The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-08-28
NORTH SEA ANTIQUES
HOW The Willy COLLECTOR DEALS
IN FUTURES WITH THE PEASANT.
The Plan 1hat Must Now he Adopted To
Secure Specimens of Old Dutch Furni-
ture-ImitatIons Are Made and Freely
Sold to Collectors Who Are Not Posted.

ture-lmitatlons Are Made and Freely
Sold to Collectors Who Are Not Posted.
Though nearly every dealer in antiqui-
ties will deny it unless he sees that by af.
flrnfng such thing cautiously he can |
get higher price for the articles ut pres
ent in his warerooms, IL Is a fact that tho |
old furniture marts Of New York and Lon
don--New York partcularly-haye been |
swept very nearly clean. There are still tn |
be found, it Is true, good pieces Of ancient |
furniture-colonial, Dutch, old English,
French and Spanish-here and there, but
they are seldom pieces of us fine Il quality
and of as good style of decoration os it
was possible to purchase ten years ago,
while at IL oderate prices 1t is impossible to
buy anything of great excellence, save by
the barest chance. To the unwary, the
badly posted collectors, the old furniture
mart does not show this, for the trade has
been tempered with, and limitations arc
freely sold in many quarters. Buying old
furniture is now like buying japanese GU
rios in Japan-one must be keen collect
or not to loadNhimself up with plausible
seeming "truck."
Holland especially has been ransacked
| by the agents of American and English
| dealers In every hole and corner so thor
oughly that nothing remains to be pur-
chased The we'll to do in the towns and
| villages, even in the open country, will
| not yield, of course, to the wiles and per
| suasiyeness of the dealers agents, even
when very high price Is offered. Within
| the last two or three years the principals
themselves Of old furniture concerns have
been visiting this corner of Europe In the
hope of doing better, but they, too, have
failed to pick up much of value. 1t is said
that practically every cottage in the land
of the bikes has been gone through, with
disappointing results
Old Dutch furniture has such a sure ard
profitable sale today, even when the dealer
himself has to pay high prices for 1t, that
this state of affairs is IA most distressing
one. The only chance of getting any speci.
mems now has come to be by visiting the
islands Of the North sea that are off the
line of travel There the dealer meets with
some success, though no has to buy in n
most curious way He arrives at some
small village or town hardly known to
the rest of the world and, taking his post
at one of the tables in the "taproom" OF
the little tavern of the place, begins to
smoke a long pipe and to quaff mixture
of schnapps.
About the room are seated Dutch vii
layers, putting away placidly without
word. Chance offering, the dealer speaks
to the ono nearest him and announces the
fact that he is DESTROYS of buying some fine
old pieces of furniture. The Dutchman
smokes meditatively for full five minutes
before he answers that he is sorry, but ne
has none TO SELL The dealer, still sending
out clouds of smoke from his pipe bow
and ordering more schnapps, after allow
ing the proper number of moments to pass
in silence, asks If he then does not know
of some one who might be induced to sell
Half day has been consumed altogeth
er before the villager finally answers tina
he thinks he does know OF such man
l There are more pipes and more drinking
and then the Dutchman agrees to take TIT
0 ! dealer to that man the following after
g noon. The next day there is another ses
o sion of smoke and schnapps in the taverr
!, before they start out. AT the house of TIN
yillaeer there Is another hour or two spen
: in leading up to the subject, haste of an.
D kind being hated in dealings with th
8 North sea islanders, and then, after care
g fnl consideration, tho grizzled old head o
. the family decides that he cannot sell hi
household relics.
), ed dealer would know he was beaten an
:, leove i'm disgust. But the dealer who un
: derstands these islands and the ways G
70 their inhabitants has another card to play
Is Kidding goodby to the old man, he an
Il his puide 90 in search of the son. Th
T. deolor while he was In the villagers hous
saw the furniture and knows what b
wants. The son Is not so obdurate
er likes the clink and the rustic OF the golt
ID silver and bank notes the dealer produces
.But." he says, 81 cannot sell the ful
niture. 1t Is not mine to sell. All IN
IL same, lie looks wistfully at the money.
le al understand" answers the dealer
{. "Of course you can't SELL The furnitul
70 Is not yours. But 1t will be soon, perhaI
, in less than a year. Your father Is gettin
: IN he an old man. He will die In hit
while. You are the heir When he die
- the property will be yours to do what yo
will with. 4"
The son smokes on stolidly, but with
oleom of understanding in his heavy eye
:, He looks up at tho dealer with great inte
III est.
|. "Now." that gentleman goes on,
have a proposition to make to you, my
beer. Promise me when your father I'll
20 and Won come into the estate you will Sc
ne me this and this and this" (He nam
tn several articles he saw In the house)
I'd will pay you SO much for them, ana
"a many guilders down to bind the bargain
This proposition Is invariably accepte
and something like $40 in gold secur
49, these pjeces of furniture. "When your
- ther dies, mynheer, the dealer continue
" "you can let me know. will send y
at the balance of the money, and you q
yh ship the goods over to me-"
ne IL is in this way that the best OF the Q
Dutch furniture has to be bought now
days. So honest are these Nortn sea
". ,and neasants that no bill of sale Is ma
ON ont and no agreement drawn up
" young peasant word stands and Is thong
~ suficient. When he comes into the esta
no be carries out his end of the bargain a
Oh sends over the furniture. New York 1T
o. une.
m
- Dissipated.