English reader on

TEXT 7 

 

How to buy an antique 

 

MAKE friends with a dealer. Don't pretend you know more than you 

do and don't be afraid to tell them how much you want to spend. It may be 

only £10 a month, but that doesn't matter. I made friends with a London 

print dealer called Finbar MacDonnell, and whenever I have a few pounds 

to spare, I spend an afternoon with him and come home with, half a dozen 

pictures. 

I never buy anything in a shop with signs saying Don't Touch. How 

can you read a hallmark on silver, or identify a piece of porcelain without 

picking it up? 

There are very few bargains, especially through dealers. That's why you 

should never buy an antique because you think you will make a profit by 

selling it on. Buy an antique because you want it and you like it: nothing 

else makes sense.