Dr. Lori Verderame
Celebrity Ph.D. antiques appraiser, Dr. Lori hosts antiques appraisal events worldwide. Dr. Lori is the star appraiser on Discovery
channel’s Auction Kings.
Visit www.drloriv.com, www.Facebook.com/DoctorLori, Lori Verderame on Google+ or call (888)-431-1010.

By Lori Verderame

Plan Ahead To Get The Best Items At The Best Value

You can acquire many fantastic works of art, vintage objects and decorative objects for your home and garden at outdoor antique shows and seasonal flea markets. When shopping at a big outdoor antiques show for a couple of hours or for an entire weekend, remember to be prepared.

Don’t leave home without the essentials:

1. Drive the largest cargo-spaced vehicle that you own. Don’t take the two-seater sports car to the antiques show if you are planning to actually shop for vintage items and antiques.
2. Wear very comfortable, casual clothes and flat, closed-toe shoes just in case you have to carry something heavy back through the parking area. Don your most fashionable sun hat and wear sunscreen to protect your skin. Bring bottled water to ward off dehydration. And don’t forget the umbrella to protect you and your goods from unexpected rain.
3. Bring various forms of payment such as credit cards and cash in both small and big bills.
4. Carry a big sturdy canvas shopping bag with plastic bags and bubble wrap tucked inside just in case you need to wrap a fragile purchase.
5. Have your smartphone battery fully charged so you can use it as a notepad for room measurements, color matches, etc. The calculator function will help keep you on budget and keeps sellers honest when offering percentage discounts. Use the camera to take photos of those items that you have to mull over as you shop.

Whenever I go antiquing, I like to start early and get the lay of the land first before I decide to buy anything. Over the years, I have coined the phrase “walk with your wallet.” Before you buy anything, take a lap around and look at all of the offerings. I realize that taking that complete lap around sounds like a lot of time for just “looking” but your personal trainer will commend you for the extra exercise and your financial advisor will be thrilled at all the money you saved by looking before you leap.

Look at each table or booth and talk to the sellers to see what rare objects they have and how willing they are to negotiate. You don’t want to be ready to head to the car at the end of the shopping day just to realize you have no more money and you just came upon a booth filled with your favorite collectibles!

Look for condition issues, any obvious object restoration or hidden damage, and if possible, buy the original parts and packaging. Look at the obvious like the carved wood and gold leaf frame on an oil painting, the overall wood grain on a two over three-drawer chest and the complete pattern of textile scraps on that late 19th century crazy quilt. All of these will impact value when it comes to antiques and collectibles. Ask the seller about an object’s background if you are considering buying it. The more provenance information you can glean, the better for maintaining value in the long run. Try to remain focused when collecting antiques — avoid the clutter and stick to a themed collection because established collections increase in value over time.