Collecting Maritime Oddments For Profit

Just recently there is a great deal of interest for a lot of peaople to learn all about the buying and selling of coveted antiques, more than possibly at any time in history.

No doubt the popular U.S. TV show ‘The Antiques Road Show’ and the British equvalent, have done a lot to make this industry suddenly so popular.  What was once thought to be the world of stuffy and snobbish appraisers picking away at Chinese vases and other such oddities has now become a business that is quite intriguing to most people.  Those who perhaps never before had an interest in antiques suddenly saw how much fun it could be to find out that an old afghan or piece of jewelry is actually worth thousands of dollars.

What has also helped everyday people to appreciate the world of antiques is that they see how items they never thought about as actually being antique, and certainly never considered as being valuable, can actually fetch quite a price at the right auction with the right buyer.  Those who assumed that “antiques” only meant fancy furniture or Asian carvings had their eyes open to items such as early American folk art, different textiles including tablecloths and other linens, collectible bottles, and items such as these.

Dealing with some antiques that you have already got some knowledge on or an possibly an interest in yourself can mean an endeavor that is not only financially successful but one that is so enjoyable.

Possibly you have thought about collectible antiques for for a little extra money but just cannot make your mind up as to which sorts of antique you would like to specialize in, or you are just looking for a little bit of variety to add to your business why not look at Maritime Products?

Maritime Products

For all you “landlubbers” out there, maritime refers to anything nautical.  That means the water.

Maritime products are those that you would find on a boat, and antique maritime products would include those that are not just old but typically those types of products that just aren’t used anymore.  For anyone that hasn’t been on a fishing boat or cruise ship recently, they aren’t steered by a great big wheel in the middle anymore.  Today’s ships are a lot like airplanes, with a wealth of computers and electronic gadgets and other such elements to tell it where to go and how to get there. 

And this is true of the many accessories on boats as well.  If you have ever seen the movie “Titanic” or are familiar with the style of life vest they wore during that time period, you can see that they were big and heavy and very difficult to have on.  Today’s life vests are smaller and made of materials that aren’t quite so bulky.  Manual compasses have been replaced with global positioning systems, oil lamps with electric lights, and so on.

There is some controversy when it comes to recovering items from shipwrecks; some view it as “grave robbing” and believe that everything should be left as is, while others firmly believe that these types of things should be pulled out of the ocean as they just cause pollution from their corrosion.

Whatever your views on the matter, buying and selling antique maritime products can be quite lucrative if you find the right buyer.  Here are some common items that usually do well at auction:

Compasses

 As mentioned, the manual compasses of years past have been replaced with computers and electronics that have pretty much rendered these old instruments as obsolete – which means they are very coveted auction items.

Most compasses were made of brass or silver over brass.  Some have been found that date over 150 years, and still work fine!

Of course the older a compass it the more valuable it will be.  For some however these were also considered true works of art and not just functional pieces of equipment.  Some have intricate carvings and artwork on the front and on their cases.  All of this is of course taken into consideration when setting the value at auction.

Clocks

Older ships and sailors did not have the digital timepieces that we have today and individuals did not wear wristwatches.  Instead they typically relied on the clocks that were on the ship, and the one in the captain’s quarters was usually more than just functional but was elaborate and ornate as well.

Maritime clocks did not use pendulums as this would have been impossible given the movement of the ship or boat.  Instead they were manually wound.  Most had brass components with a wooden body and glass face.

Maritime clocks are very valuable not just for their aesthetic appearance but because they typically still work for decades if maintained properly.  Since most people do not have old-fashioned clocks in their home they appreciate the tick-tock sound that these make.  Clocks that are older but that are still in good working condition usually do very well at auction.

Wheels

Is there nothing that represents an antique shop more than that big wooden wheel that used to steer them?  Since ships today are steered by computerized mechanisms then these wheels are very valuable as collectibles.

There are some things to remember when buying or selling these items.  One is that there are genuine wheels taken right from ships and reproductions that are carved just to look like them.

It’s also very easy to artificially age wood so there is need for caution.  Of course there’s nothing wrong with selling reproductions if they’re represented as such, but passing one off as a genuine antique is actually illegal.

Those that purchase wheels such as this may be private collectors but many businesses also have an interest in them as well.  They can be used as decoration on a restaurant wall, or some will attach a large piece of glass and a base and create a beautiful and unique table.

The older the wheel of course the more valuable it will be, but these too are more prone to damage.

Wheels too come in a variety of sizes.  Some are very large and were of course used to steer the largest of ships whereas others are just a few feet across.

Other Maritime Items

There are many other types of maritime items that do very well at auction.  These include not just accessories from the ship itself but items that are related.  This might include carvings made from fish bones, coins from shipwrecks, and so on.

Deciding On Antiques

So if you’ve been thinking of entering the fun and exciting world of antiques, there should be nothing holding you back.  Do some reading about what makes each different item valuable and become familiar with about how much people are now paying at auction for them.You will probably discover that collectible antiques is the one of the most interesting and profitable business venture you’ve ever tried.

As they say, someone’s trash is another person’s treasure, so get start now and ‘hunting treasure’!