Of course, it must not be imagined that anyone can go into a second-hand shop, a marine-store dealer8’s, or a pawnshop, and come out with a bargain every time. Nor do I assert{183} that every piece bought will justify9 the enthusiasm of the first moments of possession. But I do say that, given reasonable judgment10, anyone may form the nucleus of a small collection, and that with decent care in adding to it pieces that are considered rare, genuine, and unusual, the result will be entirely11 gratifying—yielding a full measure of artistic12 satisfaction, to say nothing of pecuniary13 advantage.
I need hardly say that the seeker for bargains should not attempt to pursue his object in large West End shops or their equivalents in provincial14 cities. Rent, rates, and large salary lists preclude15 any possibility of cheapness there. And further, if I may venture to let my readers into a secret, there are hundreds of so-called antique dealers16 in our principal cities who are as incapable17 of telling the real antique from the artful fake as the veriest tyro18. Their statements, about glass in particular, are often utterly19 unreliable. There are good firms to be found who have expert knowledge and whose judgment may be relied upon, but they are few and far between. The so-called expert antiquary is only too often a victim to his own too alluring20 imagination. He thinks{184} he knows, “good, easy man,” when in reality fancy is building him a home of romance, into which, unluckily, he leads his too credulous21 client. And—then the disillusionment! And confidence in expert opinion vanishes into the realm of the things that were.
A friend of mine recently purchased a “Fiat” glass from a large and famous West End house. He was assured that it was genuine, and on the strength of that assurance paid a fair price. Within three days he was back, furious at being deceived. They returned his money. To my own knowledge, that particular firm has had many old wine glasses engraved22 with the “Fiat” decoration and emblems23. They are stored in a dark cupboard and one only is shown at a time. There is little doubt that many collectors have suffered from this insolent24 piece of trickery. Personally, were I starting to collect glass in a small way, and for any reason preferred not to go out into the highways and byways to gather in what I might find, I would shun25 the big dealer altogether. I should select a small man whom I had reason to believe scrupulous26 and “clean”—a man with a reputation to gain and, consequently, a business to{185} make. Such a man will generally have had a sound training, will know his subject, and take pleasure in justifying27 your confidence.
The question of price is always a serious one, and it is easy to understand the reluctance28 of the amateur to inquire the price of a piece which has taken his fancy, knowing, as he does, that the sum asked may probably be as many guineas as he may be prepared to pay shillings. Yet a price, though high, need not necessarily be excessive; a genuine specimen29 acquires value in proportion to its rarity rather than its beauty of design or build. As to genuineness, a decent firm will readily give a guarantee by writing upon the bill something of this nature, “We guarantee this article to be genuine old —— glass, made and decorated at ——, about the year ——, and in the event of the purchaser wishing to return it within one week, we will refund30 in full the amount paid, provided the article is returned in perfect condition.” A short time limit is only fair, as the seller must protect himself against a possible loss of sale.
One word as to judging glass. It is not necessary to assume that a glass is old because{186} it “rings” well; yet this is a common belief. The clearness with which a glass will ring depends on many things, the most important being its shape. Thus finger basins, rummers, large glasses, bowls, and preserve jars invariably ring well whether ancient or modern. The expert will judge by texture31, the colour peculiar32 to the variety of glass, the shape, and the style of decoration. Even here he may readily be deceived, all these features being reproduced with remarkable33 fidelity34. Only a short time ago a buyer to a large London firm asked my opinion with regard to a bowl which he had bought as “Early English glass.” To all appearance it was genuine, and yet it was clearly proved to be of Dutch, and very recent Dutch, manufacture. This Dutch glass is imported in large quantities, but the expert eye can readily detect it. The colour is a uniform green—a kind of deep-sea tint35, and very clear. Moreover, the ware36 is not nearly so heavy as the genuine Waterford, which it resembles, and the facets37 of the cutting are too perfect and sharp. The muddy-coloured glass is also frequently imitated in the Dutch factories. Here again the weight is an important test; it is far lighter38 than the genuine{187} English product. Even the facial scratches with which age invariably adorns39 the bases of all glass vessels40 are imitated by the modern “fake” merchant. A brief rubbing with pumice stone or rubbing the specimen against a stone will produce the desired effect.
The best training for the amateur collector is to spend a few weeks in examining a really good collection, say that in the British Museum or in the South Kensington Museum. Thus the eye becomes educated to the colour, shape, texture, style of decoration, etc., of the various kinds of glass, and is less likely to be deceived by even the best of modern imitations.
