©1999-2015
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The following article appeared in
WPA
Press, Vol. 5, July 2000
Fake? Fraud? or Find?
As the result of a letter forwarded to me by the president of the Wisconsin Pottery Association, I was so incensed that I called Barb to let her know that the author of the letter had been duped by an unscrupulous antique dealer. I told Barb that with the advent of Antiques Roadshow and the popularity of collecting antiques over the internet, many people were spending big bucks, only to find out later that their genuine, authentic antiques were reproductions. Consequently, Barb asked me to compose these words of caution to collectors and dealers: research, research, research... and know your dealer before making an expensive purchase. The contents of the letter stated that the woman had found my name on the WPA website as a member who had made a presentation on Czechoslovakian pottery in 1998. She stated that she had recently purchased a 20-piece canister set marked with the stamp "Czechoslovakia" on the bottom of each piece, that the dealer had told her the pieces were made around 1900, and could I give her the origin of the set and approximate price for resale? She mentioned the floral designs were decals and that each piece was labeled in English. Well, my heart sunk as I pondered what to tell the woman. In the first place, there was no such place as Czechoslovakia until the country's formation in 1918 out of Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia. Secondly, canister sets usually consisted of just 15 pieces, and those with decals and decal floral motifs weren't shipped to United States merchandisers, such as Sears & Roebuck, Macy's and Marshall Fields, until the late 20's and even into the 30's. Prior to 1918, pottery from what became Czechoslovakia was labeled Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Bavaria and variations of German states. Unfortunately, I cannot give a true appraisal of the canister set until I receive photos; however, after two trips to Florida recently, I found a huge trade in reproductions going on that has since invaded shops in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and even Wisconsin. Blatant ads appear in southern antique magazines that shock any true lover of genuine antiques. One ad reads: "Attention Stocking Dealers Get in Here! The Largest Selection of Antique Reproductions In This Area! 2 Fully Stocked Warehouses (over 100,000 sq. ft.) Specializing in Antique Reproductions (hey, that's all we have). Old Stuff: (nothings old, just reproduced!) Porcelain, Depression Glass, etc." Being somewhat of an antique detective, I decided to take it upon myself to investigate the dealers who specializes in hawking Czech reproductions. It took me some time to gain the trust of "Sam"; he was very careful about revealing tricks of the trade. I represented myself as a Midwest dealer who wasn't concerned about authenticity. After all, a very well-known decorator who has a TV show had said she wasn't concerned whether pieces were old or new. She said nobody sitting at her table were able to tell whether her tableware was old or reproduced. Mix and match. Nobody will know. So Sam took me into his confidence. Each month boatloads of reproductions arrive in Florida. He fills his truck to the top and heads for various antique malls through out the south and makes four trips a year to Midwest malls. His imports come from all over the world, but particularly Asia and Eastern Europe. If pieces look too new, he said there are ways of making pottery and crystal look old. His workers use small fine-tooth files to make chips and scratches, and often times just rub a piece over rough concrete to give the bottoms an old look. Boiled tea and stains are used to darken raw edges and manufacturer's flaws, after which copies of hallmarks are laminated on. I was heartbroken when Sam opened a box that contained copies of one of my prized possessions - a figural pipe holder that I had purchased on one of my first trips to Czechoslovakia eighteen years ago. I mentioned that while I was there, many Japanese had been buying old fabric patterns and pottery and glass molds. But that was no surprise to Sam. He even told of a convent where nuns were reproducing Midwest pottery from molds they had been given when the factory went belly-up. Sam told me "You name it. I can get it for you. Royal Bayreuth, Weller, RedWing. What do you want?" I've since seen up to five copies of my pipeholder in one mall alone, and many others all over the Midwest. Needless to say, I was almost sick to my stomach after spending time with Sam, but the big shocker came when I attended a collector's meeting. The main speaker was a so-called authority on Moser crystal, so I asked my sister to join me, since I had brought her pieces of Moser from Karlovy Vary each of the past eighteen years and even had a special vase made in honor of her 50th wedding anniversary. The lectures began with a slide presentation that was filled with so many errors, it was apparent that the man knew nothing about the company. Furthermore, he kept pronouncing Moser as MOZHUR (as if the "s" had a diacritical hacek or small v over it) instead of MOZUR. When the lights came up, the speaker showed only three pieces in his collection, and I recognized all as reproductions. Moser would never allow anything of such low quality out of the country. Whereupon, my sister and I approached him after others had left him to himself. We asked how many times he had been to the Czech Republic, and he replied, "I've never been there." My sister inquired why he kept pronouncing Moser incorrectly, and he said he had been told that before, but he wasn't about to change. And then came the final blow. Where did you purchase the pieces in your collection? And the answer was, "Canada." My sister was so furious by that time, she shouted "Had I known beforehand that you knew nothing about Moser, I would have brought my collection and books on Moser and done a heck of a lot better than you....and without pay." And so the story goes. After years of collecting and haunting antique shops throughout the United States, Europe, China and Japan, I'm still receiving letters and phone calls with requests to do appraisals and evaluations, not only on fine pieces of art, but more recently into the field of collectibles, such as depression glass, FireKing, Azurite, ashtrays and other items that are still either in my kitchen cupboards or stowed away in my garage. My only true excitement is when I walk into a shop and discover an item or items that are originals and priced much lower than their worth. A case in point is a Czech wall pocket that I found in an antique mall in northern Wisconsin. I bought it for eight dollars, and when I came home I looked in a new book on Czech antiques and saw it priced at four hundred dollars. Thinking this to be a printing error, I called the publisher, who then put me in touch with the authors of the book. They informed me that the four hundred dollars was correct and asked if I had any other of the more expensive pockets. Sure enough! A wall pocket I had picked up for $12.50 was appraised at $375.00!! A further example of a dealer not knowing the value of his stock occurred recently when I saw two pieces of Russian figurals marked as Norwegian. Since a friend of mine has a huge collection of anything Russian, I called him and off we raced to make the purchase. After making photographs of the items and sending them off to be appraised, we learned that the forty dollar purchase was worth well over five hundred dollars. True, every dealer or collector cannot know everything. However, a few simple rules should apply not only to collectors, but dealers as well. First, read and research every piece you can find on your subject. But beware! There is much in print by so-called "experts" that is not correct. Second, if a piece is heavier or has a duller glaze or look to it and shows signs of wear, it most likely is an antique. Third, price should not be a determinant as to whether the piece is antique or not. Brand new Egermann crystal pieces are appearing everywhere among older pieces marked "ruby glass" and are commanding outrageous prices. Fourth, know your dealer! If he can't give you a history of your purchase and its value, be suspicious. But seek out dealers who know nothing about what they are selling. My twenty-four dollar set of six Josef Mrazek tumblers and plates marked with the early 1917 painted black bird covering the Made in Japan marks is now receiving offers of up to two thousand dollars! And the person who sold me the set insisted, "They're Mexican and would look great on a patio shelf with a colored rug behind them." Finally, if a piece intrigues you...or you simply must have it, whether it's old or new...buy it. In time, it too will become an antique. In her book "Made in Czechoslovakia, Book 2", Ruth Forsythe states:" Differentiating reproductions from originals is a matter of experience. Only an expert can tell the difference, but you too can become an expert in time." Caveat Emptor! |
