Nothing timeworn about profits from antiques

Nothing timeworn about profits from antiques

By Agus Maryono

CILACAP, Central Java (JP): With great care, Yuni arranged a
box-shaped object decorated in shiny dark brown hues. The antique
teak strongbox was ready for sale.

The 24-year-old resident of the Pertamina housing complex in
Cilacap has worked with her mother for the past three years to
sell antique household wares and furniture.

"Apart from making a profit, in this business we also gain an
appreciation of the artwork produced by people in the past," Yuni
told The Jakarta Post during a recent sales exposition in
Cilacap.

Yuni acknowledged the antique business provided handsome
profits which were often three times her purchase price -- and
could be larger if the prospective buyer was ignorant about the
value of antiques.

Among the antique household items she sells are tables and
chairs, Risband (long chairs), dressing tables, dining tables,
strongboxes, mirrors and accessories, beds, side cupboards,
cabinets and kitchen utensils such as plates and glasses.

She said it took work to find the items because, "I have to do
my utmost to get hold of the goods, hunting to the remote corners
of villages".

Yuni said she was able to purchase the items at relatively
cheap prices. Payments vary according to the size of the objects,
their condition and, most importantly, their owner.

"If the owner is a villager, they usually don't understand art
or the value of antiques, and it's not too difficult to settle on
payment."

She said she usually paid from Rp 200,000 to Rp 300,000 for
each antique, which she subsequently sold for between Rp 1
million and Rp 4 million. A marble table with two chairs sells
for Rp 1.5 million; a dressing table with marble accessories
sells for Rp 1 million.

Yuni was reluctant to reveal how much she paid for the marble
table, only willing to admit that "my mother and I usually pay Rp
200,000".

She said many orders were from outside the area, including
Jakarta. "If the item has to be sent over a long distance, then
of course that entails an additional fee, unless it is picked
up."

The business began from her family's own love of antiques.

"At the beginning, we bought them for our personal needs, but
a lot of our neighbors asked about them and wanted to have them.
We eventually started looking for them and then it became a
business."

She said using antiques filled a spiritual need, in addition
to showing appreciation for works of the past. Yuni noted that
teak antiques were strong and durable but "at the very least they
should be made from jackfruit trees".

Perhaps the most important aspect of a successful antique
business is the desire to search for them in remote villages. If
the antiques are in good condition, little work is needed on
them; it is enough to clean, sandpaper and polish them for sale.

"Well, so the antiques look shiny black, we usually polish
them with shoe polish." Damaged goods are repaired before being
polished.

"But if I see that an object is in a really bad state, which
would be impossible to fix, then I buy it at the cheapest
possible price. Usually it's not even used anymore by the owner."

Parts of the heavily damaged antiques are taken to repair
other objects.

"Sometimes we purchase a chair or table which has one leg
missing. We can make that from an antique which cannot be used
anymore which has the same type of wood."

Yuni said the trend to go "back to nature" was a benefit to
her antique business and boded well for the future.

"Most of those who buy these goods are wealthy people with
nice homes. Maybe they are already bored with modern items."

Her good fortune showed during the exhibition. She sold 75
percent of her wares over the five days.

"Yes, I did quite well. It pays, after all, to venture in and
out of the kampongs."