Episode 15: Duane Scott Cerny - Selling Dead People's Things

Liss’N Kristi

Join Liss and Kristi with guest Duane Scott Cerny, the Chicago-based antique dealer, author, and storyteller who tells tales from the eclectic roadshow of his life. Duane shares the hilarious chapters from his books "Selling Dead People's Things" and "Vintage Confidential". His anecdotes include his early days selling Playboy magazines from his school locker, to the quirks of his (partly) adult store business.

Duane tells of finding vintage treasures, and how he wooed the rival dealers in Chicago with gifts of wine.

He shares his insights into mid-century architecture and collectibles, and we hear about Kristi's love for a John Lautner house she renovated in Oklahoma City.

We chat about the shifting landscape of collectibles, influenced by platforms like eBay and TV shows such as Antique Roadshow, and reflect on how changing times have reshaped the appreciation for vintage finds, and led to a resurgence of mid-century design.

(00:00) - Start

(00:24) - Introducing Duane

(01:21) - Writing, Gretchen and John Cryer (Two and a Half Men)

(04:35) - "You can't write fiction"

(05:29) - The New York Times "friggin' published it"

(06:59) - Nobody writes about antiques

(11:11) - "You're buying somebody's story"

(12:50) - Antiques are good for recycling

(13:53) - Where Duane gets his pieces

(14:46) - Kristi and the house in Oklahoma City

(16:43) - "It spoke to me"

(21:00) - "What a time-capsule treasure-trove"

(22:58) - Selling Playboy out of a school locker

(25:28) - Adult vintage merchandise

(26:24) - The "gay" case and the "heterosexual" case

(26:50) - The women who collected erotic playing cards

(28:32) - "What this woman could do with a cigarette"

(29:25) - Describing the market in Chicago, and how they survived during COVID

(33:38) - The "Picasso" on grandma's garage

(34:20) - The bottom drawer filled with jewelry

(35:47) - The $45,000 pair of chairs

(38:38) - The benefits of vintage fashion-buying

(41:05) - EBAY and the Antique Roadshow

(46:01) - Covington, Georgia - the movie capital of the south

(50:20) - Too good to let go

(54:05) - How to find Duane

https://sellingdeadpeoplesthings.com/

https://vintageconfidential.com/

https://bamchicago.com (the antiques market)