Antiques expert shares passion, tips for finding real treasures

Judith Miller, an antiques expert, examines an early-18th-century Chinese porcelain wedding cup while visiting Porter Davis Antiques in Seattle. Miller tells the shopowner, Jenkins Henslee, that she has seen similar items at much higher prices other places. At right is one of Miller's price guides from DK Publishing. (ELLEN M. BANNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES)

As "Antiques Roadshow" aficionados well know, the successful hunt for the undervalued antique or collectible can be lucrative indeed.

Witness the story of one "Roadshow" attendee, a Seattle woman who last year learned that her $800 garage-sale find, a wooden carousel horse, actually was worth upwards of $20,000.

On the other hand, consider the story Judith Miller tells of a 5-inch-tall Art Deco vase bearing the name of iconic glass designer Rene Lalique. Beautifully executed, it was priced at $90 — a tenth of the value of an authentic vase.

As the author of more than 80 antiques price guides, Miller knew immediately that the Lalique was no antique at all, but a Czech-made fake. What tipped her?

"I know Lalique never made that pattern in that size," says Miller, who bought the piece anyway and today carries it around the country as a cautionary tale. She was in Seattle recently, "Lalique" in hand, to lecture and promote her newest books, "Antiques Price Guide 2005" and "20th-Century Glass." Both lavishly photographed price guides are published by DK — Dorling Kindersley Ltd.

Thanks to such influences as PBS' "Antiques Roadshow" and online shopping opportunities like eBay, Americans are more interested than ever in antiques, collectibles and getting a good deal. And the deals are out there, says Miller, a Scot who now lives in London and New York.

"I think there's a bargain in every garage sale — not as much as there used to be, but they're still there."

On the flip side, because of the whole collectibles craze, "People have a habit of overestimating what things are worth," she says. For example, a 16th-century medical textbook in Latin "is worth nothing." But a signed first edition of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," although just 6 years old, is a $30,000 windfall because its shy author, J.K. Rowling, signed so few copies of her first Potter book.

It's the hunt for the next Harry Potter-like item that makes antiquing so addictive, Miller says, confessing that she's a true addict but "a faithless lover, really" because her collecting passions are so eclectic.

Although pottery and glass remain her two true loves, a more recent one is 20th-century costume jewelry, and on her visit here she wore one of her prize pieces, a faux ruby and diamond poinsettia pin made by Trifari and designed by Alfred Phillipe. A similar pin is on the cover of another of her new DK Collector's Guides, "Costume Jewelry."

(Like a true antique lover would, she knows Phillipe's story well — and enjoys telling it almost as much as she enjoys the pin itself. Philippe designed fine jewelry for Cartier and others until the 1930s Depression forced him into costume jewelry. There he pioneered the use of such precious-jewelry techniques as the invisible setting for gemstones, albeit faux. Long dismissed, vintage costume jewelry is now sizzling, she says, because people are focusing on its beauty rather than its modest materials.)

Growing up in the 1950s in a small town not far from Edinburgh, Miller's childhood pastime was haunting second-hand shops. "I started buying old plates," she recalls. "I'd sit for hours on the floor of junk shops looking at plates."

Her favorite subject, the one she studied at university, was history. But she had no real plans for what she'd do with a history degree. Now in hindsight it's clear: Learning about the past is what serious antique hounds do, because history and antiques often have one thing in common: the romance of the story.

From second-hand shops, Miller progressed to attending auctions "when I should have been studying," she confides. It's still a favorite activity that even today will make her heart race when she spots a particularly fine item.

Then she found antique shops and realized how little she really knew.

"I didn't know what things were and didn't have a clue about prices," she recalls. "When someone said something cost 1.25 I didn't know if they meant 125 or 1,250 or 1.25 million."

A lack of knowledge about what she was seeing and what it was worth was a serious impediment indeed. And thus her first antiques price guide was born. "It was the book I wanted to have," Miller explains simply.

Today she has employees in London, Paris, Munich and New York who find and research items for her various books. Those books have become the Bibles of the industry, observes Jenkins Henslee, an owner of Porter Davis Antiques in downtown Seattle.

"Her books to me are quite accurate," says Henslee, who uses them as reference guides when he does appraisals. "There are other books I use, but I use hers more than any others. You go where you get the best information."

