I promised Jack Wartell (The Antique Trader, owner/appraiser) a scathing review back in February…read more2022, but then life got in the way with deaths and illnesses in the family and other personal matters. So, consider how serious I must be about this review if I never let it drop off of my to-do list! This guy is unethical at the very least, but is also likely breaking the law in how he conducts his business. In case he tries to deny ever doing business with me, I'll just say this: I'm easy enough to find on social media, and I have email proof to back up my story.
In my initial email contact with Jack, I requested an appraisal on an antique table and some jewelry that I inherited when my mother passed away (several generations of family heirlooms). I sent him pictures of everything and he asked to meet me first thing the following morning.
We talked by phone that morning and, when I asked how much the appraisals would be, he said that he was also an antiques dealer and that he wouldn't charge me for the appraisals if I ended up selling to him. It seemed odd that he would ask to meet in a public place where I would only have the jewelry on me--not the table--given the table was the primary thing I contacted him about. When we met, he immediately told me the table would go for about $600 and gave me a couple of businesses to reach out to. He clearly wasn't interested in providing a formal appraisal and did not provide me with any paperwork, which makes sense given that he never saw the table.
In hindsight, it is clear to me that he had no intention of providing appraisals for the jewelry either; he was there to buy from me. He told me that none of the diamonds were large enough to be worth anything on their own--that the pieces would have to be melted down for gold. He offered me $420 total for ~12 pieces (my written notes are a little fuzzy on the exact number, but it was roughly 12). He said he would only be able to make about a $100 profit, so he couldn't go any higher. Yeah...sure...whatever [eye roll]. Regardless, I sold the items to him. I asked for a receipt, but he did not provide one. I can't recall the exact reason he gave me...he was in a rush to get to another appointment and didn't have time to write it up? He didn't have the receipt book with him?
At any rate, a week goes by and I am literally losing sleep over having sold my family heirlooms. I emailed him and asked if I could purchase the items back, offering to pay him MORE than the profit he said he would make. He responded, "OMG, Breanna, simply not possible. We talked about this at length when we met." No, we absolutely did not. We never spoke about anything close to, "Are you sure you want to do this? You can't get it back if you do." To the contrary, he said on multiple occasions, "It's just stuff--it's not your mom/grandma." When I asked why it wasn't possible, he responded, "The fact is, it's been sold." I don't believe that for a minute. If that were true, he would surely have said that in his initial response instead of the cold, uncaring "OMG..." statement.
I know now that it is against the codes of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal (USPAP) to serve as both an antique dealer and an appraiser at the same time. If he wanted to buy from me, he would have to refuse to appraise the items. So, while not technically illegal, it is unethical and subjects him to disciplinary action under the USPAP code. This explains why he did not do formal appraisals. And by refusing to give me documentation of the jewelry sale, he was likely 1) ripping me off because the items were worth more than he said they were, and 2) doing an under-the-table transaction to avoid paying net gain taxes.
At every turn of this transaction I went against my gut, and I know I have no one to blame but myself for that. I take full responsibility for mishandling the situation and allowing him to manipulate me. My only hope now is that this review costs him business, revenue, and reputation.
