Floods, Snow Load, Antique Rogues and Scoundrels

A LITTLE OUT OF FOCUS BUT NOT OUT OF TUNE, TWO MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONALLY AND REGIONALLY ACKNOWLEDGED "RHYTHM PALS" JAMMING IN THE BACK STUDIO. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT A NICE GUITAR ON THE LEFT AND A NICE UPRIGHT BASS ON THE RIGHT. ONLY KIDDING. DAVE SMITH ON THE LEFT AND BOB DEANS ON THE RIGHT, ENJOYING ONE OF THEIR FREE AFTERNOONS REGALING CUSTOMERS AT ANDREW CURRIE'S MUSIC AND COLLECTIBLES.

ANDREW MEETS LEGENDARY CANADIAN MUSICIAN VALDY IN OUR GRAVENHURST STUDIO (FROM OUR ARCHIVES)

GUITARIST JIMMY VAUGHAN AND ANDREW POINTING FINGERS DURING A VISIT SEVERAL YEARS AGO.

BOOKS ON ANTIQUE DEALERS, AUCTIONEERS AND GALLERY ADMINISTRATORS, IMPORTANT BIOGRAPHIES TO BROADEN HORIZONS

A LOT OF DEALERS THINK THEY KNOW IT ALL - BUT NOT REALLY!

     NOTE: THERE WAS A MEDIA REPORT, EARLIER THIS WEEK, THAT GOT ME LAUGHING. I DON'T OFTEN LAUGH AT NEWS STORIES LIKE THIS, BUT IT SEEMED RIDICULOUS TO SUGGEST, THAT "FLOODING WASN'T A CONCERN IN MUSKOKA." OF COURSE, I SUPPOSE THEY WERE THINKING ABOUT TWENTY-FOUR HOURS FROM THAT POINT, BUT STILL, IT WAS DAFT, TO BE ADVISING LISTENERS TO WHAT IS GOING TO PROVE THE EXACT OPPOSITE, AND MAYBE SOONER THAN WAS EXPECTED. WITH HEAVY RAINFALL COMING TOMORROW (SUNDAY) AND POTENTIALLY INTO THE NEW WEEK, AND WITH SNOW MELT HAVING A LONG WAY TO GO YET, THIS COULD BE DISASTROUS TO ANYONE LIVING IN LOW AREAS AROUND AREA RIVERS. THE SEVERN RIVER LOOKED VERY HIGH YESTERDAY, WHEN WE DROVE ACROSS IT, ON HIGHWAY ELEVEN, AND THIS MORNING, THE WATER IN THE MUSKOKA RIVER, IN BRACEBRIDGE IS DEFINITELY HIGHER THAN A WEEK AGO, AND THE FALLS IS A TORRENT, THAT'S QUITE OBVIOUS. IT WASN'T HELPFUL TO HAVE A MEDIA REPORT LIKE THIS, WHEN IN FACT, PEOPLE SHOULD BE PREPARING FOR HIGHER THAN USUAL WATER LEVELS, BY NEXT WEEKEND, AND CERTAINLY BY THE END OF THE MONTH. IT DEPENDS ON THE RAINFALL IN MUSKOKA AND THE ALGONQUIN AREA.
     WHEN I WAS EDITOR OF THE HERALD-GAZETTE, BACK IN THE 1980'S, WE ALWAYS PUBLISHED REGULAR NOTICES FOR OUR READERS, WARNING OF BOTH HIGH WATER, DURING THE SPRING RUN-OFF, AND SNOW LOAD DANGER ADVISORIES, IN THE LATE WINTER, EARLY SPRING. IT WAS A PUBLIC SERVICE. OTHER ELECTRONIC MEDIA OUTLETS, READING OUR STORIES ON THE FRONT PAGE, WOULD RE-WRITE THEM FOR TELEVISION AND RADIO, AND BOY OH BOY, THE MESSAGE GOT OUT TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE COTTAGERS LIVING OUTSIDE THE AREA. THIS YEAR, WE SHOULD HAVE HAD ALL KINDS OF WARNINGS OUT THERE, IN THE MEDIA, THAT BY THE WAY, IS ALWAYS PATTING ITSELF ON ITS CORPORATE BACK THESE DAYS, ABOUT ITS ACCOMPLISHMENTS. I WONDERED ABOUT THIS ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, OVER THE WINTER, AND DID WRITE NUMEROUS PIECES ABOUT ROOF SHOVELING, AND HOW WE HAVE HAD TO DO THE SAME, EVEN WITH OUR ROOF TRUSSES. MY FATHER, ED, WAS BROUGHT UP TO MUSKOKA IN 1966, TO WORK ON THE NEW IDEA OF ROOF TRUSSES, FOR MUSKOKA HOMES AND BUILDINGS. WE EVEN HAD A HUGE WOODEN TRUSS MOUNTED ON THE ROOF OF OUR COMPANY