Stop!  Think before you act!  Especially with collectables.  You've heard the word PATINA?  That's the lovely softness of age.  I've had several costly lessons.  Let me tell you of a few.

The hardest was a baseball treasure.  In 1955, I was a polio patient in the University Hospital in Cleveland, OH.  Vic Wertz of the Indians was also a patient in another part of the hospital.  When he left, he gave each of us 20 or so polio ward survivors a basebell signed by himself, Bob Feller, Al Rosen, Bob Lemon, Sal Maglie, Mke Garcia, Early Wynn, just to name a few. 

I was a fan, so this was a prized possession.  To save it forever, as soon as I went home, my husband got me some shellac and a good brush.  Carefully, I laid a coat of shellac over the surface and to my horror, watched as the names just melted into a blur of grey wash!

Lesson #2.  A Scottish friend and golfing mentor gave me a small bronze scottie statue, as I had owned several Scottish Terriers over the years.  It had lost its luster, but was still a beauty.  I decided to sell it as we're downsizing in a grand way.  Let's just shine it up a bit, right?  Well, I scrubbed and buffed for days until the last shred of darkness was gone.  My! How it shone. 

Then I started searching for comparables - and to my horror (again) found one that had just sold on e-Bay for over $1000.  Yes, that's three zeros!  Searching further, I found it was one of only 30 cast by Gorham for the Scottish Terrier Club of America.  It was designed by the famous animal sculptress, M Kirmse.  Two others appeared shortly thereafter and brought their sellers hundreds of dollars.  All descriptions noted the glorious patina of age.  And mine?  It looked naked!  But, it still sits on my shelf, slowly regaining that soft, dark bronze, waiting patiently.

As a TA, I have turned down consignments of silver that have been over-polished.  Silver is a soft metal, and too vigorous polishing can leave scratches all over.  Brillo maybe?  The value is lost immediately.  Leave restoration to the professionals.

There was the case of the broken hand-held Loran.  Rather than try to fix it, I listed it as is, and fielded the questions as they came in.  No, the box is broken.  Yes, the antenna is intact.  Yes, the display screen is OK, etc.  A man in Massachusetts bought it for the antenna.  Then I had a letter from a man in Florida wanting to know if the winner was interested in the whole unit, as I had posted an answer to a question about the antenna on the listing.  About 20 e-mails between the three of us later, the deal was complete to everyone's satisfaction.  I got my money, the first man got the antenna and the second man got the rest.  He needed it.  He had borrowed his neighbors for some early morning fishing.  Halfway down the block, he realized he'd left it on the trailer.  By the time he turned around, someone had already run over it!  But he salvaged enough parts to return it to its owner. 

So, to misquote an old adage:  One man's poison is another man's meat.  Leave vintage and antique alone unless you really know what you are doing.  And who of us does?  Not me.