02/03/2022
My name is Tyler Karrat, I'm a 28 years old antique dealer based out of Coplay, Pennsylvania. I'm currently selling online through multiple platforms and preparing to launch another shop through Etsy. Over the last few years I realized I had a passion for old, used, and forgotten things of the past and only recently decided to put all I had into making it a full-time career.
The item in this picture is what started the idea of becoming a dealer as a career path. These Italian alabaster grapes were passed down to me from my grandmother. I remember holding them as kid and wondering why my Maw( what we called grandma) would want this in her house. Eventually these ended up in my basement and neglected. Spring cleaning brought them back above ground and led to my first deep dive for information on an antique. I learned their origin, about Alabaster, Italys history with marble, the wood handle is an actual grape vine, lost focus, found out Murano glass is kinda cool, and discovered they were worth upwards of 700 dollars. I'd considered throwing these away on several occasions, a real eye opener which led to even more questions.
This page should have been started a long time ago. I've really struggled to promote on social media because I don't want to come off as someone only here to sell stuff or sound bragadocius to family and friends. What I desperately want is to show the value and history of items most people would discard or never notice. I never imagined myself in a position where the things im willingly learning could benefit people in any way. Here's the thing.. everyone reading this has or will, throw away something of value like I almost did with these stone grapes. I know someone reading this has an item collecting dust in their house which is worth a fortune, they just don't know it yet. One of those antique roadshow moments is inevitable. The more I open my mouth the more I potentially get to help someone buy that plane ticket they've been wanting or atleast rediscover forgotten antiques.
I will be posting things Im selling, sold, and planning to sell but the main goal here is to pass on information to whoever will listen. Also the people, places, and predicaments I experience these days are often stories worth sharing so expect to see some of those too.
Confession- My mom bought the grapes from my Etsy shop which I was wrongly embarrassed about at first. They were the first item I posted and most expensive thing at the time. Now I get it and would have done the same. Funny part is my mom absolutely hates those grapes and will not hesitate to express just how much. 🍇😁
TK
