"I love the appreciation of history and the past," she says.
"From an environmental point of view, I love the way people shop around and re-use whatever they can to recreate the Art Deco look. People take a new look at old things."
Sunday's Gatsby Picnic is especially appealing.
"What I enjoy is looking at how much attention people have paid to details — I love it," she says. "The point of all that is to get hold of, if you can, a traditional wicker picnic basket, a gingham tablecloth, a nice teapot. Or even a retro flask."
The Antique and Collectibles Fair, in Asher Hall from tomorrow through Sunday, has always been one of Jan's favourite destinations.
"It's amazing," she says. "When people walk in, it's the wow effect of so much stuff. So many eras that have been brought together.
"People now come to the Art Deco Festival with an expectation to find out what it's about. When it comes to antiques and collectibles, if you really want to take it one step further, the fair is where you can do it."
Jan won't be perusing the displays this year, however. Instead of seeking out a hidden treasure she, instead, will be instructing other people on how to become a collector.
She recently published her first book and will be selling it at the fair.
From an environmental point of view, I love the way people shop around and re-use whatever they can to recreate the Art Deco look. People take a new look at old things.
Antiques and Collectibles: Who Collects What, When and How? links Jan's passion for history with that of collecting.
"There are a lot of reasons why things end up for sale, which is why I started writing the book, because I got really interested in that."
The book is divided into three parts. Who Collects What defines what Jan sees as the four types of collectors — historical, sentimental, financial and eclectic.
When is a brief history of collectibles, while How offers up a few tips of the trade to enable a collector to navigate what can be a complex market.
"This book will interest anyone who enjoys collecting from the past and saving for the future," she says.
Using her book's criteria, Jan describes herself as a historical eclectic collector.
"The things that I collect have a really wide range," she says. "I like English china — especially Royal Crown Derby. I like a lot of the retro stuff from the 50s, mainly because I grew up with it."
Asked if there is an elusive Holy Grail of collectibles that has proven elusive, Jan says it changes all the time.
"When my husband and I came to New Zealand from the UK in 2000, what I loved was the turn-of-the-century villas," she says. "I suppose my Holy Grail would be to have a villa like that and have it truly devoted to the turn-of-the-century — a live-in museum."
Antiques and Collectibles: Who Collects What, When and How? is also available from the Art Deco Trust, Maidens & Foster Auctioneers, Beattie & Forbes Books & Post in Ahuriri, Paper Plus in Taradale and Wardini Books Napier.
Info: jandaffern.co.nz or Jan Daffern Author on Facebook.
