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The most expensive item in the Pskov antique dealer's collection is a restored gold Swiss watch. It was made 100 years ago, but its mechanism is in perfect condition. The item's value is increased by an individual number on the case. In the shop, such a watch sells for almost 200,000 rubles.
The most expensive item in the Pskov antique dealer's collection is a restored gold Swiss watch. It was made 100 years ago, but its mechanism is in perfect condition. The item's value is increased by an individual number on the case. In the shop, such a watch sells for almost 200,000 rubles.
Today, pocket watches can be carried in the special small pocket of jeans, which was originally intended for this purpose.
Among other valuable exhibits are gramophones. One of them costs 40,000 rubles, but authentic and well-preserved examples can be valued at over 100,000.
Most of the collection is intended for preservation, not for direct use. For example, a small bottle of vintage Moldovan dessert wine 'Trifeshty' from the 1957 harvest is hardly suitable for drinking. Over almost 70 years of storage, part of the beverage has evaporated through the wax seal. Together with the original bottle and label, it is valued at 5,000 rubles.
However, there are exceptions. A 1963 Riga Balsam, when opened, tasted similar to aged cognac.
The collection of rare alcohol was acquired from a high-ranking, non-drinking owner. Most of it was given away as gifts, and sometimes the drinks were tasted with those who received them.
Various channels are used to expand the collection. The search for antiques is a continuous process that requires attention to different sources.
Items bought through advertisements often need restoration. The condition directly affects the final price, and the cost of restoration can be several times higher than the purchase price.
An example of a unique find is a service cap of the Irkutsk Regiment, which is about 110 years old. This regiment was stationed at the Irkutsk barracks in Pskov.
All sorts of people come to the antique shop. Visitors to the city buy unusual souvenirs, such as tall-stemmed liqueur glasses, which can be seen in the illustrations of the legendary 1952 'Book of Tasty and Healthy Food.' A customer from the Moscow region noted that such glasses were a rarity in the Soviet era.
Another visitor from St. Petersburg bought a cart wheel from a Pskov village to use as a decorative element in his home.
Other collectors also stop by to add to their collections. There are some very unusual areas of collecting; for example, some people collect 'khabariki' — the stubs of pre-revolutionary cigarettes. Curious people also come in just to feel nostalgic upon seeing items from their childhood, which sometimes leads to an impulse buy.
The passion for antiques began about 15 years ago with an impulse purchase of a spinning wheel to decorate the kitchen. This was followed by collecting other items: first samovars, of which 250 were collected, and later, the rarer gramophones, of which 15 were found and restored.
For over 10 years, this passion has been a professional activity. At work, surrounded by old things, the shop owner feels comfortable, 'like a fish in water.' He enjoys sorting, restoring, and patching up items, and wishes he had more time for it.
The antique dealer's collection has items for every taste, from a nail to an icon, with about 100,000 items in total. Sometimes, unique things are found at scrap metal and paper collection points.
Unfortunately, many people don't value old things and destroy them. An old sideboard might simply be chopped up for firewood, and solid wood furniture is replaced with items made of particleboard. Such cases cause heartache, because this is our history.
People should think twice before throwing away or scrapping old samovars and other items. If there is no history, there will be no future.
