Buying Antiques in the UK


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Buying Antiques in the UK

If you have decided you want to buy antiques and collectables to furnish or decorate your home, where do you start? There are four main ways:

at auction
from an antiques shop
at a fair
via the internet

Of course there are risks associated with all of these but with a little preparation and care, you can minimise them.

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Auctions

Auctions can be difficult for the beginner. You might worry that by raising an eyebrow or scratching your nose you will buy something by mistake. Believe me - it doesn’t happen. Auctioneers never take bids like that from people they do not know. First of all, whether you intend to bid at a big London auction house or your local salerooms, go along and watch two or three sales without bidding. You will see that most people bid by raising their catalogues (or registration numbers or paddles if the saleroom uses that method) and it is usually very clear who is bidding. You will notice that the auctioneer looks the bidder in the eye as he accepts the bid. Points to remember are:

you must go to the viewing - don't buy anything without examining it first
you should decide the highest price you are prepared to pay - and stick to it
ensure the lot is accurately described if there is a catalogue.
note that the letters A/F next to a catalogue entry mean either ‘as found’ or ‘all faults’ so make sure you know what is wrong with a lot and that it is still acceptable to you

You can find a good Auction Calendar in the weekly Antiques Trade Gazette or on their website.

Antiques Shops
Buying from an antiques shop run by a reputable dealer can be a good way to start. If you can build a relationship with a dealer he or she will search for pieces that you want as well making sure that everything you buy is genuine. In Britain, dealers who belong to the two recognised national antiques associations, the British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA) or the London & Provincial Antiques Dealers Association (LAPADA) have a code of conduct and if there is a dispute you can appeal to the associations. For more information see their websites: www.bada.org and www.lapada.co.uk respectively.

Antiques Fairs
By far the most popular way for people to buy antiques and collectables is at fairs (shows). They vary in quality from fleamarkets to the very expensive and up-market annual Grosvenor House Antiques Fair held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. If you haven’t got tens of thousands in your budget, though, you will probably start at a less exalted fair. Again the Antiques Trade Gazette has a comprehensive Fairs Calendar. The main difference in fairs is that some are vetted and datelined and some are not.

Vetting means that every item for sale at a fair has been checked by experts for authenticity, condition and fairworthiness - the last is an unquantifiable quality but generally means that it is a reasonable item to be sold at that fair. Datelines mean that nothing made after a certain year will be allowed and will be vetted off.

Vetted fairs usually last several days and items on sale are sometimes more expensive than they would be at a one-day unvetted fair simply because the dealer’s costs are higher. However, you may feel that paying extra is worth the security of knowing that you can buy with greater confidence.

The Internet
Lastly, you can buy on the internet either at auction sites like www.ebay.co.uk or from dealers who use portal sites such as www.antiqnet.com. Many people are now buying antiques and collectables on-line and, if you use a reputable site, you should have no problems. If you have no experience, though, it would probably be better to start by going to shops and fairs so that you can get a feeling for antiques by seeing and handling them.

Whichever way you buy your antiques, you will find that you soon get caught up with the excitement of finding beautiful and unusual objects that give your home an individual style. You will also find that it will become addictive and you will never be able to pass an antiques shop, fair or saleroom without stopping just in case they have that very special item you have been looking for - even if you didn’t know what it was until you saw it. Happy hunting.

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