{"id":69,"date":"2017-09-26T18:55:31","date_gmt":"2017-09-26T18:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goantiques.com\/blog\/?p=69"},"modified":"2017-10-12T18:29:35","modified_gmt":"2017-10-12T18:29:35","slug":"collecting-developing-a-good-eye-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goantiques.com\/blog\/style-shakedown\/collecting-developing-a-good-eye-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Developing a Good Eye, Part 2: Working Through The “When”"},"content":{"rendered":"
This is Part 2 of an on-going series. Click here to see Part 1.<\/a><\/em><\/h6>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter if you collect Fine Art or Funko Pops, the training method necessary to developing a good eye remains the same.<\/p>\n

Whether you collect ephemera, antique furniture, or prehistoric animal parts, you can learn to be discerning. Using the five\u00a0W and H questions before purchasing a new item will go far in improving your collection. The questions must be tailored to point you toward the elements you need to look for. However, even learning\u00a0how to ask<\/em>\u00a0the question trains you. Learning to see past the obvious, you begin to analyze what you are seeing. Reading your collectible\u00a0with a purpose<\/em>, enables you to objectively determine if the item\u00a0is a wise purchase.<\/p>\n

The order in which you ask your 6 questions is not important. What\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0important is that you tailor each question to suit the genre of items you collect, and then\u00a0internalize<\/em>\u00a0the questions so the asking becomes habitual. Finally, you must take the time to mentally\u00a0answer<\/em>\u00a0those questions, and let the answers direct your buying.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Animation Cel from Gemr User\u00a0Sullivanimation<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhen?\u201d obviously, is the time question that helps you place an item in its proper era. For Gemr user\u00a0sullivananimation<\/a>, this could be as simple as, \u201cWhat year did Disney\u2019s\u00a0Fantasia<\/em>\u00a0hit theaters?\u201d But if you collect the artwork that is part of the cartoon\u2019s development, knowing the timeline of a cartoon movie\u2019s production process is helpful. Storyboards, 2D and 3D modeling, sketchy “pencil tests,” and composited animation cels are sequential. They all speak to when, in the production process, an item was created. Sullivanimation\u2019s Classic North American Animation collection includes elements from one franchise that spans over 60 years. Because Disney uses recurring characters, such as Mickey Mouse playing the role of The Sorcerer\u2019s Apprentice in both\u00a0Fantasia<\/em>\u00a0(1940) and\u00a0Fantasia 2000<\/em>\u00a0(1997), knowing when changes occurred within\u00a0Disney\u2019s animation production process<\/a>\u00a0can actually tell you whether an animation cel of Mickey is from 1940 or 1997.<\/p>\n

The \u201cWhen\u201d questions you ask should compel you to look for those elements that are both easy and more difficult\u00a0to see. Analyzing a production process often yields time indicators, materials, colors, and techniques not often used in modern production. Depending on what it is you collect, that could mean the use of square nails, hand stitching, hand applied ornamentation, or decorating techniques that would likely be machine applied today.<\/p>\n

\"starwars\"<\/p>\n

Your type of collection determines the span of time within which you need to be able to differentiate. A collector of clocks will have 300 years to categorize, while a collector of\u00a0Star Wars<\/em>\u00a0related items has no more than about 40 years. \u201cWhen\u201d questions should encourage your eye to notice indicators or discrepancies that reveal whether a piece is \u201cperiod appropriate,\u201d or accurate in style, technique, materials, or packaging for the time frame from which it (supposedly) hails.<\/p>\n

It may be that your item\u00a0has,<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0does not have<\/em>\u00a0features that are\u00a0important in determining its age. Marble collectors who would buy\u00a0this rare, $250 marble on eBay<\/a>\u00a0must also note what the\u00a0marble does\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0include to determine its age and value. They must look for an indicator of how the marble was made. If there is no \u201cpontil,\u201d the attachment point of a handmade glass blown marble, the marble is almost certainly machine made. When no pontil is visible, but there are other antique qualities, such as the caliber of the glass and colors, or the presence of bubbles, the contradiction itself will enable the collector to\u00a0place a marble\u2019s age within an era.<\/p>\n

\"marble\"<\/p>\n

In a Gemr blog detailing how to avoid buying bootleg WWE action figures<\/a>, we are told that \u201cthe devil is in the details.\u201d This slowing down and asking your eye to pick out whether your item is correct for the way items of its kind were being\u00a0illustrated<\/a>, painted (in the techniques of the day), depicted, carved, packaged, accessorized, clothed, or manufactured at that time, is the purpose for asking the \u201cWhen?\u201d of the five\u00a0W and H questions. Preparing yourself with the timelines you need, teaching yourself to stop, ask, and answer even just this one question will improve your eye considerably.<\/p>\n

Another When Question might be, \u201cWhen was this item made, were many or only a few made?\u201d Can it still be found in great quantity, or is it rare? Is it so fragile, or seemingly unimportant, like matchbooks, that few are likely to survive into the future, regardless of the number that currently exist? With many collectibles, their condition, visual appeal, and scarcity are important influences on value.<\/p>\n

Some of these questions could be shoehorned into several of the other 5 Questions. The analysis of manufacturing techniques could be considered How, Where, or even What Questions. But, which category a question falls under is like the order in which you ask the question: It matters less than the asking and answering itself. The formulaic part of the five\u00a0W and one H questions is only a mnemonic aid. \u00a0It\u2019s like an anagram to help you remember, at that\u00a0exciting moment of discovery, all the things to look for, and mentally process before you decide to buy. It is this process of thoughtful inquisition that is of value no matter what you collect.<\/p>\n

This was part 2 of an on-going series. To see Part 3 click here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Stay tuned for Part 3 of\u00a0Developing a Discerning Eye!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Whether you collect ephemera, antique furniture, or prehistoric animal parts, you can learn to be discerning. Using the five\u00a0W and H questions before purchasing a new item will go far in improving your collection. The questions must be tailored to point you toward the elements you need to look for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,11],"tags":[19,29,32,15,28,16,31,27,25,22,21,23,26,30,20],"class_list":["post-69","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-collectors-central","category-style-shakedown","tag-antiques","tag-antiquing","tag-assessing","tag-collecting","tag-collections","tag-collector","tag-dating","tag-development","tag-discernment","tag-finds","tag-fleamarket","tag-hunting","tag-lifestyle","tag-questioning","tag-vintage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goantiques.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goantiques.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goantiques.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goantiques.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goantiques.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.goantiques.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126,"href":"https:\/\/www.goantiques.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions\/126"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goantiques.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goantiques.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goantiques.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goantiques.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}