When an 18th century glass is not an 18th century glass

About 25 years ago I knew a numismatist (coin specialist) who was in the same antiques centre as me. He had just turned 50 and decided that he was now of an age that he could be eccentric.

We will call him Dave for in reality that was his name, oddly we shared the same birthday, and he was one of my two antiques mentors, the other being an ex-County Councilor in his 80’s, Peter, who had been a RAF pilot in the war.

Peter would advise me in auctions; he was a furniture expert and in the 1960’s he had an antiques shop in The High in Oxford. I would return from Bermondsey market in the East End of London on a Friday morning (2.00 am start) to show Peter my purchases. Only once did he really lose it when I bought a Georgian tip top table worth £1200.00 for £300.00. He made me stand 20 feet away from it and tell him what was wrong with it – the proportions, they were miles out but you don’t see that in a dodgy part of London in the dark. It was brand new, made to deceive, dust and all. I did manage to sell it in the trade and make a £50.00 profit though.

Peter’s wife used to man (or woman) the shop and he would search the countryside for stock. One lunchtime in the early 60’s he returned to his shop and there were two burly gentlemen standing at the door. Well, the shop could be being robbed, it could be the police or worse, a disaster, the Taxman could be a calling. Peter thought it wise to drive past the shop and park up until whoever it was had moved on to another unfortunate soul.

After ten minutes or so they left with another smartly dressed gentleman in what Peter described as a large, flash motor car. Peter asked his wife what had happened, she had sold something (I forget what) to the nice gentleman who was from The United States of America. Peter asked her about the two men at the front door, she did not know much about them, but the buyer left his name on the receipt, I was a Mr. John F Kennedy. She had not realized that he was the president of the U.S.!!

Anyway, I digress, back to Dave the coin dealer As I say Dave was a touch excentric and he had a penchant for Moet & Channon champagne.

This was in the days before the Internet and coin values were gained from one of two catalogues. Dave knew quite a few local metal detectorists and, being in Oxfordshire a lot of Roman coins were being found. He was buying known Roman coins by type but not by condition. The catalogues did not list the coins in the condition he was buying them in so he could really name his price – as long as he had the customer for them of course, as luck would have it he had two rich Dons who were more than very interested. 

The sale of these coins basically funded Dave’s Moet purchases, if he saw say the Co Op having the champagne on offer, he would buy all the stock including that in the back room. 

He decided that his new champagne adventure needed some drinking glasses to match the quality of the drink so he bought six 18th century wine glasses, these having small bowls on a stem, all handmade and some with air twists in the stem, even then they cost him around £200.00 each

After about a year and many near breakages at dinner parties Dave thought it may be wise to move the glasses on.

He decided to take them for valuation at one of the the auctioneers in Oxford (now closed).

The valuer studied them slowly, each in turn, holding them up to the light and noting how they had been blown.

Each one he told Dave was a copy, a 19th century copy made to deceive so even worse, they were all fakes. He was then told that even though they were good fakes a trained eye would spot them feet away.

Just out of interest Dave was asked where he had bought them.

With this the valuer stated that he thought a second opinion was needed as he was not a glass expert and a colleague was summoned.

Well, and this is the odd bit to the story after a private conversation between the two valuers it turns out that the glasses were right after all, they were original 18th century wine glasses. This even though five minutes before they were out right fakes.

Why and how could this happen, why would an auction house say pieces were fake when they were right? Sometimes auction houses buy pieces in and sell elsewhere or auction for themselves. Perhaps the valuer was going to tell Dave that the glasses were worth £10.00 each as fake and take them off his hands. We will never know.

He did sell them though but with another auction house.