posted 06-28-2005 02:06 PM            

Basically I am hoping a few people could chime in on their experiences with who buys antiques, collectibles, silver, china, etc from them with rough guesses on demographic categories such as:

Male/Female %age split

Age range estimates (under 30=X%, 30-40=Y%, 40-50=Z%, and so on)

Common interests other than antiques (If hobbies suggested could be framed in a *more or less likely than the avg person* way that would be very helpful, for example, since collectors obviously enjoy artistic objects are they also *more likely* to enjoy the theatre or (other event/hobby) because it is also artistic?)

Etc.

Basically anything you could use to describe collectors would be greatly appreciated. I understand that it's dangerous to just lump a group of people together because collectors are definitely a diverse group. But for example, one of the things I would hypothesize is that people under 30 are not heavy collectors of silver as a whole. If that were true, you could say that silver collectors are older than the U.S. population on the whole, because the US population includes lots of people who are under 30. This doesn't mean all silver collectors are old or even over 30, just that they're *more likely* to be over 30 than a random US citizen.

Thank you very much for you help.

posted 06-28-2005 02:18 PM            

quote:

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I am a student doing some research on the antique community and I am having trouble finding out who exactly buys antiques, silver, collectibles, china, etc.

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posted 06-28-2005 02:53 PM            

why antique community? Because my internship is in a non-profit antique (sells lots of silver too) shop that gives all of its profit to help kids and I think more people need to know about the store so that more kids can be helped.

Intended purpose: I want to know what kind of people to tell about the shop.

posted 06-28-2005 03:48 PM            

I am a history prof who has seen lots of students do research on almost everything, so your topic does not surprise me. Since many people try to take advantage of the forum to get information on pieces that they then sell, the fourm moderators always ask the intent of questions by new members. Don't take it personally. If you simply, go through some of the posts, you can get a good sample of gender, although many screen names are ungendered (assume those of us with the least patiance are male), and even a bit of background. Others may share more about their backgrounds and interest.

I travel a lot, collect spoons pureley for fun, and enjoy deciphering hallmarks for the same reason I like the NY Times Crossword.

Good luck with your project,
Tom

posted 06-28-2005 03:56 PM            

I don't have the resources at my disposal to do any kind of serious research, so asking people "in the field" for qualitative opinions/estimates is about the best I can hope for.

posted 06-28-2005 05:40 PM            

I will consider doing this but I want to think about it.

I am sure I will not permit a posted survey with public replies. I also think you will get better replies if it is more private. Any info collected will have to be by us so we can ensure no personally identifiable member info is provided to you.

Submit the survey via email to me for review and then I will decide how we get this done (if at all).

Other members how do you feel about this?

posted 06-28-2005 06:21 PM            

I think a strictly anonymous survey would be as enlightening to Silver Salon as to anybody. I'd be curious to know how SSF members count in terms of various demographic factors. A survey supervised by SSF administrators for anonymity and content could be very educating, perhaps even fun, for all of us. It's worth consideration.

posted 06-28-2005 07:53 PM            

quote:

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In response to your question about how members feel about the survey described in the thread from FirstTimeResponder, I would like to offer my two cents. I don't believe that the forums are a place to conduct market research, no matter how noble the cause (which by the way, is still quite vague). The shop the new member writes about sells silver among other things. Such a survey conducted among "silverphiles" (is that the right word?) will not provide any credible data. If the antique shop is a not for profit to benefit kids, that in itself should provide the basis for drawing customers. Attempting to attract folks interested in silver as a result of a survey when the shop sells other collectibles such as ceramics and antiques seems too narrow in scope to be useful.

The brilliance of the forums is the exchange of information. It is my hope that you will deny the request.

Thank you for your consideration.

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posted 06-28-2005 08:57 PM            

No, the methodololgy here isn't perfect, but with undergraduate projects it rarely is. The best way to learn is by doing.

So if this student takes the initiative to create a survey, I think we should post it. Anybody who doesn't want to participate, doesn't have to.

posted 06-28-2005 11:45 PM            

For what it is worth, my observation would be that silver collectors are a group distinct from silver buyers. Most silver buyers, in my humble experience, are people filling out sets, getting little rite of passage gifts or looking for the unusual. This last group, which always seems like a large one, buy silver as a side effect. Their main passion is cooking and serving food. To do so to maximum effect, they look for the perfect silver item to do so. Many times, I have dealt with people who came into my booth not with a list but a recipe. And tried to find the exact right server for that. This was always a really fun group of people.

Among collectors, I can see many distinctions. There are those who collect within certain patterns. Or makers. Or eras. Or styles. One lovely lady I knew collected silver with bugs on it. Or places. Souvenir spoon collectors frequently seek spoons from very specific places, frequently really off the beaten track towns. Someone I knew collected spoons with churches of a particular denomination: he told me that some of his spoons were the only record of such congregations.

Particular companies can attract interest. The Aurora sp co. had several enthusiastic collectors who all lived around Aurora IL.

Demographics? Well, most silver buyers and collectors do not live like barbarians: they actually sit at a table and eat. Not part of the fast food generation.

My other impression is that a majority of serious silver collectors are male. And a sizable proportion of them are gay, far more than in the general population. At a show, serious buyers of most anything come alone. They are on a hunt, not amusing themselves.

Otherwise, the distinguishing characteristic of silver collectors, IMHO, is that they are a remarkably erudite group. Highly literate and educated.

posted 06-29-2005 06:22 AM            

UVA student, studying business (marketing)

internship in a "non-profit" (sic) antique shop that gives all of its profit "to help kids" (sic)

With big pathetic tears in my eyes I would answer: "No, thank you very much".

