Many people enjoy wandering the twisting hallways and tight corridors of an antique mall, searching until they find that rare jewel among a treasure trove of lost artifacts. Plus, bringing home your wonders and carefully placing them among your belongings can lead to a unique and valuable collection. We happily present our top tips for collecting and displaying antiques for those looking to join the excitement.
Choose a Focus Item
Unless you’re planning on an eclectic style of decorating, it’s a good idea to decide on a theme for your collection. For instance, if you want to fill your home with family photos, a type of antique picture frame would be ideal. Anyone with a love of animals might consider an assortment of porcelain figurines, and lovers of fine dishware might be thrilled with a depression glass or Bavarian painted china collection. Whatever type of antique catches your eye, stick to it after buying your first piece, and in no time, you’ll have a stunning niche collection.
Sort Out a Spacious Display
Unless you’re collecting antique coins or cards, chances are you’ll need to plan for space. Even with a carefully defined collection, you’ll soon reach max capacity if you have no special arrangements. To keep your delicate and rare pieces safe, find and set up a hutch. Keeping your treasures behind glass will reduce the need to handle them for dusting. Furthermore, different display cases often feature lighting that better shows off your various pieces—many antiques themselves!
Keep Tabs on Your Collection’s Value
One of the most important tips for collecting and displaying antiques is to evaluate your collection correctly since many antiques hold significant value. You shouldn’t abuse sought-after jadeite Fire-King glassware with normal wear-and-tear when you can as easily break new and inexpensive versions! Besides checking for similar pieces for sale online, you can also dig into collector’s manuals. Catalogs will help you identify and index your collection. Finally, you should consider insuring antique collections to defend your valuable treasures against accidents and mishaps.