STATION-WAGON. SNOW-LOAD IS A HUGE DANGER, AND THIS YEAR IT WAS FRIGHTENING, HOW MANY HOUSES OF CONSIDERABLE VINTAGE, (WITHOUT TRUSSES) WERE LEFT BURIED WITH THE FULL DEPTH OF WHAT HAD FALLEN. WE DID OUR ROOF THREE TIMES JUST TO BE SAFE. I THINK THERE ARE GOING TO BE QUITE A FEW COTTAGERS, WHO WILL FIND SOME SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THEIR STRUCTURES, WHEN THEY ARRIVE THERE THIS SPRING. I CAN'T EXPLAIN WHY THE MEDIA AND ASSORTED GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, DIDN'T REACT SOONER TO SNOWLOAD ISSUES, IN OFFERING PUBLIC WARNINGS, OR WHY THE RISK OF FLOODING HAS BEEN MINIMIZED THIS SPRING. IF ANYTHING, BASED ON WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR, AND WHAT KIND OF SNOW WE'VE HAD OVER THE WINTER MONTHS (MUCH YET TO MELT), THE MEDIA SHOULD BE ALL OVER THIS RIGHT NOW, WARNING PEOPLE TO BE CAREFUL AND TO PROTECT ALL PROPERTY THAT MAY BE VULNERABLE TO HIGHER THAN USUAL WATER. AS FOR COLLAPSED BUILDINGS, THERE HAVE BEEN MORE THAN A FEW ACROSS THE REGION, RECENTLY REPORTED, AND POTENTIALLY MORE INVOLVING ISOLATED STRUCTURES, THAT WON'T BE KNOWN UNTIL OWNERS RETURN.
     HERE'S A PREAMBLE STORY ABOUT COLLECTORS, AND THEIR ILK. ONE IN PARTICULAR. WHEN DAVE BROWN OBSESSED ABOUT SOMETHING, HE'D TALK ABOUT IT OVER AND OVER, AS IF TRYING TO CONVINCE HIMSELF OF THE BEST WAY TO ADVANCE AN ACQUISITION. THERE WAS AN OCCASION, WHERE THE FAMILY OF A HERITAGE BUSINESS IN HAMILTON, A PHARMACY, WAS IN POSSESSION OF ITS ORIGINAL LEDGER BOOKS AND INVENTORY LISTS. I BELIEVE THEY WENT AS FAR BACK AS THE 1800'S. THE DRUG STORE HAD BEEN CLOSED FOR YEARS, AND ANOTHER RENTAL HAD GONE INTO THE BUILDING. BUT THE BOOKS HAD BEEN FOUND IN STORAGE, SOMEWHERE IN THE STRUCTURE, AND DAVE HAD HEARD THROUGH THE GRAPE VINE, THAT THE FAMILY WAS INTERESTED IN SELLING THEM. WHILE THEY WERE DEFINITELY KEEN ON GIVING THEM A MORE ADORING, APPRECIATIVE HOME, SUCH AS A MUSEUM, THEY HAD'D MADE ANY FINAL DECISION, BECAUSE THERE WERE MULTIPLE OWNERS. DAVE ADMITTED TO ME, THAT HE HAD BEEN TRYING TO BUY THEM FOR THE PAST YEAR, AND HAD BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL. HE TOLD ME THAT WHEN HE GOT BACK TO HAMILTON, ON MONDAY, HE WAS GOING TO CONFRONT THE OWNER ONCE AGAIN, AND HAD A PRETTY GOOD PLAN OF ATTACK. I CAN'T TELL YOU MUCH ABOUT THIS, FOLKS, BECAUSE HE MAY HAVE MADE THE DEAL, AND I DON'T WANT TO ADD ANYTHING HERE, THAT MIGHT CONTAMINATE, WHAT WAS A SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATION. BUT FOR THE WHOLE WEEKEND, HE KEPT GOING ON AND ON ABOUT THESE BOOKS, AS IF THEY WERE HIS HOLY GRAIL. FOR A COLLECTOR WITH DAVE'S OBSESSIVE NATURE, HE COULDN'T MOVE ON WITH OTHER PROJECTS, UNLESS HE GOT HIS WAY. THE FACT THAT NO AMOUNT OF WIT, CHARM OR CLEVER NEGOTIATION, HAD GOT HIM THE BOOKS TO THAT POINT, MEANT HE HAD BEEN LEFT IN A COLLECTOR'S LIMBO. ADD TO THIS, THAT DAVE HATED LOSING AT ANYTHING HE PUT HIS EFFORTS TOWARD, AND THIS ONE WAS PROVING PARTICULARLY TOUGH. WHAT I'M POINTING OUT HERE, IS THAT A COLLECTOR LIKE DAVE, NEVER TRULY THOUGHT LONG-RANGE, BECAUSE HIS