For Seniors : Professor Makes Switch from New Math to Ancient History

He’s an expert in theoretical probability of applications. But if someone told mathematician Sydney Port that he would one day open a gallery filled with Greek and Egyptian antiquities, even by his own calculations the chances would have been small.

Last year, Port was a UCLA mathematics professor and fast approaching his 60th birthday when he was offered a buyout. Three months ago, the Apollo Galleries was born. Now he surrounds himself with arrowheads from the 1st Millennium BC, wearable ancient jewelry, 2nd Century Roman sculptures and 4th Century Greek vases, among other things.

This is no ordinary gallery, though. Port, who has been collecting for 30 years, knows every object intimately and offers a brief history lesson for every potential buyer or even the curious browser.

A man who had devoted his life to mathematics is beginning again. But he’s glad the anxiety of making a living is behind him, because he’s having fun. Free of the publish-or-perish atmosphere of academia, Port enjoys being his own boss and a combination gallery owner, dealer and collector.

Occasionally, he’ll bring a piece such as a bar from the American 1920s Art Deco period or a 16th-Century French chest into the store. For $100,000, you can buy the chest and hear the story behind it.

“It was quite common in that period to carve Bible stories into pieces of furniture. This one is the story of Joseph, of ‘many coats’ fame, and Potiphar’s wife, who cried rape and Joseph went to prison,” Port said. For the next 10 minutes, he talks about the nuances of wood carving and why this piece is a gem.

Port grew up in Chicago, the son of a grocer. Like many children of that era, he worked in the family store. “I hated staying in that store. I was 8 years old and all I wanted to do was go out and play,” he said.

Now, he goes to his gallery in Santa Monica’s Montana Avenue district six days a week and has turned a hobby into a business. The thrill is still there after all these years.

“It all started in 1970, when I was on an academic leave in London. I saw this Ushabti--an Egyptian mummy figure--in a store window. The idea that I was able to buy something 2,000 years old for the equivalent of $40 and then to see others like it in the British Museum really excited me,” he said.

But his next purchase was not as positive. “I bought a bronze Egyptian figure of a god, took it to the museum for authentication and found out it was a fake. Fakes are made to fool tourists; forgeries fool experts, but it’s probably the best way to learn the differences, and I certainly learned the hard way,” he said.

Over the years, Port says he has bought close to 1,000 pieces, which are now spread between his home and the gallery. Everything is carefully entered into a computer database. All buyers receive a letter of authenticity and, according to Port, make a good investment. “Antiquities are still underpriced, especially the Greek vases. Ten years ago this $9,500 vase sold for $1,000,” he said.

If you’re not in the market for a $9,500 vase or a Lord Lonsdale writing table priced at $25,000, there’s AD 1st-Century Roman glass objects for $350 or antique earrings for as low as $25. Of course, the ones worn by an Egyptian princess are a bit higher.

Port, meanwhile, peels away the cobwebs of ancient history and makes it come alive again for anyone who’s willing to listen.