If you’re going to am antique store, you expect to buy antiques, of course, but like any industry, it offers other services. It’s just generally that the extra services are less well known and less widely understood, but no less valuable.
Appraise
For starters, many antique stores can give you an idea of what your antiques are actually worth, if you were to list them for sale right now. Whether you want to know whether that old collectible is really worth what you paid for it or you’re seeking appraisal for valuable family heirlooms West Lebanon NH or your area, antique stores are a great place to start if you want to know what something is worth.
Identify
Knowing what something is worth first relies on knowing what something is, and many times that’s easier said than done. People bring weird items into antique stores all the time, and if the person behind the desk doesn’t immediately know what it is, they can probably point you in the direction of someone who does. That funny extra flat spoon in your grandma’s silver set is a tomato server and that twisted lump you pulled out of the garden is actually a Civil War era bullet, and oftentimes antique store employees can recognize things like that on sight.
Inform
There’s a lot of knowledge in an antique store, and people are more than happy to share. Beyond simple identification and appraisal, there’s an interest in history, in the why things were used and who used them and what for. Any questions you have, an antiques store employee can answer — including questions about where you can find the best lunches in town!
The next time you’re in an antiques store, keep in mind that there’s more than just old junk in there. There’s accumulated knowledge and decades of experience, if you know what questions to ask.