AMBITIONS WERE ALWAYS DRAWN TIGHTLY, IN PURSUIT OF THE VERY NEXT CONQUEST. AS AN EXAMPLE, MINNESOTA FATS, THE GREAT POOL HUSTLER, PLAYED MANY SHOTS AHEAD IN HIS MIND, TO POSITION THE BALL, AFTER A SUCCESSFUL SHOT; EXACTLY WHERE HE NEEDED IT TO BE, TO GO ON WITH THE NEXT PLAY. DAVE BROWN NEVER QUESTED BEYOND WHAT WAS IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF HIM. I DON'T THINK DAVE ENJOYED MUCH OF THE WEEKEND AT BIRCH HOLLOW, BECAUSE HE WAS TOO BUSY CONCOCTING WAYS TO GET THESE RECORD BOOKS. I AM A FIFTY PERCENT OBSESSIVE, ABOUT COLLECTING, MUCH BETTER THAN I WAS DURING MY HEYDAY, WHEN I WAS THE MIRROR OF MR. BROWN. MANY OF US IN THE ANTIQUE TRADE, HAVE SIMILAR CHARACTERISTICS, WHEN WE GET INSPIRED BY SOME EVASIVE PIECES, OR COLLECTION COMING ON THE MARKET. SO WE START TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE TACTICS, AND PRESENTATION, TO SWING THE DEAL OUR WAY. I'VE LEARNED TO MOVE ON WITH THINGS, IF A DEAL FALLS THROUGH. IT WASN'T ALWAYS THIS WAY. I KNOW A FEW DEALERS THAT WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON A PROJECT, AND A FEW HAVE DIED WITHOUT HAVING FULFILLED THEIR DREAM ACQUISITION(S).
     I BEGAN IN THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION WITH ONE GOAL. IT MAY SURPRISE YOU TO KNOW, IT WASN'T ABOUT MAKING A MILLION BUCKS. FAR FROM IT! MY GOAL WAS TO LEARN AS MUCH ABOUT THE ANTIQUE TRADE AS POSSIBLE, AND NOT JUST BY CONSUMING PRICE GUIDES AND IDENTIFICATION BOOKS. I REMEMBER ONCE TRYING TO IMPRESS MY COLLECTOR FRIEND, DAVE BROWN, WITH A BRAND NEW, FORTY DOLLAR "BOOK PRICE GUIDE," I HAD JUST PURCHASED THAT MORNING. I HADN'T EVEN BEEN ABLE TO LOOK AT IT MYSELF, AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NEAT IF DAVE WOULD CHRISTEN IT WITH THE CEREMONIAL "OPENING OF THE PAGES." ON THREE OCCASIONS, I JAMMED THAT BOOK IN HIS FACE, AND FINALLY HE TOOK IT FROM ME, THEN SET IT BACK DOWN ON THE TABLE WITH A DEFINITE, ANGRY THUMP. "I KNOW YOU WANT ME TO LOOK AT THIS PRICE GUIDE TED, BUT BOOKS LIKE THIS DON'T APPLY TO ME, AND WHAT I COLLECT," HE ANSWERED, GOING BACK TO THE HALF-EATEN SANDWICH ON HIS LUNCH-PLATE. "I SUGGEST YOU TAKE THAT BOOK BACK TO THE STORE AND GET A REFUND, BECAUSE IT WON'T HELP YOU EITHER." I DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO ASK WHY, BEFORE HE EXPLAINED, THAT IN THE WORLD OF NON-FICTION, OF WHICH HE WAS IMMERSED, GUIDEBOOKS LIKE THE ONE I SHOWED HIM, WERE WEAK AT BEST, AND BECAUSE PRICES ARE ALWAYS AFFECTED BY REGIONAL INTERESTS, NO ONE BOOK COULD COVER THE WHOLE SPECTRUM OF TITLES OF INTEREST. "YOU HAVE TO DEVELOP INSTINCTS IN THIS FIELD, TED," HE SAID, WIPING THE BREAD CRUMBS FROM THE FRONT OF HIS SHIRT. "IF YOU'VE BEEN COLLECTING BOOKS FOR AS LONG AS I HAVE, YOU KNOW WHAT THEY'RE VALUE IS, BEFORE YOU MAKE THE PURCHASE IN THE FIRST PLACE. THERE IS NOTHING IN THAT BOOK THAT IS GOING TO MAKE UP FOR INEXPERIENCE. YOU LEARN BY IMMERSION, AND THE SCRAPES YOU GET, ARE BADGES OF COURAGE. EVEN DOG BITES AND CAT SCRATCHES, BECAUSE PETS CAN ALSO GET IN THE WAY OF YOU AND THE BOOKS YOU'RE TRYING TO BUY."
