New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-12-02
Literary, Wese,s ana Criticism

credit that he sent the laird q check
for 900 guineas. There are countless
stories Of the losses TO owners which
ignorance of values has brought about.
Not long ago two volumes. first editions.
were bought from n country dealer for
; shillings; their present value Is held
by experts to be $3.50. The owner Of an
ancient house found i'm IT a secret cham
Der full of old armor-a treasure, indeed.
But he sold it to a neighboring black
smith for old iron. \ woman 'lnllrm
Of fortune" offered TO sell large album
of prints to a dealer for a few shillngs.
He examined II and to his surprise
found some fine and valuable impreS-
sions mixed with some that were worth
less. Here the ethical attitude came In
again. He did not buy the album HIM
self, but had 1t sold at auction for the
poverty stricken woman. II brought her
nearly f200o-and she demurred at pay
ing the dealers trihing commission
though she had originally proposed 10
sell the album TO him at something
like IL.
Even experts sometimes nod. An Eng
lsh art critic had collection OF china
which had been in his family for gene
rations. An American millionaire friend
offered so constantly to buy 1t that the
critic. who was prosperous and had no
reason for selling his possessions. at
last, ont of patience, named price. lie
considered It twenty times greater than
the china was worth, and thought, no
doubt. that the collection would be pre-
served by his family through many more
generations But the American prompt
IN took up the offer-"and the china has
since been valued at four times the
price which he paid" Stress Is laid IN
this volume on the ignorance Of the av-
erage English dealer. his brother on the
Continent being much better acquainted
with the quality and value Of the articles
in his stock An instance OF this in
London was the selling for Gl2 OF
small casket, which when melted down
yielded several hundred pounds worth
of gold An analogous story is that OF
the lady who seeing in q Londo" shop
several pieces of jewelry which seemed
TO be OF green paste set in clumsy pinch
beck, was beguiled by the brilliant color
OF the paste. She agreed TO take the
ornaments at So left deposit, and
promised to call for them later. She re-
turned and paid the balance. and then
she proposed to have the setting tested
1t turned out to be gold and the stones
were emeralds. The quaintest story Of
tho dealer failing in accurate knowledge
concerns an old bookseller who dis
coursed TO a customer when packing up
the books just bought. "'Ah, sir he
said, since ] was young, times have
changed altogether in the booksellng
trade. As youth I often bought VOL
umes which were worth as many shil-
lings as paid pennies for them. Tho.
days are past, never to return. The
value Of books is known to all
now, and Apparently the value of
all of them is not known to you, my
friend interrupted the customer. for
you have Just sold TO me for five shil-
lings book the market price Of which
is e5!'"
In the chapter Oh Finds" there are
noted some queer condolences attending
bargain hunting, notably in the case OF a
French dealer who discovered In the in
terror of England d beautiful ormou
candelabrum by Gouthiere. That same
day he received a letter from London
telling him that a candelabrum by
Gouthiere was to be sold at an auction
room. He straightway returned to town,
and going to inspect the Candelabrum
found that it was the mate of the one
bought In the country the day before. 1t
would be interesting to know the wan
derings OF the pair between their part
ing and reunion. one find not long
ago may carry a suggestion to those
who are searching for the Mona Lisa"
In cottage near London which was In
process of demolition were found in a
walled up cupboard five pictures mag
nificent works. respectively of Rubens,
Michael Angelo and Rembrandt \ thief
had cut them from their frames half a
century ago, carried them off and hid
den them in the bricked up cupboard.