In 2019 I visited Germany, I was awestruck by the clocks, art, and other artifacts surrounding me and I immediately knew I wanted to immerse myself in it even more. When I came home, I started looking into different kinds of clocks and I quickly realized that Americans pay top dollar for cuckoo clocks, chime clocks, and pretty much anything that's run by mechanism rather than electricity. Within the next year I started purchasing Zaanse Clocks, Cuckoo clocks, Grandfather clocks, and mantel clocks. Through self-taught clock maintenance I was able to service them and then sell them at higher rates with a great profit margin. I had become an antique dealer at age 14.
That year, after much research and with the financial support of my parents, I enrolled myself in the Asheford Institute of Antiques (A.I.A.) Appraisal Course. During this time I also expanded to collecting paintings, vases, and other rarities. I started the course, which has an expected 4 year completion period, and before I knew it the extra time i had to study (thanks to COVID) led to me completing the course with an extra USPAP course certification in 8 months. Not many people are able to say that they owned a painting from the 1600's, glass from the byzantine era, or a Victorian mantle clock at age 14. However, school, personal happenings, and the return back to life post-COVID eventually led to me paring down my collection and putting a halt on restoring and selling antiques. The knowledge and title I have earned as a PACC and USPAP certified appraiser has opened many doors and continually allows me to perform accurate assessments on antique pieces. |