How to make a mint at Japan's antique markets

Thu, 04/26/2012 - 02:55 — Anonymous by Lisa JardineIf you've been to an
antiques market in Tokyo or one of the area's many shrine sales in the past
few years, it's likely you've come across Jacqueline Wein -- or Tokyo
Jinja as she's known to her dedicated band of online followers. She often
draws small crowds waiting to see what gem she will pick up and examine.
Selections made, it's not unusual to find her making several trips between
the market and her car, loading up purchases she's made on behalf of her
customers around the globe. Jacqueline Wein runs the numbers at another
sale.Wein's fascination with treasure hunting started at a young age in
flea markets and garage sales in the United States. This fascination led to
Princeton where she studied history and art. From there she went on to deal
in 19th-century silver -- a period directly influenced by the "opening"
of Japan -- and spent several years in the 1990s in Hong Kong studying
Chinese and Japanese antiques. Helping clients integrate the quintessential
piece into their home, regardless of their particular style, is her
specialty. Wein prides herself in finding the one valuable object in a crowd
of junk.read more