Treasure Hunting in the San Fernando Valley

As a beginning treasure hunter, you’re likely to gravitate to items in different categories.  While everyone’s taste is different, certain things will attract you more than others.  Over time, your taste in specific areas will become more defined and your attention will increasingly target the things that delight you.  For example, paintings, period furniture, china, old toys, sports memorabilia or other genres might consume your passion and your quest will be to find these type items.

 Once you begin assembling a collection of like things, the discrimination process takes place.  You begin sorting through your possessions as you catalog them in a continuum from better to worse.   As your curiosity piques you begin to investigate your chosen categories to find whether you’ve unearthed the “holy grail” in your special areas of interest.  What connotes best, better or average among your chosen treasures logically becomes your singular focus.

 Specific categories often draw like minded people together.  Find out if there are groups, clubs or organizations that cater to the specific collectibles that you have chosen to assemble.   The commonality of purpose between people of like minds can help you grow your knowledge and discern the difference between the better, average and worse items that you have found.  Also, you can learn to distinguish the quality and value of your treasures as well.

 Museums and auction houses can also help you to identify and value the precious finds that you make during  the weeks, months and years of treasure hunting, Building meaningful relationships with these organizations can assist if and when the time comes to dispose of your trinkets, particularly if they are rare or top drawer.  Remember, not all museums feature Rembrandts only.  There are pottery museums, quilt museums, folk art museums and a host of others.  A few moments spent “googling” can put you in touch with most of them.

 Learn what differentiates the good from the not so good in your area of collecting.  Silver comes in different grades.  There’s sterling and silver plate, ornate and plain.  Paintings run the gamete from a family member’s doodlings to Van Gogh, Picasso, Jackson Pollack, Andy Worhol and a host of others.  Advertising art, toys, dolls, porcelain, glass et al, the list is infinite.  Just pick some categories that you like and run with them.  You probably know what turns you on already.  Now just get out there and find those treasures!

 Next time…..tricks of the trade