AW Daily - Tips & Tactics - After the Auction: Caring for Items

Home > Tips & Tactics > Tip

Page 1 , 2

In the auction world, we've all encountered the words as is in a description, denoting an object's imperfect condition and diminished value. Sometimes we buy that cracked vase or torn painting and vow to repair it, believing its full value can be restored. Sometimes we pass, unsure if the item is truly "fixable." For any buyer or seller of antiques and collectibles, knowing if, when, or how an item should be repaired is crucial. The subject is more complicated than you might think. Here are some pointers.

Imperfect World
First of all, if you can't live with nicks, cracks, and imperfections, you probably should skip the old or secondhand stuff. Antiques are all about the patina on a bronze, the crackled finish on a piece of pottery, the dark, aged finish on a Mission oak chair. These signs of wear can actually increase the value of an object, and trying to hide or remove them can be a serious mistake.

Caveat Fix-it-Yourselfer
In some cases, home repair or alteration is the best option: Maybe you bought a cheap pine dresser from the early 1980s--go right ahead and slap on the orange enamel. But if you think you have an object of value, hold off on even cleaning the item, much less attempting to repair it before doing a little research. This goes for antique furniture, porcelain, paintings, bronzes, photographs, paper ephemera, books, jewelry, silver, textiles--anything with secondary market value. Putting aside the issue of dissolving monetary worth, the novice renovator risks destroying the beauty of a modestly valued object.

Experts are especially wary of the do-it-yourself repair and restoration kits available at home supply stores. The caustic solvents, coarse sandpaper, and shiny synthetic coatings these kits contain can obliterate the original finish on a piece of furniture rather than restore it. Once an original finish has been ruined, it can never be fully regained.

Calling in a Pro
Let's say you were the winning bidder for a vase, a lovely porcelain piece with a noticeable crack, and have determined it to be a good example of Chinese export pottery. It's time to find a qualified professional to see about restoring it. One approach is to seek recommendations and referrals from respected dealers, curators, or appraisers in the appropriate category. You can also consult a collector's guild or study group, or use one of the many reference books available on the subject.

The Internet is also a great resource. For example, Antique Restorers.com is a site that's packed with restoration information and hundreds of links. Here you will find articles about every conceivable restoration subject (for instance, a book restoration article entitled "The Invasion of the Giant Spore"). The site also includes live chat rooms, message boards, book reviews, and classified ads.

Types of Professionals
Professional services for item care can be broken down into three broad categories:

Repair Technician
The goal of repair is usually to make an object look good and function properly again. Less important are considerations of authenticity of process or materials used. Repair consists of cleaning, gluing, patching, painting, mending, polishing, and shellacking.

Repair is often a "quick fix" and is appropriate for items of lower value. For fine art, antiques, and collectibles, it can do more harm than good. According to insiders, this is especially true of franchised repair technicians and insurance-industry repair shops whose emphasis is on cosmetics and not preservation. For example, one noted dealer of Chinese export porcelain reportedly conceals darkened cracks by lightening them with bleach. The bleach gradually works its way under the glaze and breaks down the surface of the piece.

Next Page | What about the other services?