Likewise Issaquah's Kathleen Bailey, a repeat "invited appraiser" on "Antiques Roadshow," finds Miller's books valuable because of their accuracy and scope — everything from very pricey fine antiques (like a $50,000-$60,000 Chinese export punchbowl) to inexpensive collectibles (for example, a century-old Art Nouveau copper dish worth $50-$80).

"There are lots of things for people who have a little expendable money," says Bailey. "They hit the chord of the collector."

Typically the books contain hundreds of photos, with information about the item itself, as well as major artisans involved. Price ranges are given. Both Bailey and Henslee say Seattle prices tend to be on the lower end of the spectrum.

As Miller had never been to Seattle before, she couldn't rate it as an antiques town. What she could say was that Americans shouldn't assume the best stuff is in Europe. Much of it is in the U.S., she says, thanks to this country's wealth, which for more than 200 years has allowed Americans to buy the best worldwide.

As for the next big trend in collecting, Miller laughs and says her stock answer to this most frequently asked question is, "If I knew, would I tell you?" But she can tell what's selling — stuff from the 1950s such as Charles Eames furniture — and what's not. That would be 18th- and 19th-century brown wood furniture. Tribal art also is out, but Miller says she has a hunch it will grow in popularity.

Then again, if a decade ago anyone had told her vintage costume jewelry would become very much sought after, "I wouldn't have believed them," she confesses. That leads her to a key piece of advice: Collectors should, cautiously, of course, concentrate more on what they like than on any investment potential.

That explains why Judith Miller has bought not one but six of the fake Lalique vases for less than $100 each — what they're worth. She finds them beautiful when bathed in sunlight, as they are on a window shelf in her London home.

Elizabeth Rhodes: erhodes@seattletimes.com

Judith Miller, an antiques expert and author of more than 80 antiques reference/price guides, visits Porter Davis Antiques in Seattle. She's checking out German Meissen dishes with an onion pattern from around the 1860s. (ELLEN M. BANNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES)
Antiquing tips


Author and antiques expert Judith Miller says numerous people have told her, with pride, about scoring a $900 rare French vase for just $300 from an "unsuspecting" seller. Problem is, the buyers got taken. They paid several hundred dollars more than the fake vases were worth. And buying a fake is just one of the pitfalls collectors face. To help collectors, here are Miller's buy-right tips.

Do a lot of research before buying. Read antiques and collectibles books (there's also a lot of information on the Web). Bone up on history, which often gives clues to why things were made the way they were and where and when they were. This can guard against what Miller calls "eBay mistakes, although it's not eBay's fault" that people get over-enthusiastic and overpay online, out of ignorance.

Haunt antiques and collectibles stores as well as auctions to familiarize your eye. "If you look at the best [examples], eventually your eye will tell you when things aren't right," she says.

Examine old items for signs of damage, which can be a tip-off as to authenticity. "There's honest damage and honest dirt, and if an item has lived for 200 years, it will have scratches. But fakers will overdo it."

Don't put too much trust in makers' marks, because they're commonly found on fakes as well as originals. Miller, a porcelain expert, says she always examines a piece carefully before turning it over to see the mark. And she asks herself: Does it look like the work of a particular manufacturer? Are the color, size and other features appropriate for that manufacturer? If something is off, she knows not to trust the mark.

Know that age doesn't automatically confer value. Know, too, that collectibles can vary greatly in worth even when they're made by the same company. For example, a particular kind of old red glassware is worth a lot, she notes, but the same pattern in blue glass isn't worth nearly as much because there's more of it available.

Get to know antique dealers. "There are some really good dealers out there," she says, and the best ones are willing to share their considerable knowledge.

If you're buying items primarily for investment, buy the best you can afford and make sure the items are genuine and in mint condition, with no repairs or replacements. You can be more lenient if you're buying primarily for enjoyment.

Finally, accept the fact that you may occasionally get taken. "If you buy something for $100 and find out it's worth $50, that other $50 is the price of experience."

And it's not the worst thing that could happen. "The terrible times are when you realize something you missed." Yes, Miller has let really good deals get away, too, recalling two carved Italian figurines she could have bought for about $70. She didn't, and not long after they sold for $40,000.