One buyer came to me at a show and said she could not find any items around the show without a China tag, and she would not buy. She did fortunately find a German Steiff that was suitable for her collection, at our table.
Another collector spent over $1,000. on an antique Steiff Cat and shared with me that with the negative talk and downward spiral of the dollar, she wanted to "invest" it in something tangible with worldwide appeal and desirability. Even though she loved the cat, she spent more than she would have on it because the dollar is not as strong as a Steiff Antique cat!
Investibles.....a great word to use with collectors.
With all the negatives, let me offer you more positives.
I not only write an antique column for newspapers, I also am an advertising executive who sells advertising for newspapers. My personal business is better than ever and readership is very strong. Returning to the basics is something we should all look at within our personal lives as well as our collectible lives.
Service and personal contact are two parts of the equation that are necessary in today's environment. Artists and manufactures need to put there best foot forward and collectors .... I'll see you at the next teddy bear show!
Ken Yenke
Contributing writer
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