The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-02-27
NORTH SEA ANTIQUES
HOW THE Willy COLLECTOR DEALS
IN FUTURES WITH TIE PEASANT.

ture-- limitations 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 Gf .
such thing cautiously he can /
get a higher price for the articles at pres .
emit in his warerooms, it is u fact that the .
old furniture marts of New York and Lon
don-New York particularly been |
swept very nearly clean. There are still to .
he found, it is true good pieces of ancient .
furniture-colonial, Dutch, old English, |
French and SPANISH n , and there, but .
they arc seldom pieces y s fine quality
and of as good style Of decoration as it
was possible to purchase ten years ago,
while at Moderate prices it is impossible to
buy anything Of great excellence, save by
the barcst chance. To the unwary, tho
badly posted collectors, tho old furniture
mart does not show this for the trade has
been tempered with, and limitations are
freely sold in many quarters. Buying old
furniture is now like buying japanese Gu
rios in Japan-ono must TO q keen collect
or not to load himself 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
ougbly 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
suasiveness 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
Of lnin hntf Inf tnn bny
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 n sure and
profitable sale today, even when the dealer
himself has to pay high prices for 1t, that
this state of affairs Is q most distressing
one. The only chance Of getting any speci-
mems now has come to he by visiting the
islands of the North sea that are off the
line of travel There tho dealer meets with
some success, though he has to buy in
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 n long pipe and to quaff mixture
of schnapps.
A bout the room are seated Dutch vii
layers, pulling away placldly without n
word. Chance Offering, the dealer speaks
to the one nearest him ana announces the
fact that he is DESTROYS of buying some fine
old pieces of furniture The Dutchman
smokes medtatvely for full five minutes
before he answers that no is sorry, but he
has none to SELL The dealer, still sending
out clouds or smoke from MS pipe powl
and ordering more schnapps, after allow
Ing the proper number OF moments TO pass
In silence, asks II he then does not know
of some one who might be induced TO sell
Half day has been consumed aitogeth-
er before the villager hnaliy answers that
he thinks lie does know OF such "a man.
lhere are more pipes ana more urlnk'hg
and then the Dutchman agrees 10 Jake the
dealer TO tha1 man the loilo"ihg alter-
noon. Inc next gay there is announcer SEES
sion vi sihohe anu sohn"Pps III 'ile 'a.erh
before they start out. Az the '!ouse OF the
Vliaeer 'here Il ";'oVner muir or TWO spen'
In leaulnR up TO tne SupIect' has1e oi any
MINI ooihS i"'oo III uo"6" WIN WV
North sea isiahoers' anu 'neii' aieer care,
tul consiueratloh' tne grizzleu ola heau Oh
the lainiiy uecioes 'na' he oahho' se'i MS
househoiu relics.
ANY other man imam thoroughly post.
ed dealer woulu kno" ne was Dea'eh ana
leave In disgust bu1 one oeaier VINO I'M
derstands these lslanas ana the ways OF
Their lhhaDltants mas announcer card 10 play,
Blddlng gooupy TO the ola man, nc ana
MS gulde go In search Oh Ihe SON Inc
dealer whlie ne was IN the Viiiager mouse
saw the furniture anu Knows "ha1 ne
wants ne son IL ho' 81 opuuraUe' ne
likes the cllnk anu inc rustic OF the golu,
silver ana bahk notes inc deaier produces
But ne says, cannon sell the lur'
nlture III Is not mine 10 sell All the
same, ne iooks wistiuliy a1 the money
~ understand, answers 1he ueaier'
'ot course you can sell me furniture
is not yours but IL VIII DC soon' perhaps
In less IMAM year your iatner Is gettine
10 be an ola man. TIC VIII uie III iittie
While Iou aIe 'ho heir' wien no oles'
will with. -