Home » Home & Style » Antiques & Collectibles » Harry Rinker, the Collectors' Guru: Part II

Harry Rinker, the Collectors' Guru: Part II

© Barbara Nicholson Bell

Talking with Harry Rinker is like talking to an old friend, rather curmudgeonly in his opinions but honest and straightforward in his values. Harry does not suffer fools gladly, either. I found it difficult to stick to my pre-scripted questions because each of Harry's answers led to several other lines of thought.

In order to keep the interview to a reasonable length, however, I forced myself to stick to the questions at hand. That, of course, didn't mean that Harry had brief answers!

There is a huge business in reproductions, both legal and illegal. Martha Stewart's productions of such things as Jadeite, stoneware, and Victoria Magazine's repros of chintz china come to mind. How do you feel these affect the antiques business?

Harry's not particularly concerned about such reproductions, because so many people buy them for "the look" in decorating their homes. The problems arise when dealers and others try to pass reproductions as genuine originals. It's too easy to remove labels to deceive the buyer. (Even Nippon went through this in the early 20th century.) Dealers have to know their business: "ignorance is no excuse". He doesn't agree with the dictum "Caveat Emptor" (buyer beware) because it is the dealer's job to know what he is selling and to convey it truthfully to the buyer.

The 1973 Hobby Act (which applies only to coins and stamps) won't get expanded to include other collectibles, because the gift shop industry will fight it. Selling import reproductions is too big a business. Harry can't fight it alone - he'd rather educate the individual.

You have written that the antiques industry does not have a cohesive lobby to fight for fair legislation or to combat the poor image of itself in the media. Why do you think antiques dealers associations and collectors' clubs don't organize to present a united front? How would you advise these groups to improve their political clout?

According to Harry, if you put 5 dealers in a room together they won't be able to agree on anything. Part of the problem is that most dealers are part-timers who don't consider antiques dealing a "profession". The typical antiques dealer came into the business from other careers (often after retiring) because he collected something passionately and believes he is now an expert. He did not come from a retail background and has little business experience as a retailer. Because each is a rugged individualist they are jealous of their "territory", but they have much more in common than they think! If they organized as professional associations as in other industries, it would raise the respectability of the business, and provide more influence over legislation and business ethics and standards.