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Careers
in the Antiques Trade
The
most frequently asked questions I receive are "How can
I get a start in the antiques trade?" or "How can
I get a job with an antiques dealer?" The two word answer
is "With difficulty". It is not impossible, though,
and here are some suggestions for making your way into the trade.
The main career categories are:
- antiques dealer
- auctioneer or other saleroom
personnel
- restorer
- fairs organiser
- antiques publishing careers
like journalists, feature writers, advertising sales
Antiques
Dealer
Becoming an antiques dealer is in some ways the simplest of
all but in other ways the most difficult. If you have enough
money, you can buy antiques and collectables, take them along
to antiques fairs and hope to sell them and, hey presto, you
are an antiques dealer. Like many things in life, it is not
really as simple as that. You have to know what you are buying,
is it genuine, has it been restored, is it overpriced, have
you bought it at a price that allows you to resell at a profit?
The best way to learn the answer to these questions is to work
for an experienced antiques dealer who will impart his or her
hard-earned knowledge and experience to you.
Unfortunately, jobs with antiques
dealers are few and far between. Many dealers are one or two
person businesses who neither need nor can afford to take on
an apprentice. Nowadays, fewer dealers have shops, preferring
to trade from antiques fairs or an antiques centre so keeping
their overheads low. Occasionally one of the larger dealers
with a shop will advertise in the Antiques
Trade Gazette for an assistant. However, often they
will want somebody who has experience in a relevant area of
the business. It is still worth checking the newspaper or its
website in case a suitable vacancy arises.
One of the most common ways to
become a dealer is by being a keen collector first. Some of
today's most prominent dealers came into the business this way.
Perhaps they had a passion for Masons Ironstone or kitchenalia
and, at every opportunity, bought items to add to their collection.
As they got better examples, they sold off inferior ones, then
sold more to purchase something really outstanding. Before quite
realising what they were doing, they were buying pieces just
to sell to finance their collecting. One day they woke up and
the hobby had taken over their lives, they gave up the day job
and became a full-time, often specialist, antiques dealer. During
this process, they had accumulated the knowledge necessary to
deal successfully.
Another way to become a dealer
is to do it part-time. Go to fairs, antiques centres and shops.
See what is being sold and for how much. Get a feeling for antiques.
Gradually you can buy antiques and collectables and when you
have enough you can start doing the kinds of fairs where your
stock will sell. If this is done successfully, eventually you
may make enough to give up the day job too.
Whichever route you choose, it
will not be easy. Antiques dealers are known for being independent,
self-reliant people. The hours are long and the financial rewards
are unpredictable. However, no matter how much dealers complain
about this, not many of them give up and take a steady job.
Copyright © Carol Fisher 2001
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