TCNJ

36 The College of New Jersey Magazine comments about the objects." He adds: "Understanding the material and the intended market is an essential part of this process. I'm learning new things every time I'm up there." Building relationships is also essential. Rago says he spends most of his time "schmoozing." Instead of acquiring his own art and selling it, he acts as a middleman between the consignors (those with collections to sell) and the buyers. That means Rago always has to be aware of coveted objects, who owns them, and whether they are interested in selling. He also has to be aware of trends and know what buyers want. Rago takes a percentage from both after the bidding process ends, so he needs to be trusted from both sides. "It's a small world. Your word is your bond," Rago says. Being such an enthusiastic, trusted art handler is what landed Rago on Antiques Roadshow as a regular expert on pottery and porcelain. "David's connection to the pottery world is so deep," says Sam Farrell, supervising producer of the long-running PBS show. "It's totally apparent when David is excited about something in his area of expertise. He's a passionate observer and player in that world. And he talks fast, but he doesn't miss a beat." He also doesn't leave things unfinished. Rago's continual drive to learn led him to come full circle and back to TCNJ as a 50-something college student in 2009. "I didn't need the degree, but I wanted a sense of completion," he says. "My first class was on pre-Islamic Iranian culture, and I was in a class with a bunch of 20-year-olds. It was fantastic, and I got to really apply myself." For the next few years, he took a class every semester, eventually earning his English degree in 2016. THE ART AUCTION business has shifted a great deal in Rago's 40 years in the industry. "The big change has been the internet," he says. "People aren't coming in person anymore." Inside his Lambertville building, Rago points to the empty podium and to a few assembled chairs, where people once crowded into the auction space. "This room, at one point, would be standing room only," he says. "Before COVID, when we had jewelry sales, there would be 100-plus people in the room. Now, if there's 10 people in the room, five of them are consignors who want to see how their stuff does." Tastes, and what collectors want, are always changing, too. Rago's beloved pottery has been waning in popularity over the past several years. "People don't want to collect what their parents collected," he says. But lack of interest is only part of the Pop-culture items such as Pokémon cards (THIS PAGE) and movie posters (FACING PAGE) have become a big part of Rago's business in recent years.

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