Oops! I broke it, part II

Most damage happens because of carelessness, but occasionally there’s another reason. This was one of those times.

Daum blackbird vase

Daum blackbird vase

Lia and I used to go to Paris several times a year on buying trips. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it. We haven’t gone in quite some time, mostly because of the dollar’s weakness, making domestic buying more attractive. On one particular trip we bought some lovely items for resale, including one very special Daum vase with blackbirds. It was a beautiful example with lovely color and a great shape with an applied foot.

Daum blackbird vase, Julia's lot #2250, November 20, 2009

Daum blackbird vase, Julia's lot #2250, November 20, 2009

Blackbird decoration is one of the rarest and best decorations. Just this past weekend at Julia’s lamp and glass auction, a beautiful Daum 5″ vase with blackbirds sold for $12,650, including buyer’s premium.

The unfortunate result

The unfortunate result

When a vase is dirty, I usually clean it before putting it up for sale. So I took it to the sink, sprayed it with some cleaners and scrubbed it clean. I held it by the foot and turned it upside-down to let the excess water drain. Then to my utter astonishment, the body of the vase separated from the foot and dropped to the floor, smashing into many pieces. I stood there motionless for a while, incredulous, trying to understand what had just happened. Finally, I got around to examining the foot and noticed that there was glue residue on it. Daum vases are not made with glue, so that meant that someone had reattached the foot to the body. LUCKILY for me, I hadn’t paid for it yet. I called the dealer in France to tell him the bad news. He had sold me a restored vase and therefore it was not my responsibility. I emailed him photos of the disaster and ultimately gave him back the pieces. He said he didn’t know it was restored, but someone, somewhere, along the line of possession was responsible for the restoration and no one was willing to own up to it. To the best of my knowledge, the dealer who sold the vase to me took the loss. He tried to go back to the person who sold it to him, but that person refused to accept responsibility (or so he said).

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail.com or 516-922-2090. And please visit my website. chasenantiques.com

Oops! I broke it, part I

You can’t live the life of a lamp and glass antiques dealer without getting burned once in a while. So, a story or two seems in order.

About 25-30 years ago, way before the Internet era, I advertised some items for sale in a monthly magazine, Hobbies. It was a big deal to advertise back then. I had to take black and white photos, get them processed (there was no 60-minute photo) and mail them, with the advertising copy, to the magazine and about 6 weeks later, the ad would appear. Getting long distance calls at the time was very exciting. They were expensive, so I got very few. A gentleman called from the Midwest and purchased a vase from the ad. A short while later, we sat down to have dinner and heard a crash from the curio cabinet behind us. I turned around to see that the very object I had just sold slipped off the shelf and broke into a million pieces. No other object was affected. Really spooky. It felt like this one object had committed suicide because I just sold it. I called the man back and told him the news, but he absolutely did not believe me. Logically to him, I sold it to the next caller for more money. If I were him, I would have thought the same thing. Bummer! Not only did I lose the sale and sustain the loss, but now a client thought I was a liar. Today it would have been easy to prove my innocence — just take a digital photo and send an email a minute later.

Another time, I had a client visit my home to look at some lamps we had for sale. I put one of the glass lampshades on the sofa and randomly threw a blanket over the item. My wife didn’t notice what I had done and SAT ON IT! Luckily, my wife wasn’t injured. It would have been a difficult injury to explain. The shade already had some damage and wife finished it off. Embarrassing moments!

Friday another interesting disaster story, but this one has a twist because of some chicanery. I guarantee you’ll want to read this one.

No post on Thanksgiving. Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Please send me your personal disaster stories. I’ll write a follow-up if I receive some good stories.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail.com or 516-922-2090. And please visit my website. chasenantiques.com