The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-04-15

TRADE IN BOGUS CHINA
Little Manufactured Price Too
Small fo Profit.
EARLY PIECES COPIED
Paul Revere silver Valuable Enough
to Repay Imltatlon--"old English
Plate" Made With a stolen Hall
mark-old American Glass Inter
eatlnn But Mot ExnenslXe.

lean china, glass and silver is not
nearly so extensive as one might be
led to believe by the demand for these
objects. Yet there are certain pieces
of native china that have been dupli-
Gated with considerable success, says
tho New York Sun.
All of these falsiflcations have come
from certain source, which has been
traced with approximate accuracy by
the New York dealers, who are care
full to follow up such frauds.
So far not more than four or five
of these American plates have been
reproduced. Among these is the Love-
Joy plate, showing quotation from
the Constitution of the United States.
This is usually painted in light blue
on white background The genuine
specimens have on the top Of the
plate picture of the assassination
of Lovejoy, which took place In 1887.
Other copies of the old plates put on
the market by the suspected dealer
have been taken from the old blue
and white made in Staffordshire and
again in this country early in the CEN
tury and bearing pictures Of such
scenes as the Bank of Philadelphia
or the White House.
"As the best specimens OF these
plates have sold at S45," said an ex-
pert to the Sun reporter, "it is not
90 10
them. Then they must be careful and
not make their copies too numerous.
II the supply seems too large the de-
nand will be more easily satisfied
and prices will go down. These con-
siderations have made the dealer in
different as to the duplication OF
American pottery.
when they have once come into
his hands, they are for a while put
into some extremely cold place. Then
they are suddenly exposed to high
degree of heat This cracks the en-
amel all over the plates and into these
cracks grease is rubbed. Dust or
cracks and sticks giving them the
appearance of having been used for
years. Sometimes bit Is Clipped on
! the edge and rubbed with oil and dirt
or lampblack.
"Then the pictured surface OF the
| plate is scratched with a sharp point
| ed object to give II the look of long
usage. The plates are then put away
into some very dusty place where they
get a little dlrtier looking before they
are finally put on the market"
| This is rather an elaborate process
for the compensation that results. A
dozen plates Is the most that the deal
er can attempt to put on the mnrKe,
in year, and as his net profit may not
be more than $40 piece, the indus
try in this department of fraud is not
extensive. In china only the plates
have been reproduced, as the hollow
ware is too costly for takers to pro.
duce and brings too little.
In the same way there has been nc
attempt to initiate the early specimens
of native glass Some OF them ar,
very quaint and graceful, but the
prices are not high.
The large supply of blue and white
china turned out by the potteries nov
is not intended as anything but mar.
ketable imitation of the old work and
reproduces few cf the ca tine scenes
of American cities that the English
makers began to put on their Stafford.
shire ware after the war of 1912.
Previous to- the Revolution, Ameri
cans had used the Oriental porcelaini
brought from China Then they useC
Lowestoft for while before the ex
portation of the Staffordshire chini
became general. This fell into grea
disfavor along with other English ex
Forts after the war of 1872 Will,
the Dutch were trying to seize tn,
trade Of Great Britain with this coun
try the English manufacturers deter
mined TO hold on to II by every pos
sible means. So they began TO pu
American scenes and views on thei
porcelain and even fattering inscrip
tions In order to retain this trade tha
had been so profitable. All thes'
plates and hollow pieces date from
| ptitOu phboSquoht W thC wal "
1912.
The fascination of old American sill
yer is in at least one case well wotl
the while of the bric-a-brac takers
The Paul Revere pieces will bring a
much as $500 or $500 when they ar
properly authenticated. All the spoon
and other bits are marked with tn
name Revere" printed in block let
ters on an oblong die. There has beel
a great deal of the old Revere silver
since his father before Paul was ais
|. a sllversmlth.
/ It is practically in the Rever
spoons alone that the fakes have at
tempted to work. Small creamers
as they are called In the business
bring as much as $3.50, but 1t is impos
sible for them to be 80 manufacture
as to deceive experts.
! With the English silver sold Il
this country the result is very differ
ent. That can easily be fraudulen
and yet appear perfectly genuine .
any but the most careful expert.
All the genuine old English silve
i hoara fopr m. a ,.Ixo x.,hiob tho .,,lao q.