About

For over 22 Years J.W. Holcomb has fine tuned the art of locating, buying, selling, and brokering vintage and antique items. The ability to spot rare items in a pile of debris and hoard of junk is sometimes luck and usually a skill honed over years of buying and selling. Every time you find a new item that is of interest, you research it and learn about it. This process builds valuable knowledge that you can apply to future endeavors.

 

Sharing knowledge is part of the process when selling and buying vintage/antique items. It is hard to admit but sometimes you do not want to share everything you know because then you yourself would not be useful in the process. JW shares most if not all of everything he knows when buying or selling, being transparent in the process is important in building trust.

 

Knowing is half the battle. Finding vintage items that are worthy to mention is getting harder and harder with the use of mobile internet devices and technology. Anyone can know almost anything in a matter of seconds by looking items up online. This is what JW calls “digital era pickers” which he is part of, but many “new era pickers” use the technology and information inaccurately and overspend on items and get fooled by variants, reproductions, fakes, and condition issues. It takes a highly trained eye that is well versed in many facets of vintage verticals in order to really succeed as an antique or vintage items broker.

 

A lot of people hit yard sales, antique shops, and online sales forums to buy and resell. This is easy and less profitable. JW says thinking outside of the box is what has led him to some of the most lucrative and exciting finds.

 

 

An important fact to remember is NO ONE no matter how long they have been at this game knows everything! J.W. says he learns new things everyday and has walked over many rare items do to lack of knowledge in the particular item’s value and history. You always have to be open to learning new things and ready to listen to others that are willing to share information with you.

 

It is also important to understand Value Vs. Fair Market Price and Local Vs. Global Market . Many items may be listed in books and elsewhere as being worth $1000.00 but in reality you will only be able to sell it for $300.00. You will also see items listed on ebay for example that have high prices listed with them, this is not the value. The true value is what someone/people are consistently willing to pay for the item. This is when the experience and real world knowledge comes in to play.

 

J.W. Holcomb is always looking to build new relationships with collectors, sellers, and buyers. Get in touch and let’s talk. J.W. can help you find/locate rare items and/or help you sell your collections and items.