Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-27
HIGH PRICED CHINA
Specimens Worth More Than
Weight in Gold.
MUST BE OLD, THOUGH
STORY OF A CRACKED DINNER
PLATE.
FiveToed Dragons and Sixteen-Peta
Nuns" Give Big
Value.
MUST BE OLD, THOUGH


II you happen to possess a cup or saucer
with five-claw green dragon on IT, or a
porcelain bowl decorated with a sixteen
petaled chrysanthemum. though perhaps
you are unaware of the fact, you have
treasure that is worth its weight in gold.
But however richly decorated the piece of
porcelain may otherwise be. unless the
dragon has five claws and the chrysanthe-
mum sixteen petals. more and no SIS, 1t
has no value in one particular respect.
Now. the reason why a dra gon with five
claws or a chrysanthemum of sixteen pet
ais makes a very ordina ry-looking cup Or
saucer worth so much is this: A green
dragon with five claws is the crest of the
Chinese emperor, and it is only porcelain
manufactured for his special use that is
permitted to bear that device Indeed, in
China the severest penalties are enforced
against any one even found with such por-
celain in his possession.
For a similar reason search through all
the bric-a-brac stores in the United States
for little cup with a xteen-petaled chrys-
anthemum on it. and the chances are a
thousand to one you will be disappointed.
Cups, bowls and saucers you will. OF
course, find in plenty with chrysanthe-
NUNS on them. but on close inspection you
any number of petals but sixteen. AS a
hNe-claW dragon is the crest of the Chinese
emperor so a sixteen petaled chrysanthe-
mum is that of his imperial ajesty of ia
pan, and porcelain SO decorated is also for
his use only. To prevent any of this porce-
lain reaching the outside market the great
est precautions are taken both in the
factory and at the palace. All pieces
not in use, or rejected at the factory as i'm
perfect. are at once destroyed by officers
appointed for that purpose. But in spite of
penalties and precautions. a few pieces OF
both do occasionally escape official vigil
lance, and these are likely to be found in
the most unexpected places. Here. for in
stance, is the story of a fve-claw green
dragon saucer which was picked up at a
sale for less than two cents:
A Lucky Purchase.
A few years ago a curio hunter bid In
job lot at an auction on account of an old
pistol which was offered with several other
apparently worthless objects. But in the
lot was saucer with a single green dragon
on the inside surface. 1t was rather
quaint-looking piece, but as the curo hunter
explained subsequently, he was not partlcu-
larry Interested in porceains, and at the
time would have readily made it a present
to any one for the asking. He figured out
that 1t cost him less than two cents.
In year or two the owner decided to
DISPOSE of his curios by auction. AS his
collection was well known, many people
came to inspect 1T before the sale. He was
then not little surprised to be asked by
an apparently much interested person
whether the saucer would be included in
the sale. as it was not entered on the cat
alogue. The saucer had been entirely over
looked, but it was finally decided to include
1t in the sale. though 1t was not supposed
the piece would bring ten cents.
So, after the important numbers had
been disposed Of. the auctioneer put up the
With e., It,,,s g..
remarks. He asked If any one would
bid five cents for the saucer, and five cents
was promptly offered. Then came a bid of
twenty-five cents. capped by another bid
price rose briskly to $40 At $23 1t was
finally knocked down, to the establishment
Of all the uninitiated present But the two
bidders happened to know the value of q
five-claw dragon when they saw one, at
any rate on a saucer. The subsequent his
tory of the saucer, too, was not unevent-
full. In year or two it was again sold
at auction. and was then bought by q
dealer at a big advance on the S23. By
him it was taken east and resod into one
of the finest collections. where 1t now re-
poses In handsome glass case.
Only Few Here.
OF the imperial Japanese porcelain there
are perhaps twenty-five or thirty pieces
known to be In the United States. An
American woman who a short time since re-
turned from Japan was fortunate enough
to secure a dozen saki cups and fsaucers
bearing the coveted sixteen-petaled chrys-
anthemum. How she managed it is a story
she will not disclose. as a few vacant posi-
tons in the imperial household might re-
suit in consequence.
1t will thus be seen that II you should
discover in your china closet saucer with
a five-claw dragon on it, or a little bowl
bearing a sixteen-petaled chrysanthemum,
you have a treasure whose proper place Is
in your reception room.
In connection with this much coveted
imperial porcelain there is a cracked plato
somewhere that would be worth $500 to a
fortunate discoverer When the famous
Royal Worcester dinner set was made for
the English crown service three plates
slightly damaged were rejected, but by
some oversight not destroyed. Two of
these plates found their way into a private
collection. and are treasured that $500
each has been offered in vain for them
by the lord chamberlain's department. The
third plate has disappeared but even IL
found in pieces the offer of $500 still holds