     WHAT DAVE DID PUSH ME TOWARD, WAS TO COLLECT BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE WHO HAVE MADE A HISTORY FOR THEMSELVES, IN THE OLD BOOK TRADE. HE SUGGESTED IT WOULD ALSO BE A GOOD IDEA, TO FIND BIOGRAPHIES OF WELL KNOWN ANTIQUE DEALERS, AUCTIONEERS, AND THOSE WHO HAVE HAD EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE RUNNING ART GALLERIES. KNOWING THAT WE LIKED TO DABBLE IN ANTIQUES OF ALL TYPES, HE MADE IT CLEAR, THESE TYPE OF PERSONAL REFERENCE BOOKS ARE IMPORTANT GUIDEPOSTS, FOR ANYONE CONSIDERING A FUTURE IN THE BUY AND SELL OF HEIRLOOM MATERIALS. "THESE BIOGRAPHIES AT LEAST LET YOU KNOW, BY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, WHERE THE PITFALLS ARE TO BE EXPECTED, AND HOW TO AVOID THEM. SUCH AS BUYING PRICE GUIDES LIKE THE ONE YOU WERE JUST SHOWING ME," SAID THE GOOD NATURED MR. BROWN. I RESPECTED HIS OPINION BUT I DID KEEP THE BOOK, JUST FOR GENERAL INTEREST. TODAY. BOOKS LIKE THIS, HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY ONLINE SITES, SUCH AS THE ADVANCE BOOK EXCHANGE, WHERE THOUSANDS OF OLD BOOK DEALERS HAVE LINKED THEIR BUSINESSES, FOR THE BENEFIT OF BIBLIOPHILES WITH BIG WANT LISTS. NINETY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE TIME, WE CAN RESEARCH AND EVALUATE THE VINTAGE AND OUT-OF-PRINT BOOKS, IN A FRACTION OF THE TIME IT USED TO TAKE. I WOULD HAVE HAD ABOUT A TWO PERCENT SUCCESS RATE, USING THE SMALL COLLECTION OF PRICE GUIDES, I WAS KIND OF EMBARRASSED TO OWN. THE OTHER AND MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT, IS THAT THE ABE LISTINGS, ALLOW US TO COMPARE THE CONDITION OF BOOKS, AS COMPARED TO PRICE VALUATIONS, WHICH IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO ASCERTAIN, BY USING PRICE GUIDES ALONE. IN OTHER WORDS, WE CAN GET PERAMETRES FOR PRICING BY USING AS MANY AS TEN EXPERT OPINIONS, OFFERED THROUGH THE ABE, BY SOME OF THE MOST ACCOMPLISHED OLD BOOK DEALERS IN NORTH AMERICA. SO I SOLD OFF MY PRICE GUIDES LAST YEAR, AND HAVE BEEN CONTINUING TO BUY THE BIOGRAPHIES DAVE SUGGESTED. TO THIS POINT, I'VE READ THIRTY OR SO, AND EACH BIOGRAPHY HAS CONTRIBUTED INSIGHTS ABOUT THE PROFESSION, I MIGHT NEVER HAVE KNOWN OTHERWISE.
     I'M CURRENTLY READING THE BIOGRAPHY OF ONE OF EUROPE'S WELL KNOWN AUCTIONEERS, FROM A PAST ERA, AND I PLAN TO HIGHLIGHT IT SOMETIME IN THE NEXT WEEK. IT'S AN INCREDIBLE STORY, FULL OF CURVES AND CROSSROADS I COULDN'T HAVE EXPECTED, THAT IS SHOWING ME A SIDE OF AUCTIONEERING I COULDN'T HAVE IMAGINED; AND WHILE IT DOES INVOLVE HIGH END ANTIQUE AND ART, THE COST OF READING IT IS CHEAP. I BOUGHT IT FOR FIFTY CENTS, AND IT HAS ALREADY PROVEN ITSELF A DIVIDEND-EARNING INVESTMENT.
