In the past few decades, antiques have fallen out of favour with the fashion-forward Lowlanders and every Jan, Henk and Meike is cleaning out their ‘zolder’ and banishing anything Rococo, Baroque or beyond.  As the Dutch lose interest in antiques, prices drop and savvy shoppers benefit

from increased selection and lower prices.  As an antique shopping maven, my mantra is the time is ripe to cash in on the age-old adage, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”   Of course, “trash and treasure” are subjective words.  An 18th Century heavily-carved Dutch walnut armoire might have sold ten years ago for EUR 12,000.

Today you can pick one up at auction for EUR 2,000, although it’s not necessary to spend thousands to cash in on this recession.  I’ve bought 200-year-old copper pots and Art Deco lighting fixtures at Diemen’s De Eland for less than the price of a dinner service at IKEA.   As a non-Dutch speaker, going to an auction seems to be a daunting affair.  But don’t let the words get in the way.  De Zwaan located on Amsterdam’s Keizersgracht #474 is part vaudeville show, part cultural immersion course. Go to viewings and peruse the catalogues in advance.  If serious about buying, ask that your lot be sold in English.  Should your budget be a bit bigger, Sotheby’s and Christies always offer English as an option.  Sotheby’s starting point for purchases is EUR 4,000.

Amsterdam

A perfect place to start your antique shopping tour of The Netherlands is Amsterdam’s Spiegelkwartier, where over 100 of the best mid-to-high-end antique shops have congregated in the shadow of the Rijksmuseum. 

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