Rembrandt CSI

This print is hard to find and easy to sell to a smart collector.

Well, I did want to post another round of funny and interesting ESCAPE! videos, but this rather important thing came up, about original 17th century Rembrandt etchings.

Look, Rembrandt etchings are traded like stamps, coins, sports cards and memorabilia — it’s all about Scarcity, Desirability and Condition, the “Big 3” of collectible trading.

I have a number of interested possible buyers for the few Rembrandts I have posted in my tiny collection in my virtual gallery, but it’s tricky — I can’t and won’t sell to an amateur. I’ve had that flavor of sale, and eschew it rabidly.

I don’t actually OWN a bunch of Rembrandt etchings — I don’t have to, because I sell them first, and THEN I FIND and buy them and ship them, see? That way, there’s no money up front, no risk of loss of the originals, and no storage issues or insurance problems, and I can have hundreds of Rembrandts up for sale without owning a single one of them.

The trick is, you have to know that you can get hold of what you sell, and you know who has it and at what price. Continue reading