     ONE OF THE OTHER NEAT BOOKS IN MY ANTIQUE-COLLECTING LIBRARY, WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1956 BY MICHAEL JOSEPH LIMITED, OF ENGLAND, AND THEN AGAIN IN 1957, FOR GENERAL RELEASE AS A READERS' UNION RECOMMENDED BOOK. IT'S ENTITLED SIMPLY, "ANTIQUE DEALER," BY R.P. WAY, A CAREER BUYER / SELLER, IN ENGLAND. HIS RECOLLECTIONS INFILL A LOT OF GREY AREA FOR ME, ESPECIALLY THE HISTORY OF ANTIQUE-DEALING GENERALLY. HE OFFERS A LOT OF VARIED SCENARIOS, WHERE THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION SHOWS ITS ROGUES, THE DISHONEST, THE DISREPUTABLE, AND THEN THOSE WHO ARE PILLARS OF THE TRADE, AND THE PROFESSORS OF ITS LEGACIES. SOME OF THESE ADMISSIONS MIGHT SEEM A LITTLE STARTLING, BUT THEN, EVEN IN THE TIME OF CHARLES DICKENS, AND HIS STORY OF "THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP," THE PROFESSION HAS HAD ITS LOW POINTS, AND FRAUDS; BUT ALWAYS ITS CHARACTERS. I THINK MAYBE ITS THE CHARACTER-FILLED LEGACY THAT INTERESTS ME THE MOST. SUZANNE HAS, FOR LONG AND LONG, REMINDED ME, THAT WHEN I'M HUDDLED AROUND BOXES OF NEWLY PURCHASED ANTIQUE ITEMS, I RESEMBLE THE RUDDY, SHABBILY ATTIRED, HATTED, CURMUDGEON, "OLD JOE," THE SECOND HAND DEALER, FROM DICKENS "A CHRISTMAS CAROL." I NEVER RESPOND WHEN SHE SAYS THIS, BECAUSE I HALF-CONSIDER-IT QUITE FLATTERING. I THINK I DRESS BETTER THAN OLD JOE. IF DICKENS HAD KNOWN ME, HE MIGHT HAVE WRITTEN A SEPARATE STORY, OF WHICH I WOULD BE INCLUDED AS A MAJOR PLAYER. SO THE POINT IS, I REALLY LIKE READING ABOUT THOSE COURAGEOUS FOLKS, WHO HAVE MADE NAMES FOR THEMSELVES, IN ONE OF THE TOUGHEST, MOST AGGRESSIVE, RIGOROUSLY COMPETITIVE, PIT-FALL-LADEN PROFESSIONS ON EARTH. HERE NOW, ARE A FEW OBSERVATIONS, ON THE SUBJECT, OFFERED BY MR. WAY.
     "I WAS NOW EXPERIENCED (AS AN APPRENTICE ANTIQUE DEALER) ENOUGH, TO ATTEND AUCTIONS ON MY OWN." WRITES MR. WAY. "AT SOME I DECIDED ON THE PRICES TO PAY AND AT OTHERS I BOUGHT AT THE PRICES MY FATHER HAD GIVEN ME AS A GUIDE. I DON'T SUPPOSE MANY PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE TRADE KNOW HOW THE 'RING' OR, TO US THE MORE FAMILIAR TERM, 'KNOCK OUT', WAS RUN. UNTIL AN ACT OF PARLIAMENT IN 1927 MADE THIS PRACTICE ILLEGAL, ANTIQUE DEALERS INVARIABLY USED THIS METHOD - IN FACT I'M QUITE SURE IT STILL GOES ON TO THIS VERY DAY - ILLEGAL THOUGH IT MAY BE.
     "LET ME EXPLAIN," WRITES THE DEALER. "WE'LL SAY, FOR INSTANCE, THAT FOUR DEALERS, ALL FRIENDS, GO TO A COUNTRY SALE. THEY MAY FIND THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE PIECE OF ANTIQUE FURNITURE WORTH BUYING, ITS VALUE PERHAPS BEING TWENTY-FIVE POUNDS TO THE TRADE. NOW, IF THE FOUR MEN BID AGAINST EACH OTHER, NOT ONLY WILL THE PRICE AT WHICH IT IS KNOCKED DOWN BE HIGHER, BUT ONLY ONE OF THE FOUR MEN CAN HAVE IT. THE OTHER THREE WILL HAVE WASTED A DAY, AS WELL AS THEIR EXPENSES, AND NONE OF THEM WILL GO HOME SATISFIED. SO INSTEAD OF DOING THIS, THEY ARRANGE BETWEEN THEMSELVES, FOR ONE OF THEM ONLY TO BID FOR THE PIECE. THIS MEANS THAT HE MAY VERY LIKELY ONLY HAVE PRIVATE BIDDERS AGAINST HIM, AND HE HAS A GOOD CHANCE OF GETTING IT FOR AS LITTLE AS FIVE POUNDS. AFTER THE SALE THE DEALERS THEN AUCTION THE PURCHASE AMONGST THEMSELVES. IF ONE DEALER GOES UP TO TWENTY POUNDS FOR IT, THE TOTAL COST COMES TO TWENTY-FIVE POUNDS, BECAUSE HE WILL PAY THE ORIGINAL FIVE POUNDS AS WELL. THE HIGHEST BIDDER BECOMES THE OWNER, BUT THE FOUR OF THEM SHARE THE TWENTY POUNDS, AND THE FOUR OF THEM EACH RECEIVE A FIVE POUND SHARE IN THIS PROFIT. THIS PLEASES THEM ALL." THIS BY THE WAY, REALLY FOULS THE PROCESS, BECAUSE THE MONEY IS LOST FOR THE SALE SPONSOR, AND COMMISSION FOR THE AUCTIONEER. IT STILL GOES ON TODAY, ESPECIALLY WHEN DEALERS MAKE AGREEMENTS NOT TO BID UP THEIR COMPETITION RETAILERS AND COLLECTORS, IF THEY, WILL ALSO AGREE, NOT TO "UP" WHAT THEY ARE INTERESTED IN ACQUIRING. THE FAVOR SYSTEM, IN THIS FASHION, IS LEGAL, BUT DENIES THE SALE HOST, A GREATER PROFIT THAN MIGHT HAPPEN OTHERWISE, IF THE FREE MARKET WAS TO RUN ITS COURSE. THERE ARE OTHER MODERN ERA MANIFESTATIONS, IN THE TRADITION OF WHAT MR. WAY WAS WRITING ABOUT.
