The Chinese and Asian Art Forum. For Fans, Collectors and Dealers.
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In 1972 there was in the news that a large blue YUAN vase with splashes of red that reached the highest price ever for a Chinese vase. It was in all the papers. I was a GS9 living in Tokyo. At the time I thought- I'm close to China- I could find something like that Chinese one an get rich! I started reading books on porcelain at Camp Zama Library.
A dealer invited me to a Japanese dealers auction in Kyoto. All the dealers were sitting in a circle on the floor and only the dealers could bid. I told my dealer friend I wanted something Chinese. He brought me this piece and said this one is very old with dragons. I paid 19 dollars worth of yen. The whole experience was very strange and wonderful Soon, I knew it was, of course, Japanese - and I still love it! My very first purchase 🙂Â
6.5cm high x 14.5cm wide. David      I would love to hear your story!
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1970 antique shop in Maryland. Brass candlestick, Republic period, it was unusual to find anything marked China at that time. It was small, inexpensive and had butterflies on the base. My husband was in the Navy, which meant we moved often and I had a series of jobs in retail that I would rather forget.
Back in 1983 when I was only 23 years old was when I was first purchased my asian item.Â
Back then I did have a jewelers boutique and a elderly gentleman came in with a delightful item.Â
He pleaded with me to purchased this item because nobody else (he tried a few places apparently) wanted to buy it.
After negotiating with him I agreed to buy it from him for $500.
It is a rather large hetian white off-white nephrite jade censer. Measuring 12.5" and weighs 1980 grams. Circa late Qing to early republic period. So 1890-1920. Its a impressive censer with stepped lid depicting two Foo cubs intertwined. It has dragon head handles.
Surprisingly I still have it today. I absolutely love it and this was my very first purchase of Asian art.Â
Unfortunately I am unable to post a image as I am having trouble cropping the image down to size. So the best I can do is provide two images. Its packed away for the moment.Â
Mark
These seals are sometimes found, here's a pair sold by Rob Michiels, though they can be opened at the bottom while mine is just a seal. I can't see the sold price but a few years ago Van Ham sold one like mine for about $350. Mine is 3 1/8" or 8,5 cm high and probably silver or an alloy.
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Birgit
Thank you Sharon, Mark and Shinigami for your stories. And it seems like we have all kept that first item.Â
David
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Sharon, Mark and Shinigami:
BTW, this is the $1 million Yuan Jar that started me looking for Chinese Porcelain.
David
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After graduation from college, I saw an advertisement for a pop up sale in a local house for Chinese antique ceramics. Â I think they had shopped in Europe and had a container shipped back to Texas. Â I vaguely remember a lot of 19th & 20th century things in several rooms. Â All I had seen in books was 18th century & earlier wares so I chose something similar to the examples I had studied in reference works. Â
I bought a pair of these famile verte bottle vases since they looked to be 18th century examples.  Right? None of these old reference works mentioned that Chinese potters happily continued producing 18th century reproductions into the 20th century.  I was so disappointed to find out these were 19th century ceramics a year or so later.  In my ignorance, I was actually rather lucky that they were actually 19th century as opposed to circa yesterday.
By the way, they are sitting on a pair of early 19th century American eagle brackets which are certainly much rarer than the Chinese bottle vases.
William,
Thanks for the great story. And your bottle vases looks great on those wonderful brackets!
David
I was in grad school, at least 30 years ago, and was driving back to New Mexico after visiting relatives in New Mexico. It was New Years eve, and I stopped for gas in Northern Texas, just after dark. I was eager to get home, to avoid the drunks. Bit to my surprise, there was a little antique store open across from the gas station. I wandered in, out of curiousity.
The owner was a youngish fellow, perhaps in his early 30's.  He seemed sad, and we spoke for a while. I asked him why he as open so late on New Year's eve, and with great sadness, he told me. He said his little daughter and passed away just two weeks earlier, and he had no one to go home to. I stayed and talked for a while to keep him company, and wandered around the store. It didn't have a lot; apparently his last store had burned down only a few months earlier, and he was starting over.
I purchased a few odds and ends, more as a kindness than because I could afford them, or needed them. I purchased a very pretty, but damaged little Meiji cloisonne ginger jar; he told me that it had been in the fire, and had fallen off a shelf when the fire burned it through. It has no obvious fire damage, but other Oriental pieces where stained with smoke. Â
I still have the ginger jar, and it is one of my favorite pieces. I will never forget the dealer, though.
The store was closed the next year when I came by again.
Charles
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Thanks Charles. A sad story in a away, but it brought enrichment in your life. I think we'll never forget the beginning of our journey.
David
Hello,
Such amazing stories - I appreciate learning about other people's experiences so thank you!
My first purchase of what I thought was a Chinese antique was about 3 years ago in a second hand shop on Clement St. in SF. Before then I didn't know enough to shop for it and didn't spend money on antiques. (As you can tell, I'm still a newbie!) After leaving a friend's house for lunch I saw this crowded second hand store and went inside to browse.Â
Tucked away on the back of a shelf was what I recognized as an export American eagle jar that I asked to look at. I knew I wasn't sure, but I took the chance and paid $90 & guessed it to be late Qing. The Nancy Reagan shades in the flowers are a givaway of the 80s, I shoudda known! 😆 Anyway, I could get half back on it I think; it would make a nice cookie jar.Â
-Steve
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Hi Everyone,
You know, I need to add an addendum; the first Asian antique I bought was not the fake ginger jar but a small bat saucer about 6 month earlier from an Asian antique store near Union Square. I haven't had Peter appraise it but I'm pretty sure it's 19th c. and has the Xianfeng (?) mark. I love bats and antiques and was just getting started collecting; the price was a little steep for a saucer but it's in good condition so I splurged.
It's been up on my kitchen wall ever since.Â
Regards,
Steve
Â
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