We all like solving puzzles because of the intrigue, drama, journey of discovery and sense of achievement. Perhaps that’s why so many cop series and whodunnits make it onto the small screen.
Perhaps, too, that’s why the treasure hunt nature of so many antiques programmes has thrived over the years.
If you think about it, collectors, dealers and auction house specialists are all detectives in their own way, seeking out the history and associations of objects, looking for clues as to who made them and how, and also identifying characteristics and qualities that affect value.
Sometimes it can be the apparently most insignificant piece of information that unlocks the secret.
I can remember being asked to identify the exact location of the view on a vintage postcard. The owner, who was selling an album of these views at auction, knew the area well but simply could not recognise the view depicted, which did not appear to go with the caption.
I studied it for about five minutes. In the foreground of the view was a river. Then I noticed that rowing boats tethered to the far bank were all drifting in the same direction, which, of course, would mean downstream. That was the key. Knowing the area myself and which way the river flowed, I realised that the photograph had been taken from the opposite bank and that the location being described in the caption was actually behind the photographer and across from the view in the photograph.
It might not have been the discovery of the century, or resulted in a fortune being made, but the sense of excitement and satisfaction at solving the riddle was just as palpable.
This is the sort of careful approach we need to take when making valuations on behalf of clients or drawing up catalogue descriptions.
