My interest in Asian art , antiques and collectibles began when I was very young.  I learned to treasure books and reference materials on subject of interest very early on.  Although they seemed very expensive at the time, reference works on Asian art paid for themselves many times over. In some cases, almost immediately.  I never sold my books or catalogues, but read them often, with special emphasis on trying to remember the pictures for future use.  On many occasions, I would find something from the book at a yard or church sale within weeks of reading about it   Over time, I realized that the more I knew about a particular type of antique, such as: jade carvings, bronze figures, scroll paintings etc, the more often I would stumble across them in my travels.

When I was young, I tended to search for Asian artifacts that were not currently in favor at the time and thereby less expensive.  As time passed my knowledge improved and the quality of items purchased improved also. 

 I discovered that in my area of the country, there were two types of people: those who loved Asian artifacts and those who either disliked them or couldn't care less about them.  As it turned out, the second type of people became my best sources to buy from. and the first type became my customers for those items I had to sell in order to afford keeping what I wanted for myself.  In time I was able to keep almost everything I wanted,  and the rest were sold off to help pay for them.   I became a collector primarily and a dealer as the need or occasion arose. 

After nearly forty years of collecting, I have been lucky enough to acquire much more than I ever thought possible when I was young.  As I approach retirement age, I realize that my acquisitions far exceed what I want to live with or will be able to pass on to my children.  The balance will go to museums or to other collectors through Ebay (ancient-eyes ) or my website (www.trocadero.com/ancienteyes). 

Asian art and antiquities still offer a world of opportunities for the collector who is willing to do his or her homework to learn the minor differences that distinguish genuine antiques from the glut of reproductions that exist in the market today.  The time is fast approaching when a newly rich middle class in China wants to reclaim some of their own heritage as other countries before them have done.

The same concepts apply to the art market also. Collecting paintings is very rewarding, but only if you study a bit first.  The world is filled with average or mediocre copies of fine paintings. Unfortunately, so are too many collections.  Research and learn first . Buy second. That way you will seldom be disappointed with your acquisitions. 

Despite what I may have thought when I was much younger, you don't have to buy everything you see.  The world is still filled with wonderful (and available) things.  Good hunting!!

William Brooks  (ancient-eyes)  ( www.trocadero.com/ancienteyes)