Antiques on the Cheap: A Savvy Dealer's Tips: Buying, Restoring, Selling [Paperback]

Although neither of these guides to antiques is particularly scholarly, McKenzie's is certainly more credible (albeit less fun to read) than Loomis's. McKenzie provides useful tips?not only for the business pro but also for the flea-market junkie?on how to rummage for, buy, and sell antiques and on how to establish a profitable business, with suggestions on such matters as calculating inventory turnover and handling tax records. He provides information on how to do minor repairs on collectibles and also offers guidance on major restoration projects, such as rebuilding old trunks or resilvering mirrors. The writing is straightforward, the advice is practical as well as easy to understand, and the book would be of interest to most antiques buffs. The title of the Loomis book pretty much sums up its content. While it does offer tips on "the hunt" and subsequent bargaining (and the etiquette of dealing with sellers), its primary focus is on the dating and identification of a wide variety of antiques (everything from World's Fair collectibles to Shaker furniture). While Loomis's breezy style may annoy some, readers familiar with his television appearances and videos will probably find this book enjoyable. Because his information is occasionally contradictory (he asserts, for example, that porcelain was first produced in Europe at the Meissen factory in Germany in 1709; two pages later he states that the French made porcelain in 1673), this book should not be considered an essential purchase unless there is patron demand.?Margarete Gross, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This book is for wanna-be antiques dealers and folks who have more time than money. It is not about trends, collecting, and tips on antique shows and flea markets. In plain language, McKenzie surveys all the probable places to buy (e.g., auctions and estate sales), all the quick fixes, and all the selling ploys. Best among the wisdom collected here are the behavioral ruses--for example, how to capitalize on unwanted leftovers, as well as bidding strategies at auctions--and all the recipes, formulas, and instructions for repairs. To his credit, everything's done on the cheap; he gives tips on savings on furniture stripping and even no-rent merchandise displays. Sidebars, too, are generally valuable; in one, he explains the anatomy of a bottle, and in another, a fool-proof recipe for furniture juice (cleaning fluid, that is). Step-by-step instructions would profit by more illustrations, though. Barbara Jacobs

Whether you're buying or selling, this complete handbook gives you easy-to-follow advice for making the most of your antiquing investments.

Antiques on the Cheap features dozens of simple, inexpensive techniques to help you:

-- Recognize real treasures and make great deals at auctions, estate sales, and yard sales
-- Put the best face on your finds by cleaning, stripping, and refinishing just about anything
-- Turn broken into beautiful with techniques for mending pottery, fixing lamps, repairing

furniture, and sprucing up other favorites -- Make money, with expert advice for setting up shop, attracting customers, pricing

merchandise, and more.

James W. McKenzie is presently a self-employed antique dealer and restorer who has 20 years of experience working in various antique businesses, putting much know-how advice into his book, Antiques on the Cheap. He has had 27 years of hands-on experience in restoration work and selling and currently restores American art pottery for other dealers. James has been married for 35 years to his wife, Wanda, and has two daughters and three grandchildren. He lives in West Virginia.