buying-antiques

The actual sourcing and buying antiques is undoubtedly one of the highlights of being an antique dealer. The thrill of the chase, the excitement of the unknown…of what beauty could be lurking around the next corner can be quite intoxicating.  So it was another 24 hour flight and we found ourselves once again disembarking not into freezing temperatures, but a balmy 30 degrees and a fabulous European summer for the commencement of our buying trip – sourcing and buying antiques across Europe to fill our latest container.

The plane landed at 5am, and dosed with several cups of indigestible coffee to fend off the jet lag we got on the road for the fourteen hour day of buying antiques that awaited us – much of this spent in the car. It was almost a year since I’d been to Europe buying antiques and while I had an idea, I was unsure what changes I might find as like any other market, the antique one is fluid and subject to the same global fluctuations of other businesses.

My first stop was well worth the drive however, managing to find some beautiful antiques hiding in between a lot of others not up-to-scratch, though I had to admit they were a little more expensive than they would have been 12 months ago. It’s always a concern that a day of significant driving can prove fruitless and this first stop was a good sign of things to come.

The next stop however, a place where I anticipated success, was extremely disappointing and as hard as I tried I was unable to find anything up to standard… just so discouraging after hours in the car. When expectations are low it doesn’t matter so much but when they’re high a barren antique landscape can be soul destroying.

We didn’t have long to wait however as the next three days of buying antiques proved fruitful with some beautiful pieces uncovered including the three lovely antiques below.

buying-antiques