Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-28
TRICKS IN ANTIQUES.
Smart Dealers Use Society People as
Allies in Shady Deals.

rom i-onuon lit Bus.
Although there are many dealers in
art treasures and antiquities who are
scrupulously honest and have never
Intentionally sold an object which was
not exactly what they described 1T to
be-and who today, in quite a number
Of cases, are prepared to give 10 per
cent profit upon the return of almost
every article they have sold during the
last ten years, so greatly has the value
of these increased within that period
it is fact that there are many others.
who. taking advantage of the modern
craze for collecting. resort to all sorts
of lodges in order to impose upon the
ignorant.
For instance, according to The Bar
gain Book it is quite a common trick
for dealers to distribute part of their
stock in farmhouses and cottages. in
the hope that enthusiastic strangers
will assume that they have been there
a cottage the dealer casually mentions
to customers that he has been told of
a certain cottager who has some very
good antique stuff and that he
himself has had no time to verify the
report. OF course, the ADDRESS is
promptly asked for by the enthusiastic
collector, who Is thus led to purchase
goods which he might not otherwise
think of buying.
This is somewhat common and
fairly well known trick, and the con-
sequence Is that some dealers have hit
upon a more ingenious method They
arrange with some well known man
or woman in society" who is fur
nishing a new house, to decorate 1t
with fine furniture, pictures and prints,
supplied free on the understanding
that should visitor admire any Of
them they are to be sold if possible.
and that handsome commission will
be given on the transaction. There
are certainly in society,", say the au-
thors of the book mentioned, many
who add to their diminished incomes
by either selling works of art them
selves or acting agents for dealers.
"a well known connoisseur. when
recently visiting a duchess, had the
following experience:
1.-The lady was delighted to see him;
she particularly wished for his advice
and assistance. 'Algy has run terribly
into debt: he may have to resign his
commission in the guards. l cannot
ask his father for money, as he is
ture. You know all the rich Ameri-
cans and the value of fine furniture:
could you possibly help me to sell
that magnificent Louis Seize piece? 1t
was given to former duke by the
Emperor of Russia, and it was always
pounds The visitor looked at the bit
of furniture-it was one he had seen
at the shop of celebrated dealer. who
had had 1T for years on his hands and
had resOrted to this device to try to
get rid of it,"
Also when buying antiquities some
dealers resort to trickery. For in
stance, three dealers. by arrangement.
search the farms and cottages on the
following plan: The first calls at a
cottage, and. seeing an object of value,
offers trif1ing sum for it. which the
owner is probably disinclined to &C
cept Some days later the second calls.
and, seeing the piece. at once pro-
nounces it to be valueless. Meantime
he is followed by the third. who offers
even less than the first had been pre-
pared to pay: then the discouraged cot
tager probably accepts the smaller
sum- If the offer is refused. the first
returns and pays the price the owner
originally required.