New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-20
CRAZE FOR ANTIQUES.
PLATES AND FURNITURE THE DESIRED
CURIOS NOW-FOLKS WHO BUY
AND SELL.

1.-THE craze for the antique is the most fatal or
all the fad microbes" said young woman In one
Of the exclusive antique shops in the uptown sec
ton Yesterday Il love these things so dearly that
my s9le ambition in life is curio shop OF
NV OWL and as 10 having house or even a room
furnished with modern stuff-why. ] would rather
never have anything.
How long does it take for the microbe TO faint
the blood?" was the question that followed after
her statement The young woman said IT took less
than six months. and she spoke she swept with
loving gaze the walls with the pictures and plates.
the corners where licked tail old clocks. and the
selves where reposed quaint bric-A-brac, the fur
riture and the cabinets, the massive mahogany
bipbbovs the quaint old screens and dozens Of
things that people buy to remind them OF their
own or some one else'S ancestors
The odd thing about all this is she continued,
that one hates TO part with the goods when they
are sold even though they are kept here TO sell L
sometimes think they have a magnetism of their
own and that they attach themselves to you as If
they animate things. shop such as this IS
like playing store, the same one does in child
hood. There is an indefnable charm about it You
never know what is going 70 turn up in trade.
Always the queerest old things brought in here
to sell But the things themselves are not half so
queer as the people who come to offer them for
sale"
PARTING WITH HEIRLOOMs
DO gentle people come here with treasureso"
Indeed yes and, then, plenty of cranks besides.
There is one dear old lady who comes and
then 10 offer relic. She wears poke bonnet that
makes her look as if she had stepped out Of a
picture. over the front Of the bonnet is draped a
real lace veil with floral and foliage designs
wrought in il. 7 believe she is a descendant Of
Of the Presidents She always cries before she
parts with the article she brings to sell
Then. there was another old lady who came in
here not long ago with a brooch to sell She asked
30 cents for il. but she looked so unhappy at the
idea Of parting with it that gave her 81, and she
was so surprised that she almost looked cheerful
over it. One could readily tell that she was not
accustomed to selling things. Yes, indeed, think
could tell an impostor without any trouble
There IS who speculates continually in
small bits usually jewels which he picks up at
auctions and IN obscures places He is known TO
every antique dealer in New-York and is called
the crazy Frenchman-' He comes in with some
thing TO sell. perhaps a ring
81 How much DO you want? is the question asked
Of him by the dealer.
d" Eighteen dollars monsieur
q I viii give you two
No. no. mol Imposseeble. monsieur, Ze ring is
valuable
Two dollars is all it is worth is the response
This is followed by expressions Of anguish and
tears. But the dealer IS obdurate So the French
man makes ready TO depart in great dudgeon- After
starting and coming back less than three times.
and asserting that the ring cost him SO, he finally
ACKNOWLEDGES that he paid IS for ii, and takes &
and is glad to get 1t.
TO BE Willy Is TO SUCCEED.
ITO succeed in this business one must be willy
as a pawnbroker The antique shop is really the
only place where may realize money on valua-
bles aside from the pawnshop. At the latter place
they only allow weight old silver while here the
design and the hallmark taken into considera-
tion."
For what special things is there the greatest
call at PRESENT.
Furniture and old blue plates. Furniture is
worth and every year The price is
constantly rising That mahogany highboy over
there is worth s.. 100.
There is a great and growing fancy for histori-
cal plates" said the girl pointing half dozen
or more dark blue plates used wall decoration
That platter up there is Of special historic value
and represents the harbor at Detroit There are n
great many collectors. and we are glad to gather
in all the plates can get They command a
good price if genuine. Can tell the genune7
Indeed. we can. The proprietor Of this shop can
tell whether plate is genuine twenty feet away.
and almost before the paper is taken quite off
One gets so familiar with antiques in time as to
be able to appraise any article, no matter what
II is"
How about the people who come to buy?'
The girl in the curio shop laughed satiricauy
There IS no better place in which to study
human nature she said If the woman who
comes to sell is eccentric, the woman who comes
10 buy is often quite much The society
woman comes in, and. after regarding the goods
i. supercilious fashion, she looks at cabinet full
Oh. what stunning lttle trash 81,
woman said in scornful repetition. Then She win
pl nl up something and exclaim: How cute! How
perfectly cunnngi Isn't IT dear?'
MEN THE BEST CUSTOMERS
Men are much more agreeable customers than
'ne women. and the Western women the ones
VINO orive the bargains We classify
lne minute she puts her foot over the threshold