Then there is the eternal question of price. One point should be always before the collector’s mind: In the event of my being compelled to realise my collection, what price may I hope to get for it? To the collector the buying price and the selling price are intimately connected. There is so much capital to be locked up, so much time employed, so much skill displayed, and there should be a fair recompense for all three. And, further, there is the ever-present risk that fashion may change, and articles once greedily sought after may become unsaleable{188} because they are “out of fashion.” Of course, one obvious way of purchasing to advantage is when others have to sell at a disadvantage; when collections come into the market because of the death or misfortune of their owner. At such sales I have known many bargains picked up, although it is again necessary to emphasise41 the need for wariness42. Bogus sales are not unknown, and it is a common practice for genuine sales to be “salted,” and often pretty liberally, by the introduction of inferior imitations, in the hope that, among much that is undoubtedly43 genuine, they may escape detection.
I may, perhaps, be permitted to say a word as to the prices which should be paid in the ordinary way at such sales. An old Waterford cut-glass jug44 is, provided its cutting is perfect, certainly worth a five-pound note. A very common dodge45 is to sell an old Waterford jug with a cracked handle, the crack being where it is least likely to show, i.e. at the top or bottom of the handle close to where it joins the body. For an ordinary spiral wine glass 7s. 6d. to 10s. is a fair price, but glasses with baluster stems are easily worth a guinea. Most expensive of all are the real “Fiat” glasses: ￡9, ￡10, ￡15, and{189} even more may be paid for one. I saw one sold a few months ago for the record price of nineteen guineas.
If you come across a “Fiat” glass priced at a five-pound note, or less, you may be sure of one of two things: either the owner does not know the value of the piece or it is an imitation. Baluster stems are not often to be met with, but they may well be worth anything from ￡1 to 30s. Of course, in considering this question of price one must not forget that often a fancy price is willingly paid in order to complete a set, or for some other reason. Irish finger glasses with double lip are, roughly, worth from 5s. to 7s. 6d., and sometimes higher prices are given for sets of a dozen, or even half a dozen. Opaque46 glass is rare, and glasses with opaque twists are worth about 15s. apiece. Masonic, thistle, and boot glasses run about three, two, and one guinea respectively. Salt-cellars, with their Irish flat cutting, cost anything from a guinea each, and vinegar and oil bottles about 30s. I have purposely refrained from mentioning any large or important pieces; there are many such perfectly47 well known to the expert. It is, of course,{190} quite impossible to fix a price for these. As an Appendix to this book I have drawn48 up a list of prices fetched by important pieces at recent sales. A large Waterford bowl will fetch twenty-five to thirty guineas, and if its genuineness is incontestable and its artistic merit high, it may well bring twice that figure.
Personally, I consider that the high-water mark has been reached in the price of ordinary pieces of old glass. There is certainly a great demand for it at the moment; but such crazes are rarely lasting49, and the time may come when antique glass, which has largely dispossessed antique silver, will itself fall into disfavour before the onset50 of some newer fancy.
The End
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1
ransacking
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| v.彻底搜查( ransack的现在分词 )；抢劫，掠夺 | |
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second-hand
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| adj.用过的，旧的，二手的 | |
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nucleus
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| n.核，核心，原子核 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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toils
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| 网 | |
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discriminate
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| v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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dealer
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| n.商人，贩子 | |
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9
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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pecuniary
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| adj.金钱的；金钱上的 | |
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provincial
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| adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人 | |
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preclude
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| vt.阻止，排除，防止；妨碍 | |
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dealers
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| n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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tyro
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| n.初学者；生手 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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alluring
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| adj.吸引人的，迷人的 | |
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credulous
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| adj.轻信的，易信的 | |
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engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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emblems
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| n.象征，标记( emblem的名词复数 ) | |
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insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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shun
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| vt.避开，回避，避免 | |
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scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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justifying
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| 证明…有理( justify的现在分词 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护） | |
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reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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refund
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| v.退还，偿还；n.归还，偿还额，退款 | |
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31
texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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35
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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ware
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| n.(常用复数)商品，货物 | |
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facets
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| n.（宝石或首饰的）小平面( facet的名词复数 )；（事物的）面；方面 | |
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lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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adorns
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| 装饰，佩带( adorn的第三人称单数 ) | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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41
emphasise
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| vt.加强...的语气，强调，着重 | |
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wariness
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| n. 注意,小心 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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44
jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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45
dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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46
opaque
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| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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48
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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49
lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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50
onset
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| n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始 | |
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