TRAINING IN THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION BEGINS WITH INVESTIGATION - ORIGINAL OR REPRODUCTION/ THERE'S MONEY RIDING ON IT!
PEOPLE WHO GET SCAMMED ONLINE AND IN-PERSON SHOULD HAVE OUR TRAINING TO SPOT FRAUD IN PROGRESS
OUR FAMILY BUYS ON EBAY. WE HAVE SOLD THOUSANDS OF ANTIQUE PIECES ON EBAY OVER THE PAST DECADE. AND WE HAVE HAD ALL KINDS OF FIELD EXPERIENCE, DOING ANTIQUE SHOWS, SPECIAL EVENTS WITH A FEW OTHER DEALERS, ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC BOAT SHOWS, FLEA MARKETS, AND LOTS OF YEARS FRONT-LINING IT FROM MUSKOKA RETAIL LOCATIONS. I WON'T TELL YOU THAT EVERYTHING HAS BEEN PEACHY, BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE A LIE. BUT I CAN OFFER OUR OWN STATISTIC, FOR EXAMPLE, ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ONLINE AUCTIONS. WE WERE SCAMMED ON TWO OCCASIONS. THIS IS OUT OF THOUSANDS OF TRANSACTIONS. I MADE THE MISTAKE OF SHIPPING A PACKAGE OF VINTAGE CANADIAN HISTORIES, TO ALBERTA, BEFORE WE HAD BEEN PAID. THIS IS A BIG "NO-NO," AND WE LOST FIFTY DOLLARS, AS THE CHAP WHO RECEIVED THEM NEVER RESPONDED TO US AGAIN, PRESUMABLY AFTER THE BOOKS HAD ARRIVED. HE DIDN'T CARE ABOUT BEING REPORTED TO EBAY OR GETTING A NEGATIVE FEEDBACK. HE WAS A PROFESSIONAL SCAMMER. THE SECOND OCCASION, WAS WHEN ANDREW PURCHASED A SET OF "PICK-UPS" FOR AN ELECTRIC GUITAR, AND IT ARRIVED IN PIECES WITH NO EVIDENCE THAT IT HAD BEEN TAMPERED WITH, OR OPENED AT THE BORDER FOR INSPECTION. THEY GUY HAD SWITCHED THE PICK-UPS, AND INSTEAD OF GIVING US THE ONE WE THOUGHT WE WERE BIDDING ON, AS THE ACCOMPANYING PHOTOGRAPH REVEALED, HE SUBSTITUTED ANOTHER UNIT THAT WAS DESTROYED. THIS GENTLEMAN WAS A MINOR SCAM ARTIST, AND WHAT HE HADN'T COUNTED ON WAS OUR SAVVY AT RETALIATION. HE DIDN'T THINK ANY ONE WOULD FILE A NEGATIVE FEEDBACK WITH A SAVAGE COMMENT. HE HAD ALREADY USED UP HIS FEEDBACK OPTION, WHEN HE RECEIVED OUR PAYMENT, SO WE HAD HIM IN THE BULLSEYE OF THIS MISADVENTURE. FEEDBACK IS A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL WEAPON IF IT HAS TO BE USED. TO A QUALITY EBAY-ER, FEEDBACK PERCENTAGES ARE OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE. WE HAVE A ONE HUNDRED PERCENT RATING, WHICH WE'RE RATHER PROUD OF, CONSIDERING OUR MANY TRANSACTIONS. SO WE JUST MADE SURE THE SELLER KNEW WE WERE GOING TO DESTROY HIS PERFECT FEEDBACK….WITH A RATHER NASTY COMMENT ABOUT HIS HONESTY, AND WITHIN THE HOUR, A FULL REFUND WAS MADE……WITH A NOTE OF APOLOGY, BUT NO OFFER OF SENDING US THE ACTUAL "PICK-UP" WE HAD BID ON.
