The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-27
ELI 8. in Chicago Record Herald.

P I. g. in Chicago Record-Herald.
 There is nothing of value or interest
 from ancient coins and examples or the
 rlvptic art through the whole llst or
 articles of furniture, bric a-Drac' mar
 ble, ivory, silver. embroidery. tapestry,
 painting or precious stones that IS not
 initiated and offered as genuine to the
 credulous seeker after the veritable or
 the antique. s
 Egyptian scarabs at Cairo. supposed
 to have been found buried in mummy
 pits, are offered and sold at exorpitaht
 prices Some few of these may De gen
 nine. but the bulk of them Is made py
 modern lapidaries in Paris or at Ober
 stein. in Germany, and are placed with
 agents near points where genuine ar
 ticles of the kind are likely to pc
 found. In several manufacturlhB towns
 in Western Europe there are manu1ac-
 turers of ancient" Roman and Greek
 coins-so well executed that experts
 are sometimes deceived by them.
 During several years of residence ana
 travel abroad, the writer has enoyed
 and improved opportunities to inVest-
 gate the methods of fake dealers III
 alleged antiques and curios. Among the "easy" victims of this class of con- fldence people are certain American tourists. They are usually of the. con ceited, money-laden variety. These' visiting localities of ancient ruins, have been known to meet with parties or peasants - simple people - dlssins among debris. and who nad Just uls- covered q deposit of coins, from which thev were rubbing the earth in Wnlch inc precious relics had lain for cen turies ,
 Thus at Athens among the ruins of the ancient monuments, tourists have secured at antique" prices teOid coins of the period of Philip and Alex ander. often paying for these imita- tjona ten times the value of the gold contained in them. These coins thus obtained were recently made by some contemplating manufacturer In Birming- ha nor some other center or manuiac- curing industries. An antlquary Who for some years has had an ofnce Tn NC" York, but who Is now engaged with his distinguished brother in Egyptian excavation and research, called upon the writer at his home. In explanation of his presence there he said that ne had responded to the request or the heirs of a wealthy collector, recently deceased, to examine, classify and val ue a large numismatic collection Which they wished to donate to museum, and the value of which they desired 10
 be fixed by a competent expert But very few pieces in this collection were found to be genuine the enterprising manufacturer being largely represented through the agency of the fake purvey- or of antiques. &*.E
 Some years ago at Florence. Italy. the writer was shown cameo done
 on sardonyx which the possessor had recently bought at curio-shop Tn Rome, and for which he had paid $6OO. It was easy for anyone to see that the cameo was a modern work. When asked if the cameo had been properly verified the owner replied 1t certainly h had been, as the person from whom ne had bought 1t had furnished him with
 a scroll relating to the history of the gem, giving the name of the artist also records from the date of the first ownership down to the last transfer done on e-begrimmed, wrinkled parchment and beginning in unpunct- uated Latin, down to modern Italian on modern paper. It Is well known that such identifying scrolls are now made to order and are supplied With alleged antiques" The commercial value of the cameo in question was
 about $50, and at that price dozens Of
 It's kind could be bought in the Roman shops.
 The celebrated case of the Cypriote
 collection, wherein the late "Genera1
 Cesnola figured, versus Gaston Feuer-
 dant. antiquary, is another instance or
 the gold brick" methods of fake an-
 tiquaries.
 A touring American lady called
 few years ago on the writer in Paris,
 asking his assistance in selecting and
 purcnasing several pieces from mum
 Der of miniatures on ivory. A person representing herself as the accredited
 agent of a princess residing in the
 Boulevard St. Germains had offered
 for sale miniatures from the collec-
 tion of the princess, which were claim
 ed to be the work of 1saby and other masters of the best
 period of miniature art. When told that the collection was most prob ably spurious. the lady was increou-
 lous. She arranged, however, Tor an exhibition of the pictures. On the Iol- lowing day the agent of the princess appeared with about thirty miniatures Upon scrutinizing the backs or the pictures there was found On many ot them a private cost mark which the writer had made with q pencil some | two weeks previous. These same pieces ! had been brought to him by commis- sionaire to be shown to O person who
 was making a collection of good copies
 of the best works of the masters m this art. The prices thus noted ranged
 from SIP to $25; the prices asked for l the same pieces by the agent of the ! princess were from $75 to $250 each' | When shown the indubitable evidence
 of her attempted fraud, the agent sinl- ply shrugged her shoulders and said: | We must do some business" She was
 warned that should she again be caught at that kind of "business' she | would be reported to the police.
 This agent had proposed to her in-