As collectors, we have all been in a situation where we opted not to purchase an item, for whatever reason, and in hindsight we realize we should have made the purchase because it still lives in our memory and haunts us. More likely than not, you can still remember the exact place you were, or the online venue on which you saw it, and the exact details surrounding the piece. Sometimes, we feel we can “circle back” to a piece while at a show or an antique mall or “favorite” something online, and by the time you do make it back the piece has already sold to someone else. When opportunity is aligned with price, that item is not going to last long, so the decision to take advantage of the opportunity in front of you sometimes needs to be made quickly. This is why arming yourself with knowledge of the collecting field and knowing current market conditions are both vital to being able to get comfortable with making the decision to buy in a very short period of time.
We must remember that what we collect is rare and the number of examples produced and still exist today is finite. With that, if you see something you love, and that checks all of the boxes to enter your collection, and price is within your realm, then you probably should make the purchase because when will you have another chance. Possibly, or probably, never is the answer. The immediate sting of a cash outlay is far less than the decades long regret because you chose not to purchase an item that you loved. To help decipher my true love for a piece, I frequently ask myself “will I be upset if this sells to someone else?” If the answer is a firm yes, then I generally will move forward and buy it. If I hesitate a bit, then I know the item is not super high on my priority list and I am okay if it sells to someone else. Being able to distinguish between what truly is a fine collection addition and what is a nice piece but does not necessarily fit within your parameters is vital for a collector to be able to do. When collectors start out, they want everything because it is all new and exciting. Over time, we start to hone our eye and narrow down what truly gives us happiness. This is the natural progression of the collector, and is nothing you can learn overnight. On top of that, your personal tastes may change and evolve over time. Meaning that your love for a certain genre may not be what you love and actively seek out ten years from now. Being able to understand that paradigm shift is also important because you should not be adding to a collection that you are not enamored with just because you have collected it in the past.
I will close with an example of a time that I paused to think about a piece, but then it sold very soon after. The piece in question was a large pitcher-shaped vase designed by Vittorio Zecchin for VSM Cappellin Venini & Company. It was light blue with controlled bubbles throughout and in just a wonderful bulbous shape. The price was right, and actually downright cheap for what it was, but at the time it was still a sizeable chunk of money for me. With that, I waited to think and, of course, it sold to someone else. I was devastated and still think about that vase today. Remember, when something is priced right and there is opportunity to buy, it will not go unsold for very long. So, here is to the one that got away.