Collecting is not an old guy thing

hello everyone
Im a young collector of antiques of different kinds. being an antiques head at age 20 have proven to contain quite some difficulties. first of all, people who arent antique heads, think its mainly for old people (especially coin collecting, which i also do).
but also other antique heads, who are older than me, have proven to be difficult and often annoying. with this i mean that i am somehow often looked down upon. i love learning new things about antiques, but they prefer (it seems) to school me as if i am stupid for not knowing everything already, which makes conversation very tiresome very fast.
the last but not the least trouple i have had is the dealing part. as i buy to sell to buy more and keep the best, i have gottena bit of experience on both sides of the sales table both at fleamarkets, antiques fairs, and auctions. but being young, i apear easy to fool aparently, making most buyers lowball and most sellers highball.
however, its not all bad. a lot of the people i meet are very excited about a young man being interested in these things, and are more than happy to help.
my main areas of interest are antique silver, japanese antiques, european coins pre 1800, scandinavian pottery and glass, and curiosita. but i like to collect, buy, and sell, im most areas i can. gaining knowledge on these things is very exciting to me, and i hope to both gain and give knowledge and experience here

 

Welcome, "young collector." Many of us started very early as well. We will not look down upon you here. I well remember a dealer who was annoyed that I, at age 6, knew what a hair receiver was. Silly twit!

 

Welcome, mhc! I doubt you need to worry about being dismissed as "just some kid" here. Although many members have a few (or more) years on you, this is a very friendly group that enjoys seeing a new generation of enthusiasts and collectors coming along.

There are plenty of things to learn in this field - the wisest among us will always be happy to learn something new every day, regardless of how old they may be.

 

thanks Bakersgma and silverthait thats what i hoped to achieve here

 

Welcome! I especially like the part where you keep the best. Wish I'd had that much sense when I was 20.

 

My very 1st "antique" purchase was a made in occupied Japan figurine . I was 10 years old and it cost me a whole quarter ! 42 years later,its still a passion of mine,and that's never a bad thing to have a passion for so long. So welcome,and remember,its an ongoing learning process and youll never know it all .

Ps... I only WISH my nieces and nephews would take an interest,but alas,its not to be.

 

Welcome. We know how you feel about people assuming because you are young, you need to be "schooled" or taken advantage of. We went through the same thing almost 50 years ago and now that we are on the other end of that age, we find that many younger people assume because we are older we are senile or easy to dupe. There always have been and always will be those kinds of people. That's what makes this board so special. Age is just a number here.

 

Welcome; I'm young at heart!

 

well i keep the best as much as i can im a student so i cant afford too keep too many goodies~

 

Hola, and welcome! I am kinda new here, still, and I continue to be amazed at the knowledge and generosity of the people here. In my case, they've managed to help me develop my "eye" for art, old and new; I'll look forward to seeing what you will teach me... and maybe even vice versa!
Gila

 

im new on this site too if you have anything scandinavian, any old coins, or maybe some silver, you are curious about, i'll try my best to help~

 

Welcome mhc4444! I couldn't be more thrilled when I see a young dealer/collector. At shows I often try to fill them in on items they haven't identified. At auctions I try to help them when I can. Sometimes older dealers fear the competition and aren't willing to share info. You will find that is NOT the case with the kind and generous folks on this site. I'm glad you found us!
Don

 

Awesome! I'll remember those. In fact, you have me inspired to post some WWII-era coins from various countries. I'll do it tomorrow.
My areas of (alleged) expertise are general art history, 19th century natural history illustration (especially Edward Lear's work), cinematography, Mexican culture and history, and the Chicano rapper L'il Rob (hahahaha!).

 

Hi,
I am sooooo glad to see young people jumping at the bit for "antiques". I started when I was 10 or 11 and still going strong at 79+. This group has such a huge heart that I can say it is blessed. I am still learning and happy for the people here.
greg

 

Welcome...!!! Happy to have you here..

 

Greggsie... Ora-le... check your inbox, vato!

 

Hi MHC, welcome etc.. Do us a favor, when people post pictures with no dimensions and no clue whatsoever as to whether the thing is 2" or 200" tall, ask them to post dimensions or figure out some way to make them do it without asking. I really get tired of asking, wastes my time and everyone else's who has to read an unproductive post.

 

Welcome MHC..:
Being young ...remember these 10 things...

1. Buy the best you can afford.....
2. One $100 item, will usually end up being better than ten $10 items.
3. Quality always stands the test of time.
4. Just because you can't find something on the web, doesn't mean there aren't a thousand like it out there...!
5. Rare, only means something when you're grilling meat !!
6. Provenance is very important....." my Great Grandfather gave it to my Grandmother, who gave it to my Mother who passed it down to me "......is called hearsay ....and usually means nothing !!!
( unless it comes with a photo of Great Grandpa holding it is his hand , & in the other hand he's reading an 1857 newspaper)
7. Collect what you love , & if you have to sell a piece, use it to get a better one !
8. Buy books & catalogs on the subjects you collect....& read them.
9. Knowledge is power.
10. We all make mistakes.....the thing is to learn from them.

Good luck !