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 provincial cities. Rent, rates, and large salary lists preclude 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 dealers in our principal cities who are as incapable of telling the real antique from the artful fake as the veriest tyro. Their statements, about glass in particular, are often utterly 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 alluring imagination. He thinks he knows, “good, easy man,” when in reality fancy is building him a home of romance, into which, unluckily, he leads his too credulous 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 engraved with the “Fiat” decoration and emblems. 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 insolent 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 shun the big dealer altogether. I should select a small man whom I had reason to believe scrupulous and “clean”—a man with a reputation to gain and, consequently, a business to make. Such a man will generally have had a sound training, will know his subject, and take pleasure in justifying your confidence.
The question of price is always a serious one, and it is easy to understand the reluctance 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 specimen 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 refund 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 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 texture, the colour peculiar 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 remarkable fidelity. 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 tint, and very clear. Moreover, the ware is not nearly so heavy as the genuine Waterford, which it resembles, and the facets 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 lighter than the genuine English product. Even the facial scratches with which age invariably adorns the bases of all glass vessels 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 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 emphasise the need for wariness. 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 undoubtedly 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 jug is, provided its cutting is perfect, certainly worth a five-pound note. A very common dodge 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 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. Opaque 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 perfectly well known to the expert. It is, of course, quite impossible to fix a price for these. As an Appendix to this book I have drawn 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 lasting, and the time may come when antique glass, which has largely dispossessed antique silver, will itself fall into disfavour before the onset of some newer fancy.