This is, indeed, a most valid question and one that I come across all the time in my day-to-day. What is more, my clients often field this question for others, when they explain who I am and why I am working on their behalf.

The easiest way for me to describe it is to liken the situation to doing odd jobs at home. Certainly, most people can deal with most things, changing lightbulbs, unblocking drains or other tasks. At some point though, a situation will arise where you need a professional.

I am that professional. In this domestic metaphor, I am the electrician, plumber, plasterer, painter; whatever you need. Likewise, in the classic car world, I lend my professional services in whichever way suits.

While I have a set of skills that can be applied to any situation, there are no two situations the same. Each person’s collecting journey is at a different point in time and has a particular set of details.

I simply help them make sense of that journey and plot the next few moves. I can ensure that all their needs are catered for and that, ultimately, this process runs as smoothly as possible.

Doing It The Hard Way

Lots of collectors I encounter tell me they wish they had met me 10 years ago. I could have stopped them making all kinds of mistakes and saved them a small fortune.

Unfortunately, like many, had I met them 10 years ago, they would have ignored my advice, thinking they know best.

It is an unfortunate side effect of the successful that, albeit occasionally, they are prone to ignoring advice, assuming that they know better. I am no stranger to this, and when I look back on my life, I should have listened to advice here and there, too. That is the beauty of hindsight, is it not?

In the world of collecting, however, the difference between taking advice and not taking it can amount to many, many thousands of dollars. As previously discussed, choosing the wrong option on a restoration or misplacing trust in a dealer or auction house can be disastrous.

To this day, I have old clients who are absolute experts now when it comes to collecting, who still reach out to double-check a decision. Very often for them, they want their suspicions confirmed or an alternate perspective. With a wide network and my expertise being what it is, this is a common occurrence. Fielding these enquiries is part of what makes my work so interesting, and it also provides me some fascinating insights into the market and the moves that are being made across the world.

How Valuable Is Your Time?

For so many high-net-worth individuals, time is one of their most important commodities. Subsequently, they are not prepared to spend hours and hours on the phone or the internet deciphering international transportation laws for classic vehicles. They are also not able to make auctions or visit every lead when searching for the perfect car.

It falls, then, to the expert to cut through the swathes of tasks and ensure that the collection is collected, curated and cared for, so that their time, when it is spent with the collection, is productive and fun.