Entries for June 2012

Q & A with John Bruno

John Bruno | 06/28/12 at 05:14 p.m.

When did you know that you wanted to pursue a career in antiques? 

I grew up in a tract development on Long Island and all the kids in my neighborhood collected the classic comics of the late 1950s and early 1960s. We would wait for the weekend when they were delivered to the one stationery store in town and ride our bikes down to buy them. One day I got the idea to approach the storeowner and offered to buy every comic that came in at a nickel above the marked selling price. He agreed and then I would sell them to the neighborhood kids at 10 to 15 cents above the marked price. This worked for quite a while and gave me insight into buying & selling — plus I bankrolled a very tidy profit!

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Q & A with Miller Gaffney

Miller Gaffney | 06/19/12 at 07:40 p.m.

When did you know that you wanted to pursue a career in the antiques and art world?

I was born to appraise — I love history, and at a young age I was always examining objects in the attic looking for treasures from the past. I would play dress up in my grandmother’s vintage clothing and costume jewelry, and I managed to purchase and buy objects and build collections at a young age. Some of my collections included dolls, costume jewelry, hats, boxes, seashells, paperweights, and silk fans.

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Bringing 'Warriors' to Market

Marsha Bemko | 06/12/12 at 01:39 p.m.

Antiques industry lore has it that old-time dealers or “pickers” drove across the country, stopping to knock on doors and ask homeowners if they had any old screens for sale. Why? Because people kept their old screens in the attic or basement—locations that gave pickers a chance to peruse the contents of a home on their way through it. 

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