Some new ideas about old stuff
Would-be collectors need to do research, expert advises
Judith Miller has a confession.
“I’m an addict,” admits the confident Scottish lass as she nurses a glass of Perrier at a Toronto hotel. “I have to have something to buy.”
Luckily for Miller, shopping pays the bills. At 62, she is one of the world’s leading authorities on antiques and collectibles and has written more than 120 books on the subject.
Miller visits Toronto often as part of her numerous North American stops to promote the books. She has three new titles: Miller’s Antiques Marks, Miller’s Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 2014-2015, and a new edition of the Miller’s Antiques Encyclopedia. When used together, the books offer a “complete guide to the world of antiques and collecting” and are a much more trusted source than the Internet.
Based in London, Miller travels the world to lecture, advise and shop, and is always amused when strangers approach and think they know her. They don’t, of course. But once they realize she’s the one they watch regularly on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, the questions begin, usually starting with: “I have this piece. What is it worth?” Hence the popularity of her books, her blog and her website (millersantiques guide.com).
Every few years, Miller finds new things to talk up. Nobody wants Victorian tea sets or 19th-century mahogany furniture anymore, she says. Instead, she has expanded the Imperial porcelain and vintage jewelry sections in her latest tomes to appease the influx of Chinese billionaires “buying back their heritage” and younger collectors getting in on the action.
Even the word “antique” has evolved, she adds — from something at least 100 years old to what she calls a “muddy area” that includes Second World War items, 1950s Murano glass, as well as “antiques of the future” such as contemporary furniture and rock memorabilia.
“Good pieces of Imperial porcelain from the 17th and 18th century are selling for over $1 million, frequently,” Miller says. “That wouldn’t have happened five years ago. On the other side, there’s growing younger interest in everything from mid-century modern. Vintage is really hot … Now I’d be looking at costume jewelry and saying a lot of it is worth several hundred dollars or over a thousand dollars purely because of the design. The younger interest is pushing the named pieces up.”
Interestingly, it was during her youth that Miller developed an interest in all things past. Her parents were “part of the Formica Generation in the 1950s,” she says, ditching everything that belonged to her grandparents for a more modern look. It was during history classes at University of Edinburgh that she became intrigued with antiques. At 17, she started trawling junk shops for old plates and saucers and longed to know more about their history.
Her first find was an 18th-century Liverpool tea saucer purchased for less than an old penny. Now worth $300, she’s holding on to it for old times’ sake.
“The most important thing when talking value is not age or how good something is — it’s whether it’s desirable or not,” she stresses. “You have to have people wanting something for it to be worth anything.”
While travelling, Miller often squeezes in a visit to local shop. In Toronto, she frequents Toronto Antiques on King Street West, which specializes in rare porcelain and vintage and estate jewelry.
“Judith’s depth of knowledge is what makes her special,” says owner Cynthia Findlay of their 20-year friendship. She finds Miller up to date, and humble. “When she doesn’t know something she’ll say, ‘This isn’t really my field. I think you should see an expert.’ I find that refreshing, because no one can know everything.”
Miller concedes she was once “duped by an incredibly good fake” and she wasn’t pleased, which is why she urges would-be collectors to do their homework.
Interested in collecting antiques but don’t know how to start? Miller offers her top three tips: ❚ Do your research. Miller would visit a museum “and look at a different porcelain factory every day. If you’re a nerd like me, you can write down the identifying features of something — what are the colours used, what type of decoration is used — and really identify it. Go to auction sales, get the catalogue and handle the thing.” ❚ Find a dealer. “If you don’t know enough, you should buy from a good dealer or an auction house. Any specialist dealer will be a reputable dealer. Their prices might be higher ... but you’re paying for that person’s expertise and reliability.”
❚ Enjoy the experience. “It’s not life or death,” says Miller. “It’s finding things you love and like using or like wearing. It becomes a way of life.”