Love of the hunt | Retired farmers’ passion for collecting is motivated by more than money
RADISSON, Sask. — Joyce and Wally Schultz sit at a quarter cut oak table, surrounded by glass cabinets bursting with patterned ceramic biscuit jars, delicate china tea cups and a wall adorned with seafood plates.
“You have to be a bit of a hoarder,” Joyce said about antique collectors. “I have trouble throwing anything away.”
The retired Saskatchewan farmers house the bulk of their extensive collection in what was once the attached two-car garage in their Radisson bungalow.
The Schultzes have travelled widely to auctions and shows in their Suburban in search of precious finds, often with friends who share their hobby.
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“Half the fun of collecting is the hunt,” said Joyce.
Signs on the highway draw people into the three antique businesses in Radisson, of which the Schultzes are one. Each collector in town offers different items, and all direct customers to the others in search of that rare find.
Wally said the goal of the hunt is to find a good piece at a fair price.
“If you can re-sell it, all right, and if you can’t, just leave it there,” said Wally.
“You see priced stuff in antique stores so high that no one buys it.”
Joyce’s standard line when dickering is, “is this your best price?”
Wally said it’s more hobby than business.
“You’d starve to death if you depended on that.”
Joyce agreed they’re not in it to make big money.
“You’d have to be a good salesman to make money at it,” she said.
“It’s entertainment for us, really. If we don’t break even, well so what.”
The pair’s interest in antiques stems from their years growing up with items such as coal oil lamps, Wally’s favourites, along with his Model A and T Fords and 1959 Dodge.
Joyce admitted to sentimental attachments to some pieces, handed down by relatives.
“I hate to see other family’s stuff just get sold and lost in the shuffle,” said Joyce.
“What makes most antiques’ value is people wanting it and the rarity of it.”
Joyce, who once made and sold crafts, is unsure how much time they now devote to the collection.
“As much time as you spend at a very interesting hobby,” she said.
The couple has seen prices wax and wane over the years, noting coal oil lamps that were once priced around $1,000 have dropped by half. A 1942 Eaton’s catalogue can sell for more than $100, while a china hot chocolate set is priced at $1,500.
Collectors are looking for odd and unusual pieces such as old metal implement seats and garage signs. Tin toys are currently a hot market, with a Tonka truck in good condition selling for $100.
Buyers have to stay alert for copies, noting how manufacturer’s marks are normally etched into the underside before they are glazed rather than not afterward.
“You have to know which is which,” said Wally.
Now in their 70s, the pair say their antiquing days are numbered.
“In five years, we’ll pack it all up and sell it,” said Wally.
