In collecting antiques, everyone has to learn to know which is the most important. Late last year I bought a beautiful 400 days clock at this Chinese coffee shop opposite Pearl Point Hotel where I frequently have my breakfast and lunch. This kind of clock, I had been sourcing for almost 35 years.

I have good laughs at experts and collectors in porcelain items. The first was a friend who took some samples to the Peoples' Republic of China and shown the experts, whoever they are which I am not bothered and their comments was that the items are "WAI SIAU FOR" which in Mandarin is for outside China's market. I then requested for photographs of what is known to be "NEI SIAU FOR" which in Mandarin is for inside China's market. This matter is still pending because I admitted that what I have is "WAI SIAU FOR" for the reason that if the items in my collection were to be in China, it would be used in rough way, broken and thrown away. The Imperial wares that were brought overseas as gifts to royalties were also well preserved because food containers were not easily available as today like melamine, plastic, aluminium, stainless steel etc.

Second joke is a lady told a friend of mine that I have a lot of plates and my answer is that I have to cross the bridge when I come to it unlike collectors called handicraft items as antiques which can be ordered to make e.g. you want Ming dynasty items, you get it from the factory, you want Sung, you get Sung, want Ching, you get Ching.

Third joke is about Nyonya ware, in the 70's till the 80's "Bandung copies" in antique ceramics was known and "Jingdezhen copies" were not heard of. Nyonya ware were also sold by mail order (I have the brochure and price list) and this was well aware by most collectors themselves.

Fourth joke is about a company in the Peoples' Republic of China authenticates for antique collectors and can sell at a higher price. I had in this blog which I had stated that I have no trust in them. In Malaysia, unwanted bricks from old building were shipped to Japan to build houses and also why do collectors want to collect old porcelain items. ( there must be a reason to it but collectors and expert had known). Old Yi-Hsing teapot must leak in order to be good (when water is kept in the teapot water must seep through the wall of the teapot) and this is known to tea drinkers cum collectors. Makers of imitation porcelain items will put on the most valuable reign mark on the items to attract buyers and this is known to collectors.

Fifth joke was that at Amcorp Mall, dealer asked me whether I have Xi-Bei Hong painting on horses and I said hat Ma-Bei Hong painting is better. The complaint is on the brush strokes in Chinese paintings.

Sixth joke is about a collector from Penang, claim that he will throw away the items in his collection when experts tells him that the items are no good, my answer to him is that you are practicing wealth never pass three generations because old man doesn't teach the son and the son doesn't pass the information to the next generation. A number of collectors were stunned by this statement of mine but I had solved this problem of mine and some of my items are overseas.

All these years there were a lot fun in my research and enjoyment never cease, unlike whistle blowers ended like the fifth joke. Some comments from expert like authentication by weight and shape is not reliable and others need to be checked. Recently there was an article in the Star Newspaper dated 28th Jan,2012 that shows a boy looking at a Ching dynasty (A.D. 1644 -A.D. 1911) plate in China. It is common knowledge that most of the enamel polychrome are from the Ching dynasty which include the early Pua Nguar and Nyonya ware. Famille Noire, Famille Verte, Famille Jaune and Famille Rose are the names given to the coloured enamel wares. With a number of Ching dynasty emperors, the difficult part to identify lies with 3 emperors, the rest has a vast difference in many ways. This is known to experts and was not brought out for lectures leaving next generation lack of knowledge and also making those important artefacts in famous collectors becoming unimportant.

This plate of the Yuan dynasty (1279 A.D to 1368 A.D.) Mohammedan's Blue and the Koranic script are rare.

The pot in Tang dynasty (618 A.D. to 906 A.D.) The three colour pot have fine texture of glaze after come in contact with mud.