I HEAR ABOUT FRAUD REGULARLY THESE DAYS, WITH OTHER ONLINE SALE SITES, AND WHILE I FEEL SORRY FOR THOSE WHO GET RIPPED-OFF, IT SHOULD BE PRETTY CLEAR THAT FRAUDSTERS LOVE THESE KIND OF CYBERSPACE VENUES. EVEN IF I READ A LISTING ON ONE OF THESE SITES, ADVERTISING A GROUP OF SEVEN PAINT-BOARD, I WOULD GIVE IT A BIG, WIDE PASS. WHEN WE DO BUY ON EBAY, WE HAVE A LIST OF TEN OR SO CONCERNS WE ADDRESS FIRST, BEFORE MAKING ANY MOVE TO BID ON THE ITEM. WE WILL NOT BUY ANYTHING WITH WHAT WE BELIEVE IS AN INFLATED SHIPPING OR HANDLING FEE. AS FOLKS WHO USED TO SELL ONLINE, UP TO A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, WE KNOW WHAT IT COSTS TO SHIP PACKAGES, AND IN FACT, WE CAN DO THE CALCULATIONS OURSELVES, USING A CANADA POST FEE SCHEDULE. THIS IS OF COURSE, BASED ON WEIGHT AND PACKAGE DIMENSIONS…..PLUS DESTINATION. THE POINT IS, WE CAN AT LEAST BALL-PARK THESE CHARGES, IN ADVANCE OF PAYING, TO KNOW THAT WE AREN'T GOING TO BE OVER-CHARGED. I'VE TALKED TO SOME AUCTION PARTICIPANTS WHO GOUGE WITH HANDLING FEES, AND ARE LESS THAN HONEST ABOUT THEIR SHIPPING CHARGES. WE NEVER CHARGED A HANDLING FEE, OR ANY CHARGE FOR MATERIALS USED FOR SHIPPING. IF YOU WANTED TO, IT WAS POSSIBLE TO PICK UP YOUR PURCHASE FROM US, AT THE BOY'S MAIN STREET BUSINESS HERE IN GRAVENHURST. POINT IS, FAR TOO MANY SELLERS USE SHIPPING AND HANDLING AS A WAY OF PROFITING, EVEN MORE THAN FROM THE ACTUALLY SELLING PRICE OF THE AUCTION ITEM. BE SUSPICIOUS OF ANY VENDOR WHO STARTS AN AUCTION LOW. CHANCES ARE, IF IT DID SELL BASED ON ONLY ONE BID, THE SHIPPING AND HANDLING COULD NET THE DESIRED PROFIT ANYWAY.
BUT THE POINT IS, ANTIQUE DEALERS IN TRAINING ARE TAUGHT FROM THE BEGINNING, HOW TO RECOGNIZE REPRODUCTIONS FROM ORIGINALS. YOU CAN LOSE A FORTUNE BY MAKING A MISTAKE IN THIS REGARD. BUT HERE'S AN HISTORIC CHARACTERISTIC OF THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION. IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON AT ALL, IF A DEALER HAPPENED TO GET BURNED ON A REPRODUCTION, OR OTHERWISE FRAUDULENT ITEM, FOR THAT VENDOR TO TURN AROUND AND SELL IT TO SOMEONE ELSE UNSUSPECTING…..AS AN ORIGINAL. THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT ONLY EXISTED IN THE DAYS OF CHARLES DICKENS' "THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP." THIS KIND OF THING HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. I'VE SEEN IT UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL, AND WHILE SUZANNE AND I LAUGH ABOUT IT, SOMEONE, AT SOME TIME, WILL BUY A REPRODUCTION THINKING IT'S AN ORIGINAL…..AND A VENDOR WILL KNOW HOW WRONG IT IS TO DO STUFF LIKE THIS.
QUITE A FEW YEARS AGO, AFTER WE MOVED INTO BIRCH HOLLOW, I WANTED TO BUY A NICE HARVEST TABLE AND AT LEAST FOUR ORIGINAL PRESS BACK CHAIRS. I VISITED QUITE A FEW DEALERS I KNEW FROM BARRIE TO HUNTSVILLE, AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE THAT HAD ROUGHLY WHAT WE WANTED FOR OUR DINING ROOM. I KNEW THE DEALER VERY WELL, AND HE KNEW ME FROM MY NEWSPAPER COLUMNS EACH WEEK, ON ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES. WE WANDERED FOR AWHILE THROUGH THE BUILDING, AND SUZANNE FOUND SIX PRESS BACKS WITH A MODESTLY PROPORTIONED PINE TABLE. IT WASN'T QUITE A FULL HARVEST TABLE BUT IT WOULD DO. WHEN THE DEALER CAME UP BEHIND US, AND ASKED WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR IN THE WAY OF FURNISHINGS. AFTER WE SAID WE WERE INTERESTED IN THE TABLE AND SIX CHAIRS, HE IMMEDIATELY PUT HIS ARMS AROUND OUR RESPECTIVE WAISTS, AND PUSHED US AWAY FROM THE