He who dies with the most toys isn鈥檛 the winner 鈥� it鈥檚 the antique dealer.
Estate sales are treasure chests for collectors with an eye for the valuable and unique who, yes, are motivated by making a living. The other part of the hunt, though, is recycling well-made items and an appreciation for history.
Eva Garthus perched a domed hat on her left hand. It was covered in a swirl of orange, green and yellow feathers, and she carefully ran her right hand across it, as if it were a living animal. It was vintage Christian Dior, likely by house designer Marc Bohan, who, like many others in the fashion world of 1960, was inspired by colours and culture of India and the Far East.
Garthus is a 麻豆传媒映画appraiser who helped out Main Street鈥檚 Magpie Vintage owner Darren Marshall during the weekend鈥檚 Kerrisdale Antiques Fair held at the vintage Kerrisdale Cyclone Taylor Arena. She said she鈥檇 take $400 for the piece 鈥� a price in step with other similar vintage designer hats offered online. No matter the obvious craftsmanship of sewing and materials, browsers often ask about authenticity.
鈥淗ow do I know this is authentic鈥︹�� Garthus trailed off, as if she had difficulty processing the very idea.
Marshall jumped in. 鈥淗ow do you not know! That鈥檚 the only way I can answer that kind of question. People ask, 鈥楬ow do you know this isn鈥檛 fake?鈥� I say, 鈥楬ow do you not know this isn鈥檛 a fake.鈥欌��
鈥淚 mean, who would do this, it can鈥檛 be done by a machine,鈥� added Garthus. 鈥淎ll the feathers have been dyed, it鈥檚 all been assembled by hand鈥� And also, its label doesn鈥檛 exist anymore 鈥� the Dior label has changed with times.鈥�
Garthus bought the hat from an estate sale in West 麻豆传媒映画where it had belonged to a well-heeled and well-travelled woman who had died in her 90s. Marshall remembered that sale; he picked up six pristine menu cards from a cruise ship circa 1950. He didn鈥檛 pay much more than a couple hundred dollars for the lot, but they sold for $1,200.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know what they were when I bought them, but I knew they were good,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e in this business, you get that Spidey sense 鈥� you just know.鈥�
Marshall鈥檚 love of the find was kindled when he was six years old. He went to an auction with his mother who gave him five dollars and a bid paddle. He won a cardboard box that contained Wonder Woman comics, a thrill because it was 1976 and he was in love with the TV show鈥檚 star, Linda Carter.
A woman approached him and said she had meant to buy the box but was distracted when it was sold. Turns out the box also contained a piece of carnival glass she had coveted. Marshall sold it to her for $300. Later, at home, he discovered a smaller box that contained gold, which he sold for $800.
鈥淪o, that鈥檚 what got me started in the business. I was six,鈥� he remembered. 鈥淢y parents were stunned.鈥�
Now, though, Marshall likes to get the stories that go along with the goods. 鈥淚 take the time to sit down with the ladies and you know, it鈥檚 often buying from people who haven鈥檛 passed away. They鈥檙e 80. They鈥檙e 90. And they want to downsize, they want to unclutter their lives, and get rid of their stuff so their kids don鈥檛 have to do it.鈥�
As generations change, so does the antique business. Heavy Victorian furniture, silver cutlery and gold-trimmed teacup sets don鈥檛 sell as well as they used to, according to the antique fair鈥檚 producer, Ren茅e Lafontaine.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 selling today is not going to be necessarily what鈥檚 selling tomorrow, and the buyers are changing as well,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he older generation that were buying those really traditional antiques, you know the actual 100-year-old furniture and collectables 鈥� those buyers have now retired. They鈥檙e downsizing and they鈥檙e not buying anymore.鈥�
Lafontaine runs 21st Century Promotions, which hosts other shows in the city such as the quarterly Retro Designs & Antiques Fair at the Croatian Cultural Centre. She said it鈥檚 important for shows to carry a wide range.
鈥淣ow it鈥檚 mid-century modern because it blends so well with the current minimalistic modern aesthetic,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here was a time people were throwing that teak stuff out! Right! It was going to the landfill and now, gosh, it鈥檚 thousands of dollars for some of these teak pieces.鈥�
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