I check the internet a bit, as well as local flea markets, and antique shops.......but I have better luck trading with antique dealers as well as other collectors. By networking and finding pieces that others can use, you can (through a series a trades) eventually end up with the piece or pieces you wanted, but can't afford to buy outright. I did it years ago when I collected old toys and comics, and have found that the logic still applies to ethnographic artifacts and weapons.
I've also found that at times a dealer is the best person to go for information (this does not apply to all dealers by any means), for the simple fact that they are are always hunting for as well as selling certain objects. A lot of specialized dealers also get the chance to see private collections when delivering items to customers or to buy from collectors that are downsizing. As a collector/dealer I must admit that there are a lot of "Snake Oil Salesmen" posing as specialist dealers, so take things that they say with a grain of salt.....and do your own research.
|