, he may feel the price may be high for a thrift store or flea market purchase. But the specialist picker would confidently buy the piece at the given price knowing the real value of the piece is vastly higher than what he is paying for it. The generalist picker may develop a know how to pick pieces of collectible values in all areas. But he may lack the specialized knowledge that would enable him to discern the 'sleepers'.

-On the other hand one disadvantage of specializing in a certain field and looking only for pieces in that field is that, the specialized picker may miss obvious treasures in other fields that could have been easily picked up. Such a specialized picker (eg book picker) may enter a thrift store and scour one corner only for his books while all along there was a highly collectible engraving hanging over the shelf looking at him and would miss that great opportunity.


- Hence the truth could probably lie somewhere in the middle...maybe a specialized picker specializing in say three fields gaining an 'above average' knowledge in the fields (eg books, fine arts, porcelain) would concentrate in these areas as his focal specialized picking experience. However he could have a price guide or some kind of list on his phone for other collectable items and thier tell-tale signs (eg vintage cameras, vintage watches, toys, furnture, jewelry etc) as reference to casually glance around so that he may not miss obvious treasures lying around. In this business model he may divide a given thrift store or flea market experience with an 80/20 rule, i,e, 80 pct of his time would be spent in his specialized fields and the remaining 20 pct of his time to glace around for items in other collectible fields by referring to his lists on his phone. This way he could identify the 'sleeper' treasures in his specialized fields, while he would not miss the 'obvious' treasures in other fields. He may not have the know how to discern the 'sleepers' in the other fields, but at least he could identify with the help of his list and price guides some of the obvious collectables lying around.

would be glad to hear other differing opinions ...

TTA

 

Truer words were never spoken!!!

 

I've threatened to get a T shirt made up saying I buy weird sh!t.

As to types of picker, I say if you're not buying Strange, go for something that speaks or has quality. And also, things that might be fashionable. Or that intangible and inexplicable pull. Divvy time.

 

And what's this "phone" stuff? I keep the "antennae in UP mode" stuff in my brain where it belongs. Phone connections go belly-up too easily. If your brain goes down, it's time to get out of the business. The phone looker-uppers often take so long to scan something that a brain user has already made off with it.

 

it depends...price guides and field guides have their place in picking to some extent ,,,in the context I described above the specialized picker does not need these supports for his core areas of specialization, but only may need to consult these resources for his other general searches...
Some very big flea markets could be very tiresome to make all the rounds at a go....after an hour or so of checking the stands in a given section of the market, it may not hurt to glance at a price or field guide sitting in a cafe nearby for a 15 minute break sipping a macchiato

p.s. speaking of flea markets, many years ago I once witnessed a strange flea market that started at around 10 pm in the night and went on throughout the night and ended at 12 pm in the afternoon the following day. I witnessed this spectacle from the window of a student dormitory room

TTA

 

That sounds like a FUN market! In college I'd have been there done that! I'm a natural noctural. As for price guides, good luck with that. The prices in them are full retail at the time of writing, and can swing all over the map in the space of a few years. They're somewhat useful for bathroom reading to learn names and patterns and the like. If you're in a market it's no time to be reading up.

One of my personal tricks, one a lot of real junkers use, is to buy the out of place item. Buy your toys from a textiles or jewelry dealer and jewelry from the knife guy. Knives from the person with ceramics. The seller as often as not wants the oddball gone and may not know what it is. If you do, you may be in the money.

 

That's very true. The odd one out theory has worked well for me.

AND ALWAYS LOOK UNDER THE TABLE!