Daryl Traylor

Finding the right item to put up for auction could either take sifting through hundreds of “duds”, or the item could possess yellow glowing-like eyes and stare you down until you come face to face with it and decide to purchase it. This game of cat and mouse is what Daryl Traylor was, arguably, born to do.

“I began my art and antique journey as a child,” says Daryl," the product of a grandmother who took me to countless estate and farm auctions. Back in the 1970s, there were still multi-generational homesteads with endless treasures, and I can remember the day-long auctions, tents pitched in the side yards of homesteads and barns, and the sounds of the auctioneer and crowd. Everything I know about antiques is a product of my grandmother, and our many buying trips together. I cut my collecting teeth on early American painted furniture, Americana and English soft-paste porcelain. Styles and tastes have changed over the decades, but the quality pieces are consistently in demand."

With the wisdom gained from his grandmother, Daryl used those skills he had learned and applied them to the EBTH platform as a seller.

“When my partner and I decided to downsize in July of 2018, we chose to go through EBTH. I had heard great things about EBTH and was impressed by their team member, Heather, who visited our home. Nothing could have prepared me for the final amount from our sale. Many of the pieces of art sold in that sale, I had purchased through thrift stores and resale shops for next to nothing. It was EBTH that gave me the idea to start “picking” our local thrift stores. I immediately found several pieces that I thought would be perfect for EBTH and long story short, my picking evolved into a part-time job.

One of my great finds was an Alice Schille watercolor complete with provenance attached to the back. I can still feel the drop in my stomach when I wheeled my cart into the art section at Goodwill and saw it leaning on the wall. Not sure that my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me, I quickly snapped pics of the Schille, in the Goodwill complete with the $4.29 price tag. I couldn’t wait to show EBTH what I had found. The Schille brought just under $4,000!!!! Picking thrifts for EBTH isn’t for everyone. For every piece of fine crystal, sterling silver, signed painting, or fur coat, I have literally looked at THOUSANDS of pieces of junk. It takes patience and perseverance. Most days, I leave with nothing."

“As a reward to myself and the staff of EBTH, I throw a pizza party for every item I find that sells for $1,000 or more. And within the last 15 months, I’m thrilled to report we’ve had four or five pizza parties. I never know what I’ll find. As my mother used to say, “Some times it’s chicken, and some times its feathers”, but it’s ALWAYS fun. The staff at EBTH never know what I’ll be bringing in, so I hope they enjoy the anticipation as much as I do.

My grandmother turned me into an antique collector, EBTH turned it into a fabulous scavenger hunt."