     MR. WAY RECALLS, "THE LIFE OF A DEALER IN THOSE DAYS, WAS EXCITING IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS; FAMOUS PEOPLE TO BE MET, VALUABLE PIECES TO BE DISCOVERED; ALWAYS TOMORROW TO LOOK FORWARD TO. I REMEMBER HOW DELIGHTED MY FATHER WAS, WHEN ONE DAY, THE MISSES HARTFORD, AND MR. JOHN HARTFORD, CALLED ON US AT THE SHOP. THE HARTFORDS OWNED BLAIZE CASTLE AT HENBURY, AND THE NEXT TIME THEY CALLED, THEY BROUGHT ALONG THE DUCHESS OF BEAUFORT AND HER SON, THE BARON DE TUYLL, WHO BOTH BOUGHT SOMETHING IN THE SHOP. A FEW WEEKS LATER THE DUCHESS WROTE, ASKING MY FATHER TO CALL AT BADMINTON HOUSE, AS SOON AS HE CONVENIENTLY COULD. WHEN HE ARRIVED THE DUCHESS SHOWED HIM, UNROLLED ON THE FLOOR OF THE GREAT HALL, AN ORIGINAL PICTURE; IT MEASURED TWELVE FEET BY SIX FEET, AND DEPICTED A MEET IN BADMINTON PARK, PAINTED ABOUT 1880.
     "OWING TO ITS VAST SIZE, THERE WAS NO ROOM TO HANG IT IN BADMINTON HOUSE, WHICH WAS WHY IT HAD ALWAYS BEEN ROLLED UP AND KEPT IN THE ATTIC. THE DUCHESS NOW WANTED TO KNOW IF IT COULD BE MADE INTO A FOUR-FOLD SCREEN, AND MY FATHER TOLD HE HE THOUGHT THIS COULD BE DONE. TOGETHER THEY CAREFULLY MARKED OUT THE FOUR PANELS FOR THE SCREEN. THE DUCHESS WAS PARTICULARLY ANXIOUS NOT TO CUT THROUGH THE FACE OF ANY MEMBER OF THE HUNT WHO WAS STILL LIVING. MY FATHER GOT THE FIRM OF RESTALL, BROWN, AND CHENNAL OF LONDON TO MAKE THE SCREEN, AND THE DUCHESS WAS DELIGHTED WHEN IT CAME BACK. SHE GAVE IT TO THE DUKE AS A PRESENT, ON THIS NEXT BIRTHDAY. IT ALWAYS GAVE US GREAT PLEASURE, TO KNOW THAT AMONGST OUR CLIENTELE AT THE SHOP, WE NUMBERED THE BEST KNOWN CLIFTON AND BRISTOL FAMILIES. MANY CAME TO FIND ANTIQUES WITH WHICH TO FURNISH THEIR HOMES, BUT OTHERS WERE BEGINNING TO BUILD UP THEIR OWN COLLECTIONS OF CHINA, GLASS, FURNITURE, COLORED ENGRAVINGS, OR ITEMS OF BRISTOL INTEREST.
     HE WRITES, OF HIS BUDDING CAREER IN THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION, "BY NOW MY FATHER ALLOWED ME TO BUY WITH MY OWN MONEY, OUT OF BUSINESS HOURS, AND HE LET ME PUT MY PURCHASES IN THE SHOP FOR SALE, THE ONLY CONDITION BEING THAT WHATEVER I DISPLAYED MUST BE GENUINE BEYOND DOUBT. WHEN I WAS FREE, I USED TO GO OFF ON SATURDAY AFTERNOONS, TO NEARBY COUNTRY TOWNS, AND VILLAGES, WHERE I KNEW THERE WAS AN ANTIQUE DEALER. I WOULD BUY PAIRS OF SMALL CUT DISHES, PAIRS OF CUT GLASS CELLARS, AND OTHER SMALL ODDMENTS OF ENGLISH CHINA AND POTTERY, OR MAYBE A FAN, OR SOME OLD PRINT. I DIDN'T PAY MUCH FOR WHAT I BOUGHT, BUT, ONCE, I ACQUIRED A CUT-GLASS WATER JUG FOR JUST OVER THREE POUNDS. WHEN I SHOWED IT TO MY FATHER HE SAID I HAD PAID FAR TOO MUCH FOR IT. HOWEVER, IT WAS SENT WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER ARTICLES, ON APPROVAL, TO SOME CLIENTS IN CLIFTON, WHO WANTED TO CHOOSE A SPECIAL WEDDING PRESENT FOR A FRIEND. TO MY DELIGHT, WHEN I WENT TO BRING BACK WHAT THEY DIDN'T WANT, MY JUG STOOD UPON A TABLE WITH A WEDDING CARD TIED TO ITS HANDLE, WITH WHITE RIBBON.
