Here is another example of a person who sees the value of their possessions ( as a form of currency) to be used instead of cash to make a desired acquisition. Justin G Schiller, who collects and sells art and old and rare books, is shopping for a Manhattan apartment. But he has no intention of plunking down a single penny for one.

Rather, Schiller wants to exchange a Maurice Sendak drawing for an apartment for his colleague Oliver Lei Han, a specialist in propaganda art.

In a time when half a million dollars barely buys a studio in New York, Mr. Schiller is hoping to trade a watercolor drawing by his longtime friend Maurice Sendak, perhaps best known for his children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are,” for an apartment.

Mr. Schiller’s approach is unusual, but in a time of continuing high prices, it could become more common. There are a number of enterprising apartment hunters for whom cash is not necessarily king.

Brokers in Manhattan say they are encountering people who will swap a variety of goods and services in their quest to buy or rent, offering up everything from artwork to acupuncture.


The Sendak illustration — of children bedecking one of the artist’s wide-eyed “Wild Things” monsters with tinsel and ornaments as if it were a Christmas tree — appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in 1976.

It was appraised by Christie’s in 1998 for about $350,000, said Mr. Schiller, who specializes in collectible children’s books. He estimates its current value at $650,000, though, of course, the value of art is always somewhat subjective.

“There’s no reason,” Schiller contends, “why art can’t be a money.”


For the most comprehensive coverage on direct trading see the BarterNews FastStart Program. Go to “Top Resources” …see right-hand column.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 at 7:14 pm and is filed under Marketing, Purchasing & Financing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.