Tips for Buying and Collecting Antiques and Other Treasures

Do you want to learn how to tell if an item at a resale store or estate sale is a true “treasure”? Are you drawn to antiques and are you interested in learning how to add value to your current collection? Assistance League® Santa Clarita’s Past President, Cheryl Carlson, has some valuable tips that are sure to help you for years to come.
Tips for Buying and Collecting:
1. Have knowledge of specific collectibles or antiques.
2. Research how items of interest were made, including regional characteristics and the maker’s marks.
3. Know the current value of items of interest.
4. Know the difference between an original and a reproduction and then develop your “eye” for what is original.
5. Love what you collect and buy.
For some lucky people, knowing about these treasures comes naturally. Growing up in Maryland and Virginia, I (Cheryl) lived in old homes and used a lot of antique and collectible items every day. There was the pie safe, the family silver and china for Sunday dinner, the redware pitcher and the yellowware mixing bowls used for making biscuits. We used handmade quilts and coverlets every day on the old Victorian beds. At that time, I did not know that someday I would be collecting these and other items.
Over the years, I bought books about items of interest. While living in Annapolis, I worked for a dealer and restorer of Federal furniture. It was an education to see how different cabinet makers made their pieces, including saw marks, dovetails, inlays and veneers. I developed an “eye” for furniture from Maryland and Virginia.
At Assistance League Resale, we have received many wonderful treasures from our donors. We also have member volunteers who are collectors and experts in different fields of antiques and collectibles and who help identify and research items.
If you are a collector or a “soon to be collector,” please come and visit our store. You may just find that special treasure you’ve been looking for. If you have a much-loved collection that you are ready to part with, you can rest assured that your items will be handled with respect and priced appropriately. The most important thing to know about donations to Assistance League Resale is that the money they produce helps the people in our community feel “treasured” through the programs that we offer. Whether that is the monthly dinner party that we provide for residents at a post-acute care center, or the annual party that our Assisteens® give for the residents at L.A.R.C. Ranch. Your contributions help individuals know they are not forgotten! Thank you! For more information about Assistance League Santa Clarita contact www.assistanceleaguesantaclarita.org