     "LIVING IN BRISTOL AT THAT TIME WAS A BUSINESS ACQUAINTANCE OF OURS, THE REVEREND F. W. COGSWELL. HIS CHIEF COLLECTION WAS OF BOOKS AND ENGRAVINGS, WHICH HE BOUGHT AND SOLD, BUT ONCE IN A WHILE HE WOULD PICK UP CHOICE LITTLE PIECES OF FURNITURE, CHINA, GLASS AND SILVER. HE ALWAYS OFFERED THESE TO MY FATHER AND WOULD ASK HIM TO HIS HOUSE, IN THE EVENING, TO SEE ANYTHING NEW HE'D ACQUIRED. ONE EVENING I HAPPENED TO GO THERE WITH MY FATHER. MR. COGSWELL SHOWED US, AMONGST OTHER THINGS, A PAIR OF STAFFORDSHIRE RETRIEVERS, WHICH I WAS SURE WERE RALPH WOOD MODELS. HE WANTED FIVE POUNDS FOR THEM, BUT MY FATHER THOUGH THEY WERE TOO DEAR, UNTIL I WHISPERED TO HIM, 'BUY THEM'. WHEN WE GOT HOME I LOOKED THEM UP IN MY BOOK, AND SURE ENOUGH, THEY WERE ILLUSTRATED THERE. I WAS VERY EXCITED AND TOLD MY FATHER, HOW WISE HE HAD BEEN TO BUY ME THE BOOK. WE SENT THEM ON APPROVAL TO CAPTAIN PRICE, AND ASKED FIFTEEN POUNDS FOR THEM; WE RECEIVED BY RETURN POST, A CHEQUE AND A LETTER SAYING HE WOULD BE INTERESTED TO SEE ANYTHING UNUSUAL WE HAD, PARTICULARLY ANY TOBY JUGS. ALTHOUGH NOT GENERALLY KNOWN TO THE LAYMAN, ALL TOBY JUGS ORIGINALLY HAD COVERS. IN THE FORM OF THE CROWN OF THE HAT, BUT, OF COURSE, THEY WERE SO EASILY BROKEN, THAT NOT MORE THAN ONE PER CENT OF THE TOBYS REMAINING TODAY HAVE THEM.
     "IT MUST HAVE BEEN ABOUT THREE WEEKS AFTER THE SALE OF THE RETRIEVERS, THAT A FRIEND OF MINE, IN BATH, ASKED ME WHETHER I WOULD KNOW A RALPH WOOD TOBY JUG IF I SAW ONE. I SAID I HOPED SO, AND HE ASKED ME TO GO WITH HIM TO SWANAGE, IN DORSET. HE TOLD ME TO DRESS UP AS SMARTLY AS I COULD, BECAUSE HE HAD AN IDEA THAT HE WOULD EXPLAIN TO ME LATER. I WAS EXTREMELY PUZZLED, BUT I MET HIM THE NEXT SATURDAY AT THE STATION, WEARING A MALACCA CANE WITH A SILVER TOP. IN THE TRAIN HE EXPLAINED THAT THE JUG BELONGED TO A SULLEN, BAD-TEMPERED INNKEEPER. THE INN WAS A SMALL ONE, IN AN OUT OF THE WAY PART OF SWANAGE. HE KNEW THE MAN DIDN'T WANT TO PART WITH THE JUG, BUT HE THOUGHT THAT IF I CAME ON THE SCENE, AS A RICH LOOKING TYPE WITH MONEY, AND IF THE JUG WAS A GOOD ONE, I MIGHT IMPRESS THE INNKEEPER INTO MAKE A DEAL. WE GOT TO THE INN BETWEEN FIVE AND SIX O'CLOCK, AND ORDERED DRINKS. MY FRIEND TOOK THE LANDLORD ASIDE AND EXPLAINED TO HIM WHAT AN IMPORTANT CUSTOMER I WAS, AND THEN HE ASKED HIM TO HAVE A DRINK WITH US. THE DRINKS TURNED INTO SEVERAL ROUNDS, AND THEN THE LANDLORD WAS ASKED IF HE WOULD MIND SHOWING ME HIS OLD JUG. MELLOWED BY WHAT HE HAD TAKEN, THE LANDLORD SAID, 'CERTAINLY, BUT 'E AIN'T FOR SALE, 'ES WILLED AWAY 'E IS.' WHEN I LOOKED AT THE JUG, I KNEW AT ONCE THAT IT WAS A VERY FINE EXAMPLE OF RALPH WOOD'S WORK; BRILLIANT, ABSOLUTELY PERFECT, AND IT EVEN HAD ITS ORIGINAL COVER, ON WHICH R.K. PRICE WAS SO KEEN. THE FACE WAS AUBERGINE, THE COAT A RICH BLUE AND THE BREECHES DEEP YELLOW. IT WAS A BEAUTY."
