The Art of Antiquing

Ask anyone where the best place to buy antiques and collectibles is and they usually never mention Kerrville.

But hidden treasures in Kerrville are plentiful and the dealers are knowledgeable. So, what defines an antique? Most dealers in Kerrville agree a genuine antique must be more than 100 years old. Anything dating from the 1900s is not technically an antique.

"Anything less than 100 years old is referred to as a +collectible' as to not mislead the public," explained Mildred Cuffaro, an employee at the Sunrise Antique Mall.

Cuffaro said the reason most antiques stores offer collectibles in addition to artifacts of the 1800s and before is because many collectibles or "vintage" items soon will fall into the 100 years or older category, classifying them as antiques.

Antiques ordinarily may appear to be hard to come by since this classification system seems so discriminatory against items dated in the 1900s. However, one quick glance into just about any antique store would quickly disprove that theory.

G & G's Fine Things owner Gail Cooke said she finds most of the antiques and collectables she carries from estate sales and auctions. Still, Cooke said, there is quite a bit of hunting and researching involved in finding valuable items.

What would seem to be another dilemma in the antique business is figuring out which artifact is a genuine antique or collectable and which one is a reproduction of the original. Cooke and her partner Gene McGehee use some simple techniques, combined with experience, to figure out what is genuine.

Some clues they look for are craftsmanship, style, types of wood - oak is most common - and even what kind of nails were used to make the potential candidate. Antique and collectible craftsmanship is defined by hand assembly and hand painting. Style, when referring to furniture, can be defined by the appearance of the legs or other carvings. Vickie Love, owner of Sunrise Antique Mall, added that reproductions now are so authentic looking that just looking at a piece of furniture is not enough anymore. One sure way of checking is by opening a drawer and smelling the inside. A true antique will have an "antique smell" to it.

When referring to vases, ceramics or other possible collectibles, types of colors and glass, among others, help to define. Experience in recognizing these traits comes through much reading and research. For example, someone interested in "carnival glass," a type of glass once used to make prizes given away at carnivals, would read up on the subject to learn the qualities and appearance of that type of glass.

Some more obvious clues Cooke and McGehee said they look for are the manufacturer's name, date and price still affixed to the item. Cuffaro, of Sunrise Antique Mall, further described the dating process as simple recognition. For example, a table acquired by a dealer can be dated approximately by simply remembering the same style table from the '50s.

Sometimes customers recognize styles as well, which helps the dealers date items. Cuffaro is quick to point out, however, that since all people's memories become hazy as the years pass, dealers try not to pinpoint an exact time period an artifact was first created. If someone does ask her how old something is, she says that she and the dealers where she works try to help as much as they can.

Finally, what antiques are best to look for? This aspect of antique dealing is not found in any book or on any Web site. It's just a matter of personal preference. Many antique stores are divided into separate booths. By dividing up a store into booths, a wider variety of interests is covered. Booths are rented out to dealers who collect and sell antiques as a hobby rather than a career.

That way, a consumer who may have a personal preference for "Depression glass," a cheaply made glass produced during the Depression to accommodate the poor economy, can find a booth rented by a dealer with the same interests. The personal preference of each individual was best described by McGehee: "Some people will come in and say, +Oh, my grandmother had one of these' - it reminds them of their childhood."