Second-hand thrills
18-Jun-2009
Second-hand thrills
If you've ever watched The Antiques Roadshow with a mixture of derision and envy, perhaps it's time you tried out a little bargain hunting of your own. In the current economic climate, there's been a significant rise in the number of us who have turned to the humble charity and second hand shop for our luxuries – places that allow us something of the thrill of the shop without the undue stress on the wallet. And while picking up books for 50p, or an oversized suit for a tenner is a great way of surprising yourself while saving money, there's no reason you shouldn't exercise a little shrewdness and savvy while you're in there.
The idea that some forgotten antique lies nestled with a host of skeletons in all of our proverbial and real closets is certainly a bit of a myth propagated by such television programs as The Antiques Roadshow, but there is, as ever, some grain of truth in there. Part of the lure of antique hunting and collecting, is in discovering that an object that you previously thought worth nothing is, in fact, worth a significant sum of money. The same holds true for rummaging in charity shops. More often than not, these places are inundated with generic stuff that gets priced according the ‘quick buck' ethos, rather than with the idea of a knowledgeable antiques collector in mind. So, going shopping with a handy guide book and a modicum of insider knowledge will aid you hugely in your search for something more than a chipped Ikea cup.
And if you're really serious about hunting down forgotten antiques to bolster your dwindling allowance for the future, it's worth having everything you have a good feeling about professionally valued. If it really is worth a decent sum, make sure you account for it on your contents insurance. It's always worth checking online for reduced prices, for instance, at the time of writing Kwik Fit Insurance were offering 15% off their contents insurance when combined with building insurance so make sure your bargain hunting doesn't end in the antiques shop.