     "WHILE I EXAMINED IT THE LANDLORD RAMBLED ON; 'AN' WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT, GUV'NOR, I BIN OFFERED TEN POUNDS FOR THAT OLD JUG, DAFT, AIN'T IT.' HE LOOKED TO SEE IF I BELIEVED HIM, BUT I SHRUGGED MY SHOULDERS AND SAID, 'THAT'S NOTHING - I'LL GIVE YOU DOUBLE THAT FOR IT.' 'AH, MAYBE,' HE RETORTED SCEPTICALLY, 'IT'S EASY TO SAY THINGS.' 'BUT I MEAN IT, I'VE THE MONEY HERE.' I THEN STARTED COUNTING OUT COINS FROM MY SOVEREIGN PURSE. AS HE SAW THE GOLD SPREADING IN A SMALL HEAP ON THE TABLE, HIS EYES GOGGLED AND HE LEFT US SAYING, 'I MUST FETCH MY OLD WOMAN.' WHEN HE'D GONE MY FRIEND SAID, 'QUICK, SPREAD IT ALL OUT, I THINK WE MAY MAKE A DEAL AFTER ALL.' AS HE SPOKE, HE SWIVELLED ROUND A MOVABLE HANGING GAS JET, SO THAT ITS LIGHT SHONE DIRECTLY UPON THE SPREAD OUT GOLD COINS. WE WERE READY BY THE TIME THE LANDLORD CAME BACK WITH AN UNTIDY OLD WOMAN, WITH RED-RIMMED EYES. SHE LOOKED FIRST AT US, THEN AT THE JUG, AND LASTLY AT THE GLEAMING GOLDEN SOVEREIGNS. AS SHE LOOKED, HER HUSBAND MUTTERED TO HER, 'I COULD BUY A PONY.' STILL SHE STARED, THEN SPOKE SUDDENLY. 'OH, PLEASE YOURSELF,' AND LEFT THE ROOM WITHOUT ANOTHER WORD. THE LANDLORD SAID, 'WELL, THROW US ANOTHER 'ALF QUID FOR LUCK, GUV'NOR, AND THE OLD JUG'S YOURS'. QUICKLY I THREW DOWN ANOTHER HALF-SOVEREIGN AND THEN, PICKING UP THE JUG, STARTED TO WRAP IN IN A NEWSPAPER WE HAD WITH US.
     "THE LANDLORD SHOUTED EXCITEDLY, 'ARF A MO,' THE BOYS MUST SEE THIS OR THEY'LL NEVER BELIEVE ME.' HE RUSHED TO THE DOOR AND SHOUTED DOWN THE PASSAGE. 'HEY BOYS, COME UP HERE.' ALMOST AT ONCE, SIX TO EIGHT ROUGH LOOKING MEN STOOD AT THE DOOR. FOR A SECOND I WONDERED WHETHER WE WERE GOING TO LOSE BOTH THE JUG AND THE MONEY. BUT THE INNKEEPER SAID DRAMATICALLY, 'BOYS, I'VE BIN 'AN SOLD ME OLD JUG.' 'THERE'S THE GENT..' POINTING AT ME. 'THERE'S THE JUG.' A LONG PAUSE AND THEN A ROAR. 'AN THERE'S THE BLOODY MONEY.'
     "I'VE NEVER FORGOTTEN THAT VIVID SCENE EVEN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. WE, THE TWO DEALERS WITH OUR BACK TO A SMALL SHUTTERED WINDOW, THE ROUND TABLE COVERED WITH A DIRTY TABLE-CLOTH, AND THE BEAUTIFUL JUG SURROUNDED BY TWENTY SOVEREIGNS IN GOLD. THE SWARTHY BLACK-MOUSTACHED LANDLORD, HIS CHEEKS RED WITH EXCITEMENT, HIS EYES GLEAMING, ONE HAND RESTING ON HIS HIP, THE OTHER, POINTING TO THE TABLE. THE PEERING, UNSHAVEN FACES AT THE DOOR, THE SMELL OF BEER, SAWDUST AND WAFTS OF SHAG TOBACCO, THE ATMOSPHERE OF AVARICE AND HIGH DRAMA. IT WAS ALMOST AN ANTI-CLIMAX TO SELL THE JUG AFTERWARDS, TO CAPTAIN PRICE FOR NINETY-FIVE POUNDS, ALTHOUGH HE WAS DELIGHTED."
     IS THIS KIND OF THING DONE TODAY? YOU BET IT IS! PLEASE JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW, FOR SOME MORE INTERESTING RECOLLECTIONS FROM ONE OF THE LEGENDS OF THE ANTIQUE BUSINESS. THANKS SO MUCH FOR VISITING TODAY.