Highbrow Antiques
HOW TO:
Score a Valuable
Treasure at an
Estate Sale
Lindsey Wolstenholme of Cumberland-based Rhode Island
Internet Consignment and Sales, the number one store for antiques
and collectibles on eBay, divulges her top-secret sourcing secrets.
Stick to family sales.
If an estate sale is hosted by a liquidation company, you can bet their
contacts in the antiques business have already cherry-picked the
valuables. Wolstenholme says you’ll have better luck at an estate sale
held by a family, which are often marketed on Craigslist or — the
old-fashioned way! — on signs posted in the neighborhood.
Arrive early. But not too early.
“You’ll see ‘no early birds, no door knocking,’ ” she says. “Some people
will say anything to get into the house before the sale.” Don’t be that guy.
Arrive on time and ready to compete with seasoned
antiques dealers or pickers.
Try to get past the circumstances.
Wolstenholme admits it can be awkward shopping estate sales, which
often mean someone has died or is seriously ill. Downsizing sales can be
less emotionally charged, she adds.
Bring a bag.
Wolstenholme recommends big Ikea bags or an open basket. (Diehards
will even come equipped with their own laundry baskets.) That way, you
can snag an item, Google its value and decide later if you’ll buy it.
Carry Post-Its.
Lay your claim on fragile or hefty items — think: a Tiffany lamp — with a
sticky note but, beware: Estate sale shoppers can be ruthless. “Just like
tree-tagging, somebody can easily take it off,” Wolstenholme says.
Get creative.
If you discover something valuable — an early Chippendale, perhaps? —
don’t rest until you’ve found a way to lay your claim. “I would take the drawer
right out of it and walk around with the drawer,” Wolstenholme says.
Check the basement.
Wolstenholme says many valuables — think: Grandpa’s toy collection or
Grandma’s primitive dolls — can be squirrelled away in basement rafters
or upstairs closets. Just make sure those spots aren’t off-limits.
Consult an expert.
If you’re thinking of selling your discovery, check with an appraiser for
authentication or a consignment business, like Wolstenholme’s, for
potential sale. Oftentimes, she says, all it takes is a photo of an item for
her to pull up its fair market value. riicsinc.com
56 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l
MARCH 2020
Roz Rustigian’s
Favorite Vintage Finds
In her own words, the owner of Rustigian Rugs
on the East Side of Providence shares her
most prized discovery.
A B O U T T W E N T Y Y E A R S AG O I WA S I N N E W YO R K O N A
rug hunt for fine older carpet. I did the usual rounds and
ended my day on 31 st Street with my friend Mike from
Apadana. He had the typical old rug business in Midtown
Manhattan and the rugs were folded and piled almost
to the ceiling on a plethora of pallets. I had learned how
to scan a pile, so I politely refused any assistance. I started
examining my eighth stack from the ceiling to the floor
and stopped at the fourth rug from the bottom.
Mike and his men uncovered the rug for me and
unfolded a textile that, to this day, to me, has no equivalent.
It was not beauty but, rather, mystery that captured me.
I was looking at a repeat pattern of Chinese/Egyptian-like
boats, all carrying men with Asian features. It was an
ancient regatta in wool! The sails were brightly colored,
as you can see from the picture and the rug was in rea-
sonably good condition. Mike could not identify its
provenance and I was, as well, at sea with its origins.
Needless to say, I walked away with the rug and pro-
tected it, shielding it from view and showing it only as
a textile of interest — never for sale.
In the age of social media, I became a member of several
Facebook groups of rug enthusiasts. The Weftkickers and
Warp and Weft are two groups in which experts and ama-
teurs alike from around the world can post pictures of and
expostulate on rugs of interest, rarity or beauty. I decided
to post my little gem offering up | | CONTINUED ON PAGE 100