C l u t t e r o r Va l u a b l e ? COLLECTIBLE STUFF: RISK MANAGEMENT ISSUES ← By Scott M. Haskins, Art Conservator, Preservation Expert, Author of “Save Your Stuff”
Does clutter bother you? What is junk and is it worth anything? How do you know of its it authentic or worth anything? Of course, the clutter bug has a million stories packed away in the memory about people throwing away treasures… and, in fact, in my line of work I hear about AND SEE these stories all the time.
Here's a true story that will make you gasp: I was on the phone recently with Scot Levitt, the head of the painting department for Bonham and Butterfields Auction House and he told me a story that he said I could tell you. The story came up because we were talking about the successful sale the evening before and how a painting had sold for twice its $175K estimate. I mentioned to him that is must feel great for him when he helps people to sell their items so successfully and that he must be awash in bottles of wine etc given in gratitude. He mentioned that this never happens and he almost never hears again from the sellers even if the sale is great for them. “Well”, I said, “I can see that because most people don’t live their lives with an attitude of gratitude.” Then he said that he agreed but had an exception to that comment: Several months ago a “picker” (a name in the art trade for people who scour the garage sales etc for paintings of value, then resell them to the auction house or to dealers for a quick profit) found a painting in a Pacific