Antique dealers buy and sell old or antique objects
and collectors' items such as furniture, art, jewellery
and china. An antique dealer is a person who sells and buys items that are
over 100 years old. They may also clean, restore and value antiques.
Antique dealers are passionate about historical items, and like the idea of
buying and selling.
ANZSCO ID: 142112
Alternative names:Antiquarian,
Antiquities Dealer, Antique Collector, Antique Trader
Specialisations: You could work with a wide range of
objects or specialise in a particular area, such as jewellery, glass,
furniture, silver, paintings or china.
You may choose to focus on buying and selling a particular type of
object, such as:
furniture or sculpture
ceramics and glass
paintings, prints and drawings
objects made from silver, gold or other precious metals
toys and games
clocks, watches or scientific instruments
antiques from one country or region
Runners: those people who purchase
antiques on behalf of their dealers are known as runners. The name was
given to them because that is precisely what they do; they are
constantly on the run looking out for great pieces. The dealer gives the
runner a fixed price and it is his job to get that particular item
within his budget.
Traders: traders do not have their own
shops but prefer to trade at antiques fairs and markets that are open
year round. In addition, some traders sell their items at flea markets.
However, when you are dealing with these traders, ensure that you make a
paper trail on the item to protect your customers as well as yourself.
Antique dealers might work for a private company or own their own business.You would not normally have set working times, and you may have to
work long and / or unsocial hours, including weekends and evenings.
You would normally work in an office or in a store,
or they may sell items online. Usually
they do a lot of travelling, visiting clients and
going to auctions and antique fairs. This could involve spending nights away
from home.
You could also work from home, buying and selling to suit customer orders.
They can offer services like antique appraisals and procurement.
Working with high-end estate sales
and auctions, antique dealers should dress professionally and wear formal
attire like a suit with a jacket and slacks.
Comfortable clothes and shoes are recommended because an antique dealer is
bending to inspect pieces and walking a lot when shopping for antiques.
Tools and technologies
(Source: Was at Fish Bowl Inventory)
Inventory management software is
essential when keeping track of items. Gone are the days of writing it all
down on paper!
You can use the following features found in inventory
management software to keep a close eye on your antiques:
Tracking criteria
Multiple locations
Barcode scanning
Consignment
Point of sale
Education and training/entrance requirements
You do not need any particular qualifications to be an antique
dealer. A good knowledge of antiques, sales skills, the ability to spot
saleable items, and funds for starting up are more important than formal
qualifications.
You could start in this career in one of the following ways; working in an
antiques shop, working in an entry level role in a salesroom or an auction
house and gaining experience over a number of years, collecting and
researching antiques as a hobby.
Another option might be to study for a degree or diploma in a related area
such as fine arts or art history to develop your knowledge, although this is
not essential.
Employment Opportunities
You could work in an antiques shop as an assistant to
learn on the job.You could also start in a
salesroom or auction house as a porter, clerk, cataloguer, valuer or
auctioneer.
Antique dealing is a specialised occupation, and many people in this
profession are self-employed.
The prospects for employment in this profession will always be directly
related to the economic conditions for discretionary purchases such as
antiques, as well as the current 'fashion' of the day for antiques and other
collectibles.
Did You Know?
What is the Difference Between Antique, Vintage, and Retro?
If you want to learn about antiques, it is important to understand
exactly what the term means. Just because something is old, does not
make it an antique.
To be considered an antique, an item must be over 100 years old. The
word “vintage” comes from the wine industry and not only implies the
age of an item, but the quality as well. Cheap, poorly made items
are rarely considered “vintage”. Vintage items imply the best of
that particular time period. If you see clothing that is “vintage
1950’s” it means that the style was some of the best or most popular
that the 50’s produced. Usually items that are older than 20 years,
but younger than 100 are referred to as vintage.
If an item is between 20 to 40 years old it may also be considered
“retro” which simply means a style, fashion, or design from the
recent past.
Learn About Antiques Through Famous Artisans
To truly learn about antiques, you must learn about the artists who
created them. Throughout history certain artisans works have held
their value and become highly collectable. One example is the
pottery and tableware created by Josiah Wedgwood.
