If you are of a generation, the headline phrase will have meaning to you. It is from the movie Stripes and comes from a scene when an over-the-top Army recruit goes on a diatribe about his fellow soldiers. The recruit is nicknamed Psycho, but his real name is Francis. The sergeant, in the midst of the rant, leans over and says, Lighten up Francis. The other week I was chatting with a colleague about the antiques trade. We talked about the good people we knew in it, and we also talked about the folks whowellneeded to be pulled aside and told to lighten up, Francis. The antiques world is built on a lot of subjective opinions. We like to think its objective and that provenance and research are the best tools to buying well. But the reality is that it comes down, very often, to personal taste. And therein rests where feathers can get ruffled. An example of this is the unwritten rule that during a show setup, dealers do not go into unattended booths and start rifling through things. The story that was related to me was that at an antiques show some years ago when the floor was being emptied out of people as part of the closing security sweep, a dealer was found in another dealers unattended booth going through everything. Not cool, and frankly an approach pretty much guaranteed to create a confrontation. Being open and direct about it all would have been the better approach, but sneaky in a dumb waywell, Lighten up, Francis. Another example was the story of a dealer who got so upset at a client that a fist fight broke out. Now, of course, the adage that the customer is always right is not always right, but in this case its hard to imagine what could have been said that resulted in an open brawl on the floor of an antiques show. Lighten up, Francis A third story to illustrate my tale is about a couple that I knew who were meticulous decorators in their own right but then they would come together to set up their booth at shows, with limited time, while every dealer is hyper focused on getting boxes emptied and things set up. The couple in question could never agree on anything, and they would get into verbal arguments during every setup. The result was that the promoter ended up allowing them to come in a day early just so the fights would be resolved before anyone else had to hear them. Lighten up, Francis. Most of us are passionate about antiques and collecting. For those involved in the trade as a full-time profession, it can become a life consuming-endeavor. Forever packing and strapping things into boxes and cars. Forever gambling that you know your market better than anyone else does and thus can make money. It is an incredible life and one that I have seen take a toll on many a marriage. In the midst of it all, though, its important to remember to have fun. And maybe when others are not, think, Lighten up Francis. 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.