A Good Laugh

I have a good laugh when I meet with people who are conmen in antique field like collectors and claimed to be experts. The three Chinese men that I met, all have to go embarrassed because they wanted to be somebody who is said to be knowledgeable. The first was a person whom I don’t know him very well. It doesn’t matter because a person is judged by the facts he talked about antiques. During the exchange of knowledge, I showed him two Tang dynasty items and he told me his doubts on the items and I was able to reply. He then said that to authenticate the items, the items must be brought to the museum or museums to check. He then showed me a clip on his hand phone which is a Chien Lung Blue and white pilgrim flask and claimed to be genuine and whether he has brought it to the museum to authenticate is not known to me. He also tell me that there imitations made by very high class makers which is exactly the same as originals. I then replied that your Chien Lung  piece can be ordered to make which means “no genuine and no fakes”. I didn’t my time in sharing any further.

The second knows one friend of mine. He was talking about “fei  chui” jade and the good one has to be tested in the reliable laboratory and my reply to him is that Burmese jade is cheap and expensive when green that is the reason for people to dye the colour. My friend then talked about porcelain. He said that potters in China uses old kaolin from shards to make porcelain and this prove successful in authentication, I then ask why do they want to heat up the old kaolin when it has cooled down. I then told him that good Yi-hsing teapot must leak in order to be good and the reason for leakage.

Third was a Sarawakian who was introduced to me by a friend who has retired from gold business. At first I was looked down by him who thought that I know nothing which I always pretend. From the hand phone clip was a “martaban jar” which was left down by his father who was an antique collector and making his family knowledgeable in antiques. He said to tell genuineness the genuine old jar should be light in weight and imitation ones are heavy. I then ask him for the correct weight which he was unable to answer and further say that in Sibu, Sarawak , he was told that imitation can be made and either buried and dipped in chemical to make it to be genuine and he was confident with what he had said. I then told him that I am looking for items which can pass the test this way. He then admitted that he doesn’t know antiques.

Fourth was an antique shop newly opened which has some display cupboard and some shelves. There was a polychrome vase at eye sight level on the shelf and I lightly ran my fingers over its glaze. The owner showed me the sign “Do not touch” which was in a hardly noticeable place and said that I should ask him. I then on the spot in front of his customers ask why is the glaze rough when it should be smooth plus the reason. He quickly replied saying “No comment”. I then left with laughter knowing that there are dealers with much knowledge.

There are about twenty plus visitors making searches and I must apologise to this visitor who e-mail to me looking for carpenter to restore antique furniture because I haven’t found one. The one that I know is about 70 over years of age and he can’t squad and having vision problem. He can be contacted but he cannot do anything. He made a red and gold stool to match the red and gold dressing table with parts taken from the red and gold bed’s mosquito net posts and this item appeared in an old magazine. At present I am having a new (made by this carpenter) red and gold two drawer cabinet set with old carvings.

A visitor from Las Crucas, New Mexico searching for “authentic xu beihung “.  This artist was known to be in Malaya before the Second World War and I was told by an elderly Chinese doctor in Kuala Lumpur that this artist held an exhibition at the Selangor Assembly hall to raise fund for Second World War which means that this artist’s painting is floating around Malaya (Now Malaysia). The same goes to Picasso and other famous paintings are not found in Asian countries. Next visitor from Kukke, West Vlaandaren, Germany searching for “Swatow porcelain marks”.  From my experience, Swatow ware has very few marks but with impurities on the base and the drawings are with outlines and are with sketches.

A visitor from Puchong Selangor searching for “antique malaysia” did not tell what antiques is of his interest and I will leave the search back. From Petaling Jaya, Selangor – “China antique shop in Malaysia”, which I do not know if they were to sell a mixture old and new items then I will be accused of giving the wrong direction. From Singapore “antique bowl sales Singapore”- I did not check Singapore market and I won’t be able to tell and another from Singapore – “manufacturers in China for replica of peranakan porcelain wares” showed that there is no market and no importer. One visitor from Malaysia searching for “angkor mall antique furniture shop K.L.” which I have not heard of this shopping mall.  A visitor from K.L. Wilayah” where to buy affordable antique furniture in Penang” and another visitor from Kuala Lumpur searching for “Kuala Lumpur where to buy antique chest and cupboard.  I had given up antique furniture business when I couldn’t find restorer. A visitor from Mambar Maharashtra India searching “penang antiques buyers” did not state what are the penang antiques available for sale. Another visitor from Kuala Lumpur searching for “antique nyonya” which is not clear what are the nyonya items?

 The rest of the visitors searching are all about nyonya ware and peranakan which I don’t know whether they are the same wares but however I will list it in differently. Visitors from Kuala Lumpur 1) “nyonya wares”. 2)”nyonya ware malaysia”.  Visitors from Singapore 1)”BUY NYONYA WARES IN PENANG” 2)”authentic nyonya ware” 3)”authentic nyonya wares Singapore”.

Next are the visitors from Singapore. 1)”antiques peranakan things for sale”. 2)” peranakan antiques for sale Singapore vase”. 3)”PERANAKAN WARE”. 4) “antique peranakan things for sale”.

My late father used to sell old crockery items from Penang and Malacca and at that time active dealings took place until Bandung copies came into the market that many were thrown away for road levelling because those items are no longer of importance.

A visitor from Petaling Jaya searching for “antique ceramics authentication Malaysia” I have heard about Professor Peacock, William Young Willetts, Mr. Mohammad and Peter Clague Malaysia and I do not know whether Peter Clague Singapore and Peter Clague Malaysia is the same person and to avoid confusion I will make it clear. These are the named experts who will authenticate antique ceramics in Malaysia.  

I have known many cunning collectors who want to return the items and get refund as when they like even you can prove genuineness and this made this business difficult because the money from the sales need to be kept aside waiting for return. Due to this I prefer sitting at the coffee shop busy stirring coffee with no time and no energy to waste. Collectors are the ones that brought down this trade due to lack of knowledge and want to comment on others’ item which I had seen my late father suffer. Time and tide waits for no one but I have a chance in my life time with a collection of watches, coins, old Penang furniture and fountain pens. The bad feelings that has happen to me was a browser claim that I do not have fountain pens, I told I have but not for sale. He asked me to show him and after I brought out, he took a few and wanted to buy, I told him that they are not for sale and he got angry. The next thing is that I hate to post photographs of my items in this blog because I notice someone has been using photos from my blog. With age catching up the only thing to do is to declare that “ALL ANTIQUE ITEMS ARE COPIES UNLESS AND UNTIL PROVEN GENUINE”.