More than just a potter, Josiah was an inventor and was the first to
create a method of mass producing high quality pottery. In his early
20’s Josiah began experimenting with a variety of pottery techniques
and kept an experiment book on various clay mixes he tested. He held
his production to very high quality standards and would smash any
piece that did not meet his expectations. Today, antique Wedgewood
pieces can sell anywhere from $200 – $20,000.
The most highly prized antiques were made by artisans of great skill
and inventiveness. The list below is just a few of the people you
may wish to study:
Antique shop managers assume responsibility for
activities and staff in specialised shops.
ANZSCO ID: 1421
Alternative names: antiques and collectibles shop manager,
antiques showroom manager, antiques and collectables shop manager, antiques
gallery manager, collectables shop manager, antiques shop manager,
antiquities store manager, antiques store manager, antique furniture shop
manager, antique furniture store manager, antiques and collectibles store
manager, antiquities shop manager,
Specialisations
Exhibitors: those
people who own shops that are open for a specific amount of hours are
known as exhibitors. Sometimes they hold exhibitions for a short period
of time. Exhibitions are generally held at large venues. These
exhibitions generally display items that are rich in quality. Due to
this reason, exhibitions are not held regularly because it takes time
for these exhibitors to find suitable antiques.
Sales activities: The
supply of goods, sale of goods and the related financial aspects. The
supply of goods entails the selection of goods, import and transfer. The
financial aspect includes the processing of purchasing and sales
invoices, payments etc. The sale of goods implies the proper
presentation and positioning of the goods in the shop in terms of
acessibility, promotion, light exposure.
Employment law: The law which
mediates the relationship between employees and employers. It concerns
employees' rights at work which are binding by the work contract.
Art history: The history of art
and artists, the artistic trends throughout centuries and their
contemporary evolutions.
Provide information related to antique items:
Accurately describe antique merchandise, estimate its value,
discuss aspects of the antique item such as ownership and history.
Ensure customer focus: Attitude that puts
customers at the centre of the business in all cases.
Oversee promotional sales prices: Ensure
that sale prices and promotions are passed through the register as they
should.
Maintain relationship with customers:
Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to
ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly
advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by
supplying after-sales information and service.
Ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations:
Implement and monitor company activities in compliance with legal
contracting and purchasing legislations.
Maintain relationship with suppliers:
Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with suppliers and service
providers in order to establish a positive, profitable and enduring
collaboration, co-operation and contract negotiation.
Apply health and safety standards: Adhere
to standards of hygiene and safety established by respective
authorities.
Use different communication channels: Use
various types of communication channels such as verbal, handwritten,
digital and telephonic communication with the aim of constructing and
sharing information and ideas.
Supervise merchandise displays: Work
closely together with visual display staff to decide how items should be
displayed, in order to maximise customer interest and product sales.
Examine cost of antiquarian goods: Assess
the price and value of second-hand or antiquarian items; purchase in
order to resell.
Study sales levels of products: Collect
and analyse sales levels of products and services in order to use this
information for determining the quantities to be produced in the
following batches, customer feedback, price trends, and the efficiency
of sales methods.
Measure customer feedback: Evaluate
customer's comments in order to find out whether customers feel
satisfied or dissatisfied with the product or service.
Maximise sales revenues: Increase possible
sales volumes and avoid losses through cross-selling, upselling or
promotion of additional services.
Negotiate buying conditions: Negotiate
terms such as price, quantity, quality, and delivery terms with vendors
and suppliers in order to ensure the most beneficial buying conditions.
Ensure correct goods labelling: Ensure
that goods are labeled with all necessary labeling information (e.g.
legal, technological, hazardous and others) regarding the product.
Ensure that labels respects the legal requirements and adhere to
regulations.
Order supplies: Command products from
relevant suppliers to get convenient and profitable products to
purchase.
Manage staff: Manage employees and
subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their
performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give
instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company
objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their
responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify
areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group
of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working
relationship among staff.
Obtain relevant licenses: Comply with
specific legal regulations, e.g. install the necessary systems and
provide the necessary documentation, in order to obtain the relevant
license.
