I, Robot Dealer.

The replacement of blue collar jobs by robots and the increasing substitution of robot workers for white collar posts are facts, not science fiction.

oded's post on research on antiquing, and the detailed classification of antiques, makes me wonder how long it will be before human antique dealers are as passe as copper lustre jugs, replaced by robots, programmed with the world's knowledge of antique and vintage items and prices they will fetch.

Specialisms will include metalware, jewellery, but with robots able to instantly tell silver from plate, gold from base metal, and real gems from fakes

And will buyers be human or AIs in this brave new world?

 

I can see AR with a new program. "Stump the Robot" and or vice versa.

 

They use the robots because they are cheaper.

Nothing is cheaper to use than a human antique dealer.

 

There are certainly enough gizmos for jewelry - purity testers, carat assessors - who knows what.

There's also a thingy for spotting counterfeits in couture handbags. It's called a Entrupy Purse Scanner

http://technical.ly/brooklyn/2016/02/11/entrupy-counterfeit-scanner/

Here's a Toronto dealer (one of those we-buy-your-used-gold types) who uses it
https://www.thestar.com/business/20...-to-retail-roots-with-new-yonge-st-store.html