Wanted   Do you have a passion for antiques and collectibles - and writing?   The Wayback Times invites you to submit freelance articles for use in print and on our new web site.   E-mail your text submissions to The Wayback Times.   Articles published in The Wayback Times since 1995 have covered a wide range of interests, from Golliwoggs to toy VW collecting, and from collecting insulators to hunting old books.   Most authors of our online selection of articles have included their e-mail addresses and they are always delighted to hear from other collectors.

The Antique Detective   The Antique Detective Yesteryear's wreckage salvage now fetches top dollar   By Anne Gilbert Once upon a time you could go to a salvage yard and find wonderful remnants from old building interiors and exteriors for very little money.   These days, they have found a second life in decorators’ showrooms and fancy antique shops as well as their own architectural artifacts stores. Prices can range from $45 for a decorative stone that once was part of a building to several thousand dollars for old bathtubs. Even old commodes are considered collectible.   Periodically, interesting examples come to auction, such as fireplace mantels and leaded glass church windows. Depending on the age, materials used and decorations, fireplace mantels can sell for over $2,000. More reasonably priced would be a late 19th century oak mantel with a beveled mirror priced at around $575. Listed two years ago in a Millers Price Guide was a rare, early 19th century Federal pine mantel that had an auction estimate of $3,000/4,000.   The Red Baron’s Auction house, in Atlanta, Georgia, is known for its massive salvage pieces that include everything from cast iron gazebos and complete English, Victorian back bars to elaborate cast stone fountains and garden sculptures. Some are from palaces in Europe.   When it comes to strictly architectural artifacts the price depends on if the architect is well-known and the piece can be attributed to him. In North America names like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright mean big bucks. Familiarizing yourself with them and famous architects from the past in your area can pay off.   There is nothing new about architects designing everything from interior decorations and ceilings moldings to furniture. Many furniture designers, such as Thomas Chippendale and Thomas Sheraton also designed architectural ornaments for their clients.   Often historic hotels and restaurants that are going to be demolished offer great opportunities to buy at affordable prices. One that comes to mind was the Tavern On The Green restaurant in New York, several years ago.   Size is never a problem in this collecting category. Massive items, such as a three-and-a-half-ton bronze pocket door from the Corn Exchange Bank in Chicago, offered at Salvage One, sold several years ago.   Small pieces of figural hardware such as door knobs, hinges and door knockers have long been collected, and sold by specialty dealers. Collectors look for unusual brass and bronze door knobs with pressed designs. They often mount and frame them as art.   Architects have been incorporating architectural elements in their plans. Many clients use them to enrich the look of today’s rather plain house or condo. Old wood floor boards, light fixtures, carved newel posts and even entire staircases are some possibilities.   Interesting collections can begin with fragments used as decorative accessories. Among them, carved wood and metal fragments that were once part of a staircase or a fireplace mantel. The same holds true for terra cotta building decorations popular in the 1920s and ‘30s.   Nothing is too humble to be considered collectible. An example would be a cast iron heat grate. They can be surprisingly decorative and are priced accordingly. Prices can range from $45 for a simple design to well over $100 for an elaborate and uniquely shaped piece with an arched top rather than the conventional square form.   Wrought iron door latches dating the 18th to early 19th century are eagerly sought by collectors of furnishings from that period. When they make a rare appearance in a dealers shop prices can skyrocket from $3,000 to $40,000. No that isn't a typo.   Old doors , door knockers and bell pushes were often quite elaborate. Collectors don't care if they have to refinish the doors, covered with layers of paint. After all, there is beautiful wood waiting to be discovered.   Stylized designs reflecting the Art Deco era make novel garden or porch ornaments. Anything in the Arts and Crafts and Modernism eras are collectible and affordable.   To get acquainted with architectural artifacts, read your local paper to learn what buildings are going to be demolished and when. There will probably be a mention of items that will be for sale before the building is torn down. Be there early.   If, like many people, you prefer to let someone else do the picking, you can find some great shops and salvage centres that carry a wide variety of unique architectural items.   Photo credits 1 - Leaded glass window, Salvage One, Chicago, Illinois   2 - Elephant trunk toilet, Architectural Salvage Warehouse, Vermont   3 - Victorian cast iron heat grate, Columbus Salvage, Ohio   4 - 1890s bronze door knob set, Architectural Salvage Warehouse, Vermont   Anne Gilbert has been self-syndicating her column "The Antique Detective" and special art and antique features since 1983. She has authored nine books on the subject. "The Antique Detective" appears in the Chicago Sun Times, Palm Beach Post, Patriot Ledger and many other newspapers. Over the years, she has appeared on network television and has also been an appraiser for major museums and private individuals.     Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2010 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster