In my last column, we were talking about how much damage and wear is really a factor in determining value on an item. It is a hard question for sure, and I have certainly made mistakes back when I was dealing in antiques and purchased something that I thought had minimal repairs but then sat begging for years in the hopes of a customer. Obviously, there is a definite line that is drawn about condition between wear and alterations that are intended to fool someone. Such shenanigans definitely can affect the value of an item since no one wants an antique whose condition has been messed with in order to deceive. In saying this, I recently followed an online exchange about a military uniform. To set the stage, a collector of militaria had recently acquired a uniform of a distinguished veteran who had passed away. The item was purchased directly from the family without any middle man. In uniform collecting, original condition without alteration or undue wear (and that is subjective) is critical. So the collector wrote in the online forum about how a number of the pieces of insignia on the uniform did not appear to belong with it. He had gone online and found the mans military service record and noted that the medals and badges on the tunic did not align with what he found out. That begs the questions: (A) Did the family mess with it to defraud him? (B) Did the original owner do this and why? The conclusion that he came to was that the veteran did it for his own personal reasons that he then took to the grave. Now what does the collector do when he goes to sell the uniform someday? Restore it to being original or keep it as it is, a reflection of perhaps the idiosyncratic perspective of the original owner? As you can see by all of this, it really is a complicated question. I have purchased things that are broken, chipped, cracked and dented and have no regrets. And I have purchased pieces that I now hate because they are in less than perfect condition. It is the mental paranoia that I think all of us have as collectors that leads us to denigrate our own collections at times, especially when we see another collection where things are in better shape, at least to our eyes. So while I will still always look for the best possible condition, I will also keep in mind whether the rarity or desirability of the piece (and these are not always the same thing) makes such concerns less and less important. It is part of the amazing mind game of the antiques and collectibles world. Born to collect should be the motto of Peter Seiberts family. Raised in Central Pennsylvania, Seibert has been collecting and writing about antiques for more than three decades. By day, he is a museum director and has worked in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Virginia and New Mexico. In addition, he advises and consults with auction houses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly about American furniture and decorative arts. Seiberts writings include books on photography, American fraternal societies and paintings. He and his family are restoring a 1905 arts and crafts house filled with years worth of antique treasures found in shops, co-ops and at auctions.