PINE SET. IN FACT, HE PUSHED US TO ANOTHER CORNER OF THE BUILDING, TO SEE ANOTHER SIMILAR DINING-ROOM SET, WITH ONLY FOUR CHAIRS BUT A TABLE I LIKED BETTER. "I THINK YOU WILL LIKE THIS SET BETTER TED," HE SAID, AND THERE WAS NO WAY I COULD MISTAKE THE WINK HE SENT AT BOTH OF US. THE MESSAGE IN THE WINK? THE CHAIRS AND TABLE WERE REPRODUCTIONS, DISTRESSED TO LOOK MUCH OLDER. I WAS MAD ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE THE ONLY REASON HE DIDN'T WRITE UP THE INVOICE, THERE AND THEN, WAS THAT HE KNEW IF I FOUND OUT, THERE WOULD BE HELL TO PAY. IF WE HAD BEEN THE PROPRIETORS OF THAT SHOP, WE WOULD HAVE DEFINITELY HAD THE SAME SET FOR SALE, WITH ONE EXCEPTION. IT WOULD HAVE HAD A CARD ON THE TOP, EXPLAINING THE FACT IT WAS A REPLICATION OF A CLASSIC BIT OF CANADIANA. ALSO, THE PRICE WOULD HAVE BEEN A LOT LOWER. WE DECLINED TO PURCHASE ANYTHING THAT DAY BECAUSE OF THIS. SOME UNSUSPECTING PATRON, WHO WASN'T WARNED ABOUT THE TABLE AND CHAIRS, PAID AN ANTIQUE PRICE FOR A NEWLY CRAFTED DINING-ROOM SET. THE DEALER TOLD ME IT SOLD, WHEN I MET HIM A WEEK OR SO LATER. I MADE NO COMMENT. UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS NOT AN EXCEPTION OR ONE-OFF. REPRODUCTIONS ARE SOLD AS ORIGINALS ALL THE TIME…..AND THAT CAN BE THE CASE ONLINE ESPECIALLY. THERE ARE A LOT OF FRAUD ARTISTS OUT THERE, LOOKING FOR THE SUCKERS THAT ARE APPARENTLY BORN EVERY MINUTE.
HERE'S ONE OF MY FOIBLES FOR PUBLIC EXAMINATION. I PURCHASED A FIRST NATIONS ART PIECE, A FRAMED PRINT, THAT PASSED MUSTER THE FIRST TIME AROUND. I PAID TWENTY BUCKS AT A THRIFT SHOP, WHICH WAS HIGHER THAN I'D EVER PAID FOR SIMILAR PRINTS. I HAD A NUMBER OF ART BUYERS I KNEW WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THE NICELY CONSERVED ART WORK, WHICH WAS HUGE BY THE WAY. THE SHIPPING ACROSS THE COUNTRY WAS GOING TO BE AT LEAST EIGHTY DOLLARS. I HAD LISTED THE DRAWING ON EBAY, AND WITHIN TWO HOURS, I HAD BIDS OF NEARLY DOUBLE THE PRICE I HAD PAID FOR IT. BY LATER IN THE EVENING, IT HAD REACHED A HUNDRED DOLLARS, AND THERE WERE THIRTY WATCHERS, WHICH IN EBAY AUCTION TERMS, MEANS A STRONG POSSIBILITY OF MANY MORE BIDS BEFORE THE AUCTION WAS TO END. I RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM A POTENTIAL BIDDER, WHO ASKED A SIMPLE QUESTION. WAS IT AN ORIGINAL OR A COPY? A VERY GOOD COPY HAD BEEN DONE BY AN INSURANCE COMPANY AS A PROMOTION, IN THE EARLY 1970'S. THE PERSON WHO CONTACTED US, TOLD US HOW TO DETERMINE THIS, BY CLOSE INSPECTION OF THE PRINT'S SHARPNESS UNDER MAGNIFICATION. I KNEW AFTER THREE SECONDS OF STUDYING THE LINES, THAT I HAD JUST LISTED A FRAUD. GREAT. THE GUY WITH THE 100 PERCENT FEEDBACK RECORD, WAS OFFERING A CHEAP PRINT AS AN ORIGINAL…..AND IT HAD MANY BIDS. AS WE HAVE REACTED A FEW TIMES, IN OUR EBAY RELATIONSHIP, WE HAD TO IMMEDIATELY CONTACT THE HIGH BIDDER, AND PASS ON THIS INFORMATION, THAT THE FIRST NATIONS ART UP FOR SALE, WAS NOT AN ORIGINAL….THUS ALMOST WORTHLESS TO THE ART COMMUNITY. WE HELD OUR BREATH UNTIL WE GOT A NOTE BACK FROM THE BIDDER. HE WAS JUST THANKFUL THAT WE WERE HONEST ENOUGH TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM IN A TIMELY FASHION, AND CONSIDERING WE HAD RAISED THE CONCERN BEFORE THE SALE CONCLUDED, WAS VERY PLEASED WITH OUR INTEGRITY….AND THE FACT WE WERE WILLING TO LOSE MONEY ON THE DEAL, TO PRESERVE OUR REPUTATION AND POSITIVE FEEDBACK. STUFF HAPPENS. BUT IT'S SO MUCH BETTER TO ADMIT SHORTFALLS, AND CONCERNS ABOUT PROVENANCE, BEFORE YOU, AS THE SELLER, ARE THE RESULT OF AN AUCTION INVESTIGATION.
