Antique Road Show is a Waste of Time

To make sure this venture is a most profitable one, you will need to bring a few items with you. The first item on your list should be a smart phone with internet capability. Being able to search the Internet while you are in the store will help you place a value on the item.  For example you find a book that looks interesting. After you take note of the title and the edition of the book, search for it on eBay. Put the title and edition in the search bar and see what comes up. Now, you can see the current bid price of the book. But let’s go a little deeper. Click on the link, “Completed Items” on the left hand side of the web page. This area of eBay provides the date of sale and selling price.

Along with your phone, a few additional items you need to bring on your hunt are: a magnet - to check if items are real sterling silver - if they stick to the magnet they are not, a black light flashlight which you can find online is great - to locate repairs made to china or animal stains on rugs, and a magnifying glass to inspect markings on different collectibles. This is valuable information when seeing if your find is junk or a great treasure that will make you money.

There are so many kinds of treasures you will stumble on while searching thrift stores. Some great items to search for are: first edition books, signed books, antiques, art, china, sterling silver anything, baseball cards, old comic books and anything else on which you think you can turn a profit.

When you start valuating items you purchased, remember, to take your time doing research on the piece. Always use several sources to determine a correct value on your new treasure. Don’t use eBay as your only source; find other websites selling the same item. So many people make the same mistake. They think everything listed on eBay is accurate. I’m here to tell you one third of everything listed on eBay has something incorrect in its description.

You will have a lot of fun being a treasure hunter searching for that rare collectible that could be just around the corner. Keep in mind the people who have done their research are the ones who are having the most fun.

Aaron LaPedis has been a world-renowned collector for over thirty years and is an award winning author of “The Garage Sale Millionaire” and “The Garage Sale Millionaire: Million Dollar Tips.” More info at www.thegaragesalemillionaire.com.

In the Denver Post September 2010