SOME QUESTIONS FOR STEPHEN:
Question: What do you do to unwind at the end of a long day?
Answer: Being self employed, I can occasionally take time off to go fishing or swim from my boat or go low water fishing for lobsters.
clearance will be scrap electrical cable cut from appliances that are dumped, so there is value in just about everything! Life is never boring even when there are no calls or deliveries to make as during quiet times I do valuations of items donated to the Hospice Shop.
My shop is open from Wednesday to Saturday and people bring me items for sale or valuation which can include anything from an Edmund Blampied oil painting worth many thousands of pounds to maybe a few grams of scrap gold worth tens of pounds. We recently paid a five figure sum for a near four carat diamond solitaire ring brought to the shop in a zip top sandwich bag! My first reaction was that it would be just a piece of glass. Many people bring in treasured items with little or no value and it can be difficult to tell them their possessions have sentimental value only.
On weekdays I collect the children from school at three o’clock and we might stop at the local shop on the way home for a sandwich, ice creams and a paper. I rarely have time for lunch until after school. My wife usually arrives home about five and then work starts again, sometimes till 8.00 p.m. or 9.00 p.m. I am home in time to say good night to the kids then cook supper. We rarely eat before 9.30 p.m. too late I know but there are only so many hours in a day. Bed is rarely
before midnight,
evenings being spent on the internet searching for things to buy or researching items we have seen or writing articles for
local publications, the
most recent being one on Murano glass completed and e-mailed at 2.30 a.m. on deadline day!
20/20 A day in the life of... Page 111
Question: What do you like most about your job? Answer: I am a treasure hunter, I look for and find treasure. Every day brings excitement which is why I left the accountancy profession in 1993 after four years as a qualified Chartered Accountant. It is a real buzz to find items of real importance, like a collection of 19th century Maori items recently discovered in an attic. It is not just things of monetary value I love to find but items with real history that connect you with the past.
Question: How did you become an Antiques Dealer? Answer: As a kid I used to dig in old household dumps for bottles and other artefacts and sold or traded the things I found.
Question: What do you most dislike about being an Antiques Dealer? Answer: I am a treasure hunter not a shopkeeper so keeping the shop customer friendly is not my favourite thing. Sarah who works for me makes sure the shop is tidy, attractive and welcoming. I find it frustrating that many people have lost their individuality and no longer consider decorating or furnishing their homes with unique items from the past.
Question: What advice would you give to someone looking at a career as an Antiques Dealer? Answer: You have to be able to buy and sell anything and everything with confidence and with the rise of the Internet the need for shops has declined. Be prepared to lose lots of money on your mistakes, of which there will be many, and don’t expect to become rich. Work hard and have fun along the way.
HISTORIC
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