by Annie Kosterman

Created on: August 16, 2009

I frequent antique malls and stores all the time with my mom and even by myself. The best time I had ever had was after I was awarded my $25,000 from my divorce and I could go into any of the antique malls and buy what ever I wanted. I gave my mom $1,000 and myself the same. We then went to Princeton, a small town up north, and went to every mall there was. Which there were 5 of them. We spent all day just looking.

We came across these pictures of roosters. They were made of seashells broke in just the right places and put together just so. There were2 of them and they were asking $200 for them both. So, because we had the extra money, Mom bought one and I bought the other one. It hangs on my kitchen wall now.

When you have money to spend, antiquing is a lot of fun. The majority of my knick knacks are antiques, so are my collection of books and my miniature tea sets. I go as often as I can because there is always something new. I got most of my rings from antique malls. There prices usually cannot be beat by any store. I got a 3K sapphire and diamond ring for $45. The original price was $245, then it was marked down to $180 and then the seller's booth had a 50% off sale that I couldn't refuse.

There was this one store I went into by myself that was huge. there are like 8 seperate rooms, as large as an average apartment, filled with things that I wanted to buy. But the prices are quite high. That is the one thing that sucks about the antiquing gig, you have to have money in order to get what you want. Even though there are things in there that are not antiques. So buyer beware...so you don't get taken by the ora of antiques.

Antiquing can be done in second hand stores as well as antique malls/stores. You just need to know what to look for. I got an impressionist painting of a Rembrant that is over 100 years old from a Salvation Army second hand store. I haven't gotten it appraised because I just don't have the money to get that done right now. But it did hang in the Chicago Art Intitute for many years, donated by the couple who owned it. I did my research on it and the owners were huge socialites in the mid 1800's and owned Monet's and Picasso's that they also donated to be hung in the Art Institute at one point or another.

I find it best to go with a friend or loved one, it just seems to be more fun with someone there with you. You know, to help you pick out just the right decoration or ornamental piece. Not just that but also to talk sense into you when you are about to make a bad buy. If you go to the right place, there is no bad buy. Especially if it goes with something that you are a collector of. Like I collect miniature tea sets. If you look in each of the booths that there are, you are bound to find one. But....is it pretty enough?

I found this fantastic little shoppe in a small town up north, (I am from Southeastern Wisconsin), that not only did I find a tea set that was to become the smallest I have, but I found little doilies and a couch and chair that were made of the same material that matched the size of the tea set. It's now my centerpiece of my whole collection.

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