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Keep reading to find out Buzz’s top tips for antique novices to expert designers and anyone in between.

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What are the top 5 questions you would want a first time antique buyer to ask before purchasing a piece?

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Anyone buying an antique for the first time should ask:

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1. Do I love this piece?

If the answer is no, don’t bother asking any other questions and don’t buy the piece, regardless of the price. You should only buy antiques that you love.

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2. Is this antique the best quality that I can afford?

Quality is critical in antiques and a mediocre piece will always be just that. It’s smarter to buy one great antique than 3 second quality ones.

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3. Do I have a place for this piece?

A great antique with no place to use it is not much good to you. Buy a piece that you can use and enjoy every day.

4. What portions of this piece have been restored?

Virtually every antique on the market has suffered some damage at some point in its life and if it hasn’t, it’s probably a fake. Think about it: after two hundred years of kids, pets, housekeepers, sun, ceiling leaks, cocktail parties and sloppy drunks, you’re going to suffer a bit. And a good antique should attest to that.

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Plus, it’s exactly this wear and tear that gives a piece its character and uniqueness. Love an antique for it’s imperfections–unless you’re over 100, every antique has been on this Earth much longer than you (or I). And they have survived to this day in spite of the hard knocks. Rejoice in that and use your antiques. That’s what they were made for and this allows you to enjoy your purchase to the fullest.

5. Lastly, a critical question every first time buyer should ask is “Who am I buying from?”

Is it an established and knowledgeable dealer? I’m just amazed at how many people purchase antiques from complete strangers over the internet or at swap meets. And then they’re disappointed when they find out the piece is junk.

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The best advice I can give a first time buyer is that “If you don’t know antiques, know your antique dealer.” With the right dealer, you don’t have to be an expert to find the right piece. The dealer will guide you both as to quality and value. Established interior designers know the dealers, their reputations and how to get the best pricing on any given antique.

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What are some of the most common questions designers ask you?

1. The most common question I get from designers is “Can you do better on the price?”

This is a perfectly legitimate question and we understand that designers want the best value for their clients. So we (or any other to-the-trade dealer for that matter) never get insulted when asked to negotiate a price. Sometimes, a lower price can be worked out and in other cases it can’t. But it’s always smart to ask (the worst a dealer can say is no!).

2. I love this set of 8 antique dining chairs but my client needs a set of ten? Can you help?

Yes, this isn’t a problem if the client is open to having us create two reproduction chairs to match the original 8. So the designer purchases 8 original antique chairs and 2 reproductions for a set of 10. Simple dimple.

We also do this a lot for clients who find a single antique chair (or settee or whatever) but needs a pair. Our 30 person custom workshop gives us the capability to solve these kind of problems (plus the reproductions are less expensive than the antiques of course). The only caveat in cases like this is that the client needs to understand that reproductions (even those made by us) will not appreciate like the real antiques. But that’s reflected in the price of course.

3. I have a focal point in the living room (dining room, etc.) that needs a really important antique. What do you have that might fit the bill?

With more than 4,000 antiques in our inventory, designers rely on me to suggest pieces from the collection that will fit the space, look, and budget of a client.

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4. Do you have any antique coffee tables?

There’s no such thing as an antique coffee table since that furniture form was created in the 1920’s. What we do have are coffee tables with later bases (meaning new or newer) but with tops that are antique (such as a 19th century scagliola top with a later base, as shown here):

5. Can I memo out (borrow) an antique and try it out at my client’s residence before we commit to buying it?

Definitely! This is a courtesy to the trade and we do it all the time. When buying an important piece, we actually encourage our designers to memo it out to make sure it works in the space.

6. A sixth question I always get from designers: How do you care for fine antique furniture?

The answer is kind of long but good to know:

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There is a common misconception that antique furniture needs to be “babied” when used or shouldn’t be used at all.

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The truth is that the best antique furniture was meant to be functional over several lifetimes and hence they have survived to this day. The finishes of these pieces actually mellow and develop their own unique patina/finish over time.

Having said that, since color and condition are important, taking proper care of antique furniture (or for that matter any fine wood finish) is important. If possible, a fine antique should not be exposed to direct sunlight and/or heating vents on a regular basis since this may lead to fading, warping, or the “popping” of veneered inlay. Also room temperature and humidity levels should be relatively consistent, since dramatic fluctuations can cause timber to split. Although fading, warping, veneer-lifting, and even splitting can be corrected by a skilled restoration firm (like C. Mariani), it’s an expensive proposition and should only be seen as a last resort.

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To clean, protect and enhance the finish of fine wood antiques or even modern furniture, the wood surfaces need periodic (usually a couple of times a year depending on usage) “feeding” which means using a properly formulated paste wax polish and a soft dry cloth.
What is a properly formulated paste wax? It is a pure beeswax base combined with pure gum spirits turpentine. This type of wax serves as a CLEANER (the turpentine) and a POLISHER (the beeswax) and is the only product you should use on the finish other than just “dusting”. For dusting, use a dampened soft cloth after which you should dry the surface immediately with dry soft cloth (avoid paper towers as they can scratch the surface).

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Silicone based polishes (yes, that includes Pledge) should never be used since they actually dull and destabilize fine finishes over time. Don’t let the temporary shine of these chemical “polishes” fool you-the shine will fade quickly and in time the furniture finish will be damaged, oftentimes severely.

Buzz Kaplan is a graduate of UCLA where he earned both Bachelor’s and Juris Doctorate degrees. Buzz began collecting antiques in the late 1970’s, while he was still practicing law and for the last 28 years has been a principal of Kaplan & Co., a consulting firm specializing in antique and other investment grade tangible asset collections. His clients have included dealers, major banks, foundations and other institutions seeking guidance in the acquisition and deaccession of 17th and 18th century European antiques as well as investment portfolios in gold, silver and platinum commodities. He is currently Executive Director of C. Mariani Antiques, Restoration & Custom in San Francisco.

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