How it that devoted antique hunters is are created? Well, one might find
themselves going through the 'junk' in their grandmother's attic, finding a
particularly old looking piece and posing the question 'Wow, this looks old
- I wonder if it's worth anything?' It's just a matter of time then before
you've found yourself nose deep in an antique identification book, spouting
out 'oohs' and 'ahhs' with regards to the sometimes ridiculously amazing
value of certain rare pieces. Other folks know that the dining room set, for
example, that's been passed down from generation to generation absolutely
must be worth something and they too delve into the hunt for knowledge about
their piece. Not that I'm saying you'd ever want to sell the piece if you
did find out it was worth a small fortune, but the fact that there could be
a $20000 piece in the attic, collecting dust, is a bit disconcerting.
Sometimes it's just the sheer beauty of an old antique that catches your eye
as you pass by it at a yard sale or in the window of a shop; you simply must
have it. From there, you want to know what period it's from, what's the
style called, who it was made by and where, so that you can add pieces of
similar style and beauty that you find particularly appealing. You build up
your collection, and your knowledge, one piece at a time and before long you
end up creating your own personal antique motif throughout your home.
Some people go to an antique dealer, looking for nothing in particular but
finding something that they fall in love with instantly not only because of
it's striking beauty, but because the antique dealer is able to tell them
the history behind the piece. These people take utter joy in memorizing
every little fact they can about the piece, and are certain to be more than
happy to enthral you for half an hour if you should point to the piece one
day and ask 'Hey, where'd you get that?'
All in all, it truly doesn't matter what it is that drives the antique
obsessed, only that they love it so much, and are able to bring a little
piece of history, from far back in time, back out into the limelight where
it will shine again.
