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."