Books on collecting!!

[luxetveritas]

Hi all, so this forum is sort of random in its antiques- from Asia to America, from 17th century to 2009. So I think it's fairly safe to post a question about some Chinese archaic jade

I am starting a collection of Chinese jade bowls, and was wondering if anyone could suggest some good references. I know, I know, another collection But in this economy, a valuable collection (especially a Chinese collection seeing as eastern collectors will pay thousands for a piece that would normally sell for just hundreds without their bids) could prove a nice investment. The books I'm looking for don't have to be about bowls, their probably aren't many actually, but rather about jade in general. Thanks for your never ending help guys!

[talesofthesevenseas]

It would also be interesting to see some general information posted on jade. I love it, and it would be wonderful to have with my other Chinese pieces, but I have always been hesitant to try to collect it because I never knew the ins and outs of how to tell the old from the new. Ya just don't get the same kind of patina on a rock!

[luxetveritas]

Aint that right (in regards to patina)! I saw a jade bowl on ebay about a year back and was going to buy it but the auction ended at 3 am and I fell asleep ten minutes before it ended. A third bidder sniped it from me at only $50! I had sent pictures to Sotheby's who told me it was an altar bowl, 19th century, $3000 But that is really besides the point, I want to start collecting the bowls because I think they are absolutely beautiful and I have seen them at auctions but they were always bid so high by foreign bidders in China that I could never purchase one. I finally found one I can afford at a local auction and it is only starting at $70. I don't think it will get a ton of attention from outside bidders, so this might be my lucky week!! (Fingers crossed).

Here, I'll post a picture of two similar bowls, but not nearly as nice (sold at auction for $850):
 

The last bowl is a bowl I found abut a month or two ago for sale on eBay. I almost bought it, but figured I didn't know enough about jade. It apparently was bought at Bonhams years ago for $800.

[D&b antiques]

Buying by auction you are Handicapped,you can't feel it hold it or any thing else. theres nothing wrong with a good book. but handling fake as well as real. you will aquire the skill you need.

[talesofthesevenseas]

I guess the solution would be to check out a lot of jade that is known to be authentic to get a feel for it.

Oh OUCH! I hate losing auctions like that! I started using http://www.auctionsniper.com because I can't always adjust my schedule to the close of an auction. ...and I get to keep using it for free if you put down my email as your reference! Hint, hint, nudge, nudge!

[luxetveritas]

Thanks Tales! I will definitely give that a shot. I used a sniping site once, www.auctionstealers .com but it wasn't the greatest and I could only use it 3 times a week. I will try auctionsniper.com for my next purchase!!

[regularjoe2]

My personal rule (for me only) is to NEVER , EVER purchase Jade without inspecting it ,  in person , first .
Lots of jade-doctoring these days that can't be well detected without hands-on inspection .

[luxetveritas]

I definitely agree with that rule, but for $50 or less, why not? If it turns out to be fake, then you have a good study piece to compare others with! And if it is real, you've just made a splendid purchase! As for buying at auctions, I trust the experts enough that they will be able to at least get a fairly good idea of the authenticity of an item. And most also come with some sort of provenance. Besides, they're absolutely beautiful. But yes, I don't recommend buying expensive jade if you can't touch and see the piece in question- and I have yet to do so.

[ironlord1963]

     My only 2 cents here, is I will spend a few bucks to buy and sell, but if I spend more then $20.00  I better like how it looks because I will be looking at it for some time to come.  If I spend more then $50.00, I got to touch, feel, and become one with it for a moment or two at least.   I am new and still cheap and the last time I spent 50.00 before touch and feeling it was not a perfect choice per say.  (Remember my post with the 2 Victorian jug)  $50.00 is still a lot of money for a worker bee as myself,   So next time I will be sure and entertain myself with the $5.00 items I find I can turn them for $10.00 and learn alot about it.   Sorry but My 2 cents just ran out   

[luxetveritas]

Good post, Ironlord. I am a bit too frivolous with my money, and often spend more than I should, with the intention of reselling. See, I start a new collection every once and a while, and go at it like mad. Then once I'm through, I sell it. Sometimes I can make quite a bit of money. However, I have also lost a lot, so it is helpful to be reminded of my place in the antiques world-- which is not a prominent one. Especially when you think, establishing a nice jade collection will be extremely expensive, but once the economy turns around, I think I could even as much as double my money (if I buy at local auctions). Anyway, I just got another case of the collecting bug Thanks for the posts!

[talesofthesevenseas]

Well, you're one step further along than I am on the "Antiques Twelve Step Program". Once I collect something, I can rarely part with them. Fortunately my budget is too small to let me get into too much trouble... most of the time!!

[ironlord1963]

    I 've collected only a little bit in my life and this is the start of my experience and this is fresh in my mind because I'm living it now, thanks to the lady turning me on at the thrift store, I mean (i'll leave that for humor but I think you know what I mean, and no that wasn't intentional  .  Anyway I have decided to buy a few cheap pieces and learn about them and then post them at my online store, box them up and if they sell if not I will be kinda a 401K plan, most is not anything too special, being the rookie I am, but I figure give me a couple years and I will eat less crow on this site.  I have given up on E-bay for now and have a online store, that so far has sold enough to pay for the monthly fee,  I will have a garage sale in a couple of weeks, that will be cooler then any I have gone too, and that is alot.  All in all for now it is a learning experiece.  Boy am I talkitive today, 6 post at least, I must me wanting some of crow stew, what was your favorite receipe Regularjoe  .

[talesofthesevenseas]

We used to get good stuff at thrift stores, but now goodwill picks through it and put the best stuff up at auction on their online site.
http://www.shopgoodwill.com/  Others seem to be doing the same. I haven't seen anything exciting at a thrift store in ages.

[ironlord1963]

Bummer, I live near a main drop off store and they take it right to the shelf, all day new items, wish you could shop there, and they don't know what they got, as far a low mid level items, Garage sales are still my favorite, and with the economy I hopin to find a sleeper, or just a napper will do, but being new, I still see wander in the repo mid-victorian figurine, to take it home as find out I have a common Lefton  , so in other words you probably see what is in the thrift store a bit clearer then I, but I still love it 

[talesofthesevenseas]

Nah, I'm such a rookie that I just wander blindly past stacks of vintage Fiestaware... 

I've had much better luck with Craigslist, but you have to be fast and ready to jump when something good comes up. Some of what I like about that is the  thrill of the hunt for me.