Antiques/Art Dealer

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Work Tasks

• Buy, restore, clean, and sell old items, such as furniture, art, and jewelry
• Know the value of objects and which are antique or fakes
• Tell customers about the things they buy
• Report information on sale of illegal or stolen antiques
• May work for large auction houses such as Sotheby's, or for themselves in their own shop
• Work with furniture, art, jewelry, glass, and other collections, materials to clean and restore items, and research books

Salary, Size & Growth

• $49,000 average per year ($23.50 per hour)
• A medium occupation (108,200 workers in 2010)
• Expected to decline (0.2% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: A 2-year degree
• Employers Prefer: A 4-year degree plus graduate-level certification in the arts
• Skills/Courses: College courses include antiques, art, history, art history, small business management, restoration, jewelry-making, fine arts, decorative arts, methodology, and connoisseurship.
• Certification/Licensing: A business license is usually required.