Negotiate sales contracts: Come to an
agreement between commercial partners with a focus on terms and
conditions, specifications, delivery time, price etc.
Manage theft prevention: Apply theft and
robbery prevention; monitor security surveillance equipment; enforce
security procedures if needed.
Monitor customer service: Ensure all
employees are providing excellent customer service in accordance to
company policy.
Estimate restoration costs of antique items:
Estimate the price of the restoration process of antique products
taking into consideration the time required for restoration.
Set up pricing strategies: Apply methods
used for setting product value taking into consideration market
conditions, competitor actions, input costs, and others.
Sell antiquarian productsand other
printed goods in retail outlets, through specialised catalogues or at
different locations such as trade fairs.
Adhere to organisational guidelines or department specific standards
and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the
common agreements and act accordingly.
Manage budgets: Conduct cost estimates and
budget planning. Monitor the budget, as well as costs and expenses.
Forecast the budget development continuously. Report on the budget.
Recruit employees: Hire new employees by
scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting
staff in line with company policy and legislation.
Research market prices for antiques: Do
research to stay informed on the market prices of antique items, in
order to set correct prices for antique merchandise.
Set sales goalsand objectives to be
reached by a sales team within a period of time such as the target
amount of sales made and new customers found.
Apply procurement: Undertake ordering of
services, equipment, goods or ingredients, compare costs and check the
quality to ensure optimal payoff for the organisation.
Shop hours depend on the location. The shop could be open
7 days a week or 5 1/2 days. The shop manager will have to be available to
identify the techniques used to design handmade goods. The shop manager will
also need to attend auctions and know the specifications of auctions and
different auction types, e.g. open vs. closed auctions; bidding strategies
such as chandelier bids, bid shading, etc.
Tools and technologies
An antique shop manager will need to
maintain e-catalogues of antiquarian goods
- make up inventories of antiquarian products in order to facilitate
the search of customers. Cataloging databases will be
essential knowledge.
Education and training/entrance requirements
Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as
antique shop manager.
An art appraiser verifies the
authenticity of a piece by either inspecting it or having an art expert
perform an assessment. You may also research the market to find sale or
auction prices for similar works. In this career, you often work with a
dealer, but jobs may also available at galleries, museums, insurance
companies, tax agencies, or with individual art owners and investors.
Art appraisers examine
paintings, sculptures and antiques to determine their market value by
identifying the creators and the quality of the art objects. They examine
the artwork's colour values, brushstrokes, lines,
engravings, etc. in order to identify the artist and date of creation.
Art valuers give advice on how
much a piece of art, collectible object or a collection of art or objects is
worth. A valuer might value paintings, sculptures, china, jewellery, books
or furniture, for buying, selling or insurance purposes.
ANZSCO ID: 224512 Alternative names: Art Valuer,
Specialisations: Art valuers often
specialise in a particular period of history or a particular type of
artwork, and their reputation is based on many years of experience.
Knowledge, skills and attributes
To become an art valuer, you would need:
strong interest in and knowledge of arts and
antiques
in-depth knowledge in a particular specialisation
excellent communication skills
close attention to detail
persuasive writing skills
up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation.
Fake or Fortune?
Is This £1 Thrift Shop Painting By 20th Century Italian
Master? | Fake Or Fortune | Perspective https://youtu.be/Q402QNZ8wVU
Duties and Tasks
As an art valuer, you might:
check the origin of an object or collection
carry out research, using reference books and the
internet
assess the age, quality and condition of an
object or collection
check whether objects have been restored or
changed in any way
keep up to date with current prices and demand
prepare written valuations and reports.
Working conditions
Art valuers often need to work irregular hours based
around their clients, including evenings and weekends.
They attend art auctions and workshops to stay aware of what art objects are
for sale and their prices, and advise clients who wish to buy such objects.
Art appraisers may specialize in particular categories of art or in specific
types of artistic articles they appraise.
You would generally be based in a dealership or auction house, but would be
required to travel to clients' homes or businesses to carry out valuations.
You may travel locally, nationally or overseas, depending on your clients.