At Large

When you’re in the auction business and you start marketing something, if you’re off somewhere, your good customers are going to let you know. One of our good customers called and said he thought that this was a fake that was made in the ’70s. I sent pictures to one of my Roadshow colleagues, and he confirmed my worst fears [laughs].

Any advice for people who want to become antiques collectors?

Well, if I were starting out, I would pick a category I really loved and learn as much about that as I could—there are lots of books and even more information available online. And, if I was going to study a specific category, I would look for a mentor. Find somebody who has experience with that particular type of item, and ask questions. Most people in this business are happy to share their knowledge. And handle the stuff. You can look at [objects] on a computer screen, or you can see a picture in a book, but you’ll never know whether something is fake or real until you actually handle the objects and look at them. And even then, you’ll probably get fooled sometimes [laughs].

What object have you found that you really treasure the most?

When Jane and I first got in the business, there was a lady in Wythe County that some people referred to as a “picker.” A picker is somebody who buys stuff out of people’s houses. She calls me and tells me she’s got this pie safe, and I go over there and I see it. And it blows my mind. It’s a Wythe County pie safe, with what they call “urn and tulip” tins [decorating the doors of the pie safe]. It had the original finish, and it had multi-colored paint on the tins. The urn and the grape clusters and the stars and the tulip, and everything, were painted.

Now, this woman would make you court her if you wanted something really good from her. Lots of times I would go there and take my guitar and a 12-pack of tall Budweisers, and we’d proceed to drink Budweisers and I’d play Stanley Brothers songs, and she’d sing this high mountain harmony with me—I mean it was great, I loved it [laughs]. I think that’s how we wound up trading on the pie safe.

It’s still in our house. It’s our favorite object, and it’s my favorite story about the old way of buying from pickers and people like that...actually getting to know them. It was more than just a business transaction. That brings back a lot of good memories.