FRAUDS AND REPRODUCTIONS ARE OFTEN GOOD ENOUGH TO PASS FOR THE ORIGINAL
The problem we have today, which is much more substantial than when I entered the profession, is that there are far more home decorators out there, who like the visuals of antiques, but honestly, don't have a clue what makes one an "original," versus a reproduction. They study decorating books and magazines, and decide they want to incorporate some of those characteristics into their own homes and cottages. This is great, but without a background in antiques, there's a really good chance of purchasing something for an antique price, but get an article instead that is circa 2000 and then some. In my own early days, there were far more patrons who knew their stuff, and could easily distinguish a fraud from the real McCoy. It's not that we didn't have home decorators in 1977 when I opened my first shop, but these folks were astute, and even if they were buying an old tin pail, used to collect maple sap, they wanted a story to go with it. They wanted it to be genuine. Not the work of a modern tin-smith. Today with the volume of reproductions, even dealers can be confused about authenticity. It's a nasty business. In our trade, we just expect it's going to surface every day on the job. When we are out on the hunt and gather, dollars to donuts, we will find a wide array of reproduction china, glass (this is horrendous, there are so many copies available), pottery, silver, chairs, tables, dressers, cupboards, and even art work. Five minutes inside the door of a second hand, or charity shop, it prevails upon our senses. We are trained to watch for certain characterizing colors used in the past, and we know the importance of patina and how to determine the finish that was made to look old, versus the patina that is the genuine article. Now in all fairness, reproductions are generally sold as such. It's the rebound sales that cause the problems for sellers and buyers. Inexperienced vendors will often think they've got an original, and price accordingly, when in fact, they've got a 1990's gift store dish or pottery jug. Some of these reproductions are done so well, it does take a magnifying glass to make the call, as to whether it is a well executed copy, or a nice, well conserved, original. I believe that reproduction glass is what causes most confusion amongst buyers. Heritage glass has its integral characteristics of coloration, texture, weight, feel, and clarity, that most dealers with veteran status, can identity without actually picking the subject piece up. If you handle thousands upon thousands of old glass goblets and bowls, you develop this sensory perception. But I can certainly understand why mistakes are made. What I can't accept, is how a trained and experienced antique dealer, can routinely mistake old glass with new……even when they are told what they are selling is a long way from original…..as they are touting on the price tag. I've done this many times, when I feel particularly angry about the prices being asked, and possibly being paid by unsuspecting customers. We have an obligation, with our experience, and our resources, to be able to identify, over time and study, the real thing from the fake. If a reproduction is being sold….it should be properly identified and the price adjusted accordingly. I have copies in our shop, and the prices are reflective of the "copy status." It's the right thing to do. But it's not a consistent attitude, and it gives the antique profession, as a whole, a poor grade.
It's always a case of "buyer beware" out there. As a result of so many frauds being sold as original, all over the antique and collectable market place, Suzanne and I stick to what we know well, and seldom stray into areas we aren't so sure about. I adore folk art, but let me tell you, in the past ten years I've seen more and more copies of naive art, done by artists off-shore, to mimic our pioneer art forms. This makes me nuts, as this was once a safe haven. Books are still pretty good, this way, and it's no problem finding the replica editions, because of the information they are forced to provide by international government regulation. The reason it is important to know what you're doing out there, is that millions of dollars are wasted every year, by folks spending money on what they believe is original, only to find out it is a cheap copy and nothing more. Generally, worthless. I see it frequently, when these people come into our shop for verification of age, and value, and I have to break the news that they've been duped, fooled, misled, and ripped-off. The only way to stop the bleeding, is to learn as much about antiques as possible, before entering the marketplace…..even as a home decorator. If you want fair value, you have to do the research required, to judge for yourself……is it a good buy for the asking price? What is it's provenance? The pivot of all of this, is one question? "Is this an original piece? If an antique and collectable dealer claims it is original, then by golly, you have the ability to come back on the business, if it is eventually proven a fraudulent statement. No antique dealer wants to get saddled with this negative review. So when asked, even if they haven't claimed it on the price tag, they might cough-up the truth when confronted pointedly, and intimately, face to face. If someone pays for the piece without asking……then it comes down to the unfortunate standoff, "Don't ask, don't tell!"
Very few critics would say that antique prices are too low. Rather, we'd all agree, it's the case that they're "too high." So when we have this kind of price elevation, as a norm in the industry, we sure as hell have to work harder, to keep reproductions separate and properly identified as such, to avoid any expensive mistakes, when confusion ensues. If they're marked as reproductions, that's fair and equal. It's not a lot to ask, is it?
Thanks for dropping by for a visit. Lots more to come.
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