Elias didn’t have a lot of money, but he had an eye for things others ignored. While most people spent their Saturdays at the mall, Elias could be found at the crack of dawn, coffee in hand, scouring the "junk" piles of small-town estate sales and rural auctions.

Because he knew what was currently in —like mid-century wristwatches or rare coins—he could spot a "sleeper" (a valuable item mislabeled by the seller) from across the room. 3. Dealing with Integrity

Elias spent his evenings reading The Beginner's Guide to Collecting Antiques and tracking recent sales on sites like Yahoo Shopping . He learned that an item isn't officially an "antique" until it’s .