relichound
Corporal
- Joined
- May 17, 2007
I was a dealer for years at an antique shop where I sold, and displayed Civil War relics, as
well as other old time curiosities. In an old fashioned glass and wood display case I had
items that were once part of my civil war collection including some relics, and period
Civil War photos. I tried to place fair prices on them, and I would negotiate to give them
an even better price if they wanted more than one item.
One month I also had a pretty working coin silver key wind pocket watch for sale. From about 1876.
The items were sold for us by the staff while the dealers like myself were gone which was usually
the case, because I worked in another town full time. One of the clerks showed my watch to
a potential customer one day, but did not know how to show the customer how to wind, or set
the watch, so it did not sell. Soon after I showed the clerk how to operate it, and soon after it sold, and
I thanked the clerk by giving them a small bonus in cash. Otherwise it would not have sold.
Soon after one of my most expensive items also sold one day, sold by another clerk. That clerk did not
use any special knowledge to sell that item, although I was also grateful to them. I did not feel I
had to give them a bonus.
A couple weeks later I came in the shop, and I saw that all my best Civil War items were gone.
That perhaps meant that they sold, and so I checked at the counter. But they had not sold,
they were gone. Stolen. I had a police man come to the shop, and I reported it. My items were
gone, and my display case was broken, and ruined. It went into the trash.
I was later told by a relative who worked there at times, that the manager suspected one employee, of the stealing,
and although evidence was not sufficient to arrest them, the employee was fired by the manager.
Was it partly because I had not handled the matter well? Perhaps so. I never gave a clerk another
bonus after all this happened.
I never saw my relics again that were stolen, and they were not insured.
well as other old time curiosities. In an old fashioned glass and wood display case I had
items that were once part of my civil war collection including some relics, and period
Civil War photos. I tried to place fair prices on them, and I would negotiate to give them
an even better price if they wanted more than one item.
One month I also had a pretty working coin silver key wind pocket watch for sale. From about 1876.
The items were sold for us by the staff while the dealers like myself were gone which was usually
the case, because I worked in another town full time. One of the clerks showed my watch to
a potential customer one day, but did not know how to show the customer how to wind, or set
the watch, so it did not sell. Soon after I showed the clerk how to operate it, and soon after it sold, and
I thanked the clerk by giving them a small bonus in cash. Otherwise it would not have sold.
Soon after one of my most expensive items also sold one day, sold by another clerk. That clerk did not
use any special knowledge to sell that item, although I was also grateful to them. I did not feel I
had to give them a bonus.
A couple weeks later I came in the shop, and I saw that all my best Civil War items were gone.
That perhaps meant that they sold, and so I checked at the counter. But they had not sold,
they were gone. Stolen. I had a police man come to the shop, and I reported it. My items were
gone, and my display case was broken, and ruined. It went into the trash.
I was later told by a relative who worked there at times, that the manager suspected one employee, of the stealing,
and although evidence was not sufficient to arrest them, the employee was fired by the manager.
Was it partly because I had not handled the matter well? Perhaps so. I never gave a clerk another
bonus after all this happened.
I never saw my relics again that were stolen, and they were not insured.