Sazikov 2000

posted 06-29-2005 06:28 AM            

Is the bachelor, living alone in his apartment who uses his collecting to make social contacts?

Is it the socialite who enjoys the patronage of being seen to spend big bucks and who may seek immortality by giving her collection to some museum?

Is it the intellectual who likes solving the puzzles and always learning?

Is it the boy/girl who just likes pretty things and then discovers that they have stories attached?

Is it the obsessive who MUST have one of each of whatever it is that they collect?

Is it the investor who wants somewhere to put some loose cash in the hope that it will increase in value over the years?

Is it the professional, interested in the older tools of their trade?

Is it the gourmand who just must eat the right dish with the right implements?

Is it the show-off?

I could go on...

You are the student - it is your turn now!

P/s lucky you to be at UVA (University of Virginia)!!

posted 06-29-2005 10:22 AM            

For those of you who still doubt my student or non-profit status, I invite you to check out the website:[note: site not there]

If nothing else, you will learn about a small, but cool organization that helps 7000 children a year in the DC area.

UVA stands for University of Virginia. Wahoowa. Sorry for assuming. And I am thrilled to be at UVA, because I spent my freshman year at Rice U. and didn't have any fun there. This fall will be my last one on the Grounds. *sniffle*

To the anonymous emailer, I would agree that the brilliance of the forums IS exchanging information. Information (and a little of your time) is exactly what I am asking for. But I would strongly disagree that fact that the shop helps children is enough to attract shoppers. The general public doesn't want to come in and buy a $4,500 sterling Tiffany tureen (or even a $3.00 spoon for that matter). Therefore I think it makes all the sense in the world to tell specific groups of people about the shop. Silver collectors are of course only one of several groups that might be interested in shopping with us, but perhaps there are common interests across all the groups that can be taken advantage of to tell more people more efficiently. I will never know without asking. Additionally, resources at a non-profit are always scarce so efficiency is a must. Resources are another reason I am at the forums and not conducting primary research.

In response to ahwt: I agree that such a questionnaire will take some work to write, but I would like to point out that "what the responder thinks is important to him or her" is exactly what I would like to know. That is why I usually conduct interviews prior to writing surveys. And you could almost call this thread an open e-interview.

Thank you again for the replies. I will wait for a few more before I start to work on a survey, both because I would like to discuss format with Scott via email and because I hope more people will make suggestions for questions that might be common interests or demographic characteristics of silver buyers. (Thank you tmockbait, Dale, SilverLyon, and akgdc for the suggestions and thank you IJP and miphi4tbg for support)

posted 06-29-2005 02:33 PM            

And I am also doing the auction thing for them. We just posted our first items last Thursday, but I won't link them here because I don't want to be violating any poster guidelines.

posted 06-29-2005 03:35 PM            

I suspect that it may be useful to distinguish between serious and casual collectors. I consider myself to be in the second category. I pick up spoons mostly at antique shops and open air marts while traveling and occassionally on e-bay. I also collect icons, deocrated eggs, and hand-carved wood boxes and walking sticks (yes, I spend a lot of time in Eastern Europe). I also bring back weaving, yarn, and spinning accoutrements for my wife, who spins, knits, and weaves.

Being an historian attracts me to objects with the fingerprints of the past on them. The Hallmarks are challenging and fun to decipher - very similar to archival research, which I do for a living!

I hope UVA can complete this project and share his reults with us.

Tom

posted 06-29-2005 08:59 PM            

I will chime in! Great posts!

Personally, I think for a person to be a serious collector of antiques or silver they should have experienced a sense of time or are a student of history. This doesn't necessarily mean they are old people, but older people I think appreciate the past and are more inclined to want to preserve it. It reminds them of past grandeur, historical moments, great people, and maybe even family members.Sometimes if one is surrounded by grand old building they may come to wonder about the people who lived in those building and what their lives may have been like.I think once people become older they see history in more of a circle- like, we have more in common with folks who lived 200 or 500 years ago than we may have thought when we were younger.Also, out of this appreciation of the past grows an appreciation for the craftsmen who worked then as well. An appreciation of their work and it's nuances and it's technicalities.

posted 07-01-2005 08:52 AM            

Some of us may be secretive, but not without real world reasons...

posted 07-03-2005 07:01 PM            

As for the nature and reliability of the survey, this bothers me less than most people. Hisotrians are used to making sense of historical records that are fragmentary. We never have the luxury of controlled studies. I was telling my students about this discussion thread, explaining that you can always learn some thing of value from evidence, no matter how distorted or incomplete. Bring on the silver survey!

posted 07-03-2005 08:34 PM            

quote:

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you can always learn some thing of value from evidence, no matter how distorted or incomplete.

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posted 07-05-2005 10:52 AM            

A survey has been submitted to Scott for review, and should he post it you all will undoubtably notice it contains many of the suggestions and ideas noted by those generous enough to post on this thread. This is because, as I mentioned eariler, what is important to the collector is important to me.

Scott if there is anything further I can do please let me know.

Ulysses: Who is the typical museum-goer?

And tmockait, this thread is just evidence of how important cross-disciplinary education is. My professors say this almost daily, so it's still business for me. Wahoowa. (<< UVA cheer for those who aren't from Virginia)

posted 07-08-2005 03:12 PM            

Unfortunately I am forced to withdraw my request to conduct a survey due to a difference of opinion.

I believe that small bites will give one a taste of the meal. It seems to me that others believe you should not order the meal if you cannot finish it.

posted 07-10-2005 12:13 PM            

Cheryl