Danielle Arnet
In her syndicated column, "The Smart Collector," Chicago writer and lifetime collector Danielle Arnet uses reader questions to educate and inform everyone from general interest readers to experienced collectors. "Smart" collectors know the ropes, thanks to her wealth of expertise, essential tools and inside info on how to negotiate through today's changing world of collecting.
Having bought and sold in shops, at auction and on eBay, Arnet knows the ins and outs of collecting from multiple perspectives. Years of collecting and observing, plus contacts with movers and shakers in the world of art and antiques, provide a wealth of sources for her readers. Tech savvy Arnet became "wired" to the exploding popularity of online auctions early on, and she is the only antiques writer to always supply Web and e-mail contacts. Now that 6.5 million new items are listed each day on eBay, online auctions are a valuable tool for collectors. Arnet helps readers find reliable e-sources, and provides tips on how to avoid online scams.
In addition to writing "The Smart Collector," Arnet is a freelance writer and journalist who covers the auction and collecting scene for Maine Antique Digest. She also contributes to several national publications. Her article "Why We Collect," written for Hemispheres (United Airlines), is required course reading at Harvard Law School. Other credits include USA Today (a regular column), USA Weekend, Woman's Day, The Rotarian, Modern Maturity and others. She was a weekly columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times for more than 10 years. She has also served as a regular contributor on Chicago's WBBM-TV and has appeared on WGN Radio in Chicago.
Arnet holds a master's degree and has served as lecturer in the department of comparative literature at Ohio State University. She and her collections reside in a suburb of Chicago.
Danielle Arnet Samples
"Vaseline glass" a Steuben favorite
Q: What is my vase worth?
Glut of copies makes price research vital
Q: Any info on my sculpture, "End of the Trail," by James E. Fraser? A: Our reader adds that the sculpture was bought for $2,000 about 20 years ago. There's a lesson for smart collectors here.
Player association biggest hit with baseball glove collectors
Q: My Spalding baseball glove is from the early 1950s. A: Joseph Edward Cronin was a MLB player and manager who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Washington Senators and, primarily, the Boston Red Sox.
Online price guides focus on higher-end goods
Q: I can't find any prices for my Westwood Ware of California bowl, plate and pair of candleholders. A: I certainly can, but first some history is in order. The genre called California pottery has become a collector specialty.
Let's start the new year with a toast to toasters
Q: This toaster has been in the family for several generations. A: We've said it here before: We do not broker sales. Readers may be surprised to learn that the first electric toaster dates to 1909 and was a General Electric model.
'Mystery' necklace worth shopping around for top return
Q: Today's column involves a mystery. The backs of the photos are handwritten, "Stamped Nezzi squash blossom." A: J Nezzi is the stamp of Jimmy Nezzi, an Arizona Navajo silver artisan who worked, approximately, in the 1970s.
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