"The Hardest I Ever Worked To Lose $500" Nevin and Neal were motoring down US Highway 29 from Flomaton to Pensacola. The first color catalog was in process at the print shop and they were on their way to see the proofs. Nevin Heller has been with the Auction since his parents started it, and is now the owner. Neal Collier is the catalog photographer and a newcomer to the world of fine antiques. Along the way, the discussions turned to whether an antique should be refinished, restored or just left alone. Nevin cited several examples of things that would bring higher prices at the sale, if restored, but warned against merely refinishing. "Did I ever tell you about the hardest I ever worked to lose $500?" Nevin asked. "No, I can't say I recall that you did," Neal replied. "Well, one time, a long time ago, a fellow from Jay (a nearby community) called the Auction and wanted to know if I wanted to buy an old guitar he had. He said it was a Martin. Did you ever hear of Martin guitars? Nevin inquired. "Yes," Neal replied. "They're good instruments. I have a Martin Backpacker ukelele." "I thought they were supposed to be pretty good, too," Nevin continued. "The man brought the guitar by so I could look at it. It seemed to be in real good shape and the price he wanted seemed fair, but I didn't know about guitars, so I told him I'd think about it. A little later, I was in Mobile and stopped by a music store. They had some Martin guitars and I saw they were pretty expensive. I figured I could at least get my money back, so I called the man and bought the old guitar." The story continued, relating to the subject of refinishing. "The finish had fine cracks in the lacquer. There was no major damage... just those fine cracks all over. I decided I would refinish it," Nevin declared. Neal winced. He had once destroyed an original Gibson SG while attempting to rework it. Nevin, though, is experienced at refinishing fine woodwork and made a good job of his project. "I took off the old finish and put new lacquer on it. I sanded the layers with fine sand paper. It looked as good as new. After some research, I found a dealer in Nashville who specializes in antique guitars and he indicated he was interested. We agreed to meet in Birmingham." "The day came for us to meet and we found each other. I showed him the guitar and he looked it over. You could tell he knew what he was doing. He offered me $1000, which I happily agreed to. Even with the travel and all the work I did refinishing it, that was a pretty good return on my investment," he allowed. Neal agreed, admiring Nevin's trade and speculating what it would be like to play that old guitar. Nevin continued, "I handed over the guitar and he wrote me a check. I was tickled with myself. The guy then said, 'You know, it's too bad somebody refinished this instrument. I'd have given you $1500 if it had the original finish!' That's when I realized I had worked too hard to lose $500!" And that should be enough to make you think twice about refinishing an antique! |
