The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-05-06
BUYING EN9RATTNGS.
How skiir,s, Collectors aue Sometimes Re-
ceived-Higk Prices for OId Prints.

How skiirw, Collectors are Sometimes Re-
ceivcd-Hixh Prices for OLA Prints.
my partner has just gone ont for a walk"
! said dealer in old ongravings. He said no
found the air VI the store oppressive. Tho fact
\ IL. we had IN unusually large doonsday order
this morning-that Ia. an order which 1t takesa
! bong time to- fll-and it saldened him. The
\ commission WAS from new customer. whose
i list led of with little print of liembrandts
known TO coectors's The Dog This etching
was originally produced by tho master oh one
corner of a comparatively large copper plato.
/, In printing tie first coDies. sheets OF paper
covering tho whole OF 1t were used. thus leaving
u very wide margin on two sides Of the etching
and IL narrow one Nh tho othors. Tho copper
| plate was then sawed down to tho proper size,
and the rest OF tho impressions taken. We could
onsily supply our customer with one of the lat
tor prints but he expressly orders IL large paper
\ copy Row. that In precisely what we cHnnot
get for lovo or money. Printing tho etchiny
on largo Daper gave it q tremendous vogue
among print collectors and 1t IL to this cir
eunsianoe that the engraving owes its great
scarcity and enormous price. FOR IL has no
special value us II work Of art This incident
( Will give you an idea Of what thu taste FOR
| prints sometimes leads to when II is oyerdonn
| and becomes a mania. The noxt item on the
/ gcntlemsn's list calls for an artists proof i'm
| might ns wcil hnvc sent ~ an order for one Of
| Jumbo's cars. fhc th ri en cans for Il copy
| 81 tln'Eucrras portrait of Columbus. The
! difficulties siirrou aiding this order vera Of II
| depressing character. II was ut this point that
| my Dnrtn"r want out to va X.
| " Ii IL not alone the su-c;l led rare eIgravings
/ which are hard TO obtain. Good ordinary
sanbe coadivon. arn ty no means ~, easily
! found as formerly. Ten years have made u
~t n.ii"rSncG IN tho adrkc, There s are at
| on" ten years ago. Americans are oNhaustng
| tho European portfolios. and dealers fnd IL
ii pays to Keep II large stock. not only for salcs
hut because Tho g?."shs arc constantly appre-
| brine an ADVANCE on their iormcr priro every
,inr they rca,h ihe auction room, ard they
srass Is's I Ia I' i%S slf5sa s%i
s si"nns i"' cbs ' "a %t t tha s,e
would bring, 5000 at any time. One was
4 in aSag% rh9s lS7 %r S9 En 49
pr.rcs. prodf copy q" Da Viiin"is Last Sup
r ?, ;o engraved ny Rnrh9wG ,MorLG,n Is Norh
has puadruuicd in va lue in ilTtcen. wears. I
know Of one new on sale in TINS city for 81. 900.
brssden in i6 t Rr e lStbey rar nro
besirabie Albert Durcrs arc now very high in;
decd. Co!lcctors have swallowed ny, u good
J the anchor mark; the 'h!ins and crown or
the great bulls head water marks, brings II
" OF course tho markc, ls full Of limitations II
! these and of ali Other valuable prints and soma
OF them are :" clever that even tho dealers are
deceived. Tho various NOR" or less fraudulent
processes arc indulE"d in to IN almost un-
limited extent. Even the paper is initiated,
aud nowadays tho imitation Of water MARKS
ceiyc eNuertss. Thc, COLLECTIONS of cnfrav;
inss in this city are fill 81 limitations or lxed
F.. ~ prints. aud If they wore not skiiful!y done
they would be thrown out for NJ matter how
| cravings are often seen by experienced col
ertors aud nothing lesl"s virtnoso so great
y rs To 81 ,ow brother collector wherein
he has matte an unwiso purchase. Speaking
| Of limitations. there are 50 many. aud they are
AFRAID i to uy even , IS orgimas. prin. W,
lis. ed ia IN imitation and sold ut auction as
! dealers present. only one perceived that il was
an oriEinni. He purchased IT Tor Fey shi-
inss Er%2yea is "nnp be- and reso'd it Gr
limitations who "A year or two after finishing a
piece al work c,,nnot distinguish lis own pro-
was mixed up with :, lot OF B.rehem ctchinss
n LWopeap museum, wiihout, any precdu-
that tho imitation plat" could not b. pQsitieeiy
Identified. and thc museum authorities felt
the process 10 not very difficult il you have
yr Of eye a~I 5Sg % b so anI
sil,po Of tho wator mark required il removed
Rn Hf Which ha yrrT ~anr sg os
cn"d and subjected 10 hydrnnlir pressure 4
more common Dlt NOV 50 tHtCtlinl mrtuoN ~
to carefully paint the figure on tho paper with
! very little sweet oil. The parts touched Hro
! OF course easily made out by transmitted light,
| once got caught myself on the paper tcst. 1
had been studying M tn. subject Of paUers so
thoroughly that when I happened to como
| across a certain rnt which wanted bought
| it ut once because | know the paper to be gen
uinc. / neglected to make Il proper exnnlnu-
ton OF tho face OF the engraving, but when I
| returned home found ! hrd bought n let in
print rintLithat is the r,nt Itself which was very
| surrounded by margin of genuine old paper.
! The paper had probably been taken from s6mo
Old book. Fly leaves OF ancient iolios arc often
! used for this purpose. would havo seen tho
error IN time. probably but bought the print
from ono Of those dealers who make it n point
to keep their stores partially darkencd."