@avatar

Thank you for your kind words regarding my wine cup.  I knew I got it for a good price, but I love it too much to let it go so soon.  It is the first Longquan example in my collection.  I have always lusted after a ‘twin fish’ bowl, but they always seem to go for more than I am willing to pay.  

@greeno107  I would like to know more about these international cultural regulations you allude to. I am aware that it is illegal in China to export older items out of China, but how does that play out for the rest of the world? If an older Chinese item is found in the US for example, let's say at an antique store, without any known facts about history of ownership, are you saying that the big houses will refuse to sell certain items because of the fear that they could be claimed to have been illegally removed from China in more recent times unless the provenance can be established? 

I think anything older than Ming needs some evidence that it has been in the USA prior to 2000.  That could include a dated photo, catalogue, shipping receipt, or something similar.

Additionally, all rosewood (hauling and huanghuali) is now protected under CITES regulations, so all major auction houses require proof that it has been in the USA prior to 2016 if I remember correctly, but again, the big auction houses prefer even earlier documentation as an abundance of caution.

@greeno107  This is good information to know. Not sure how it's gonna play out when I find an archaic vessel buried in the corner in the garage of an estate sale, but I guess we'll see! 

You'll have to sell at a smaller venue, or ship to China p/ Hong Kong and sell it.

@greeno107  So now I am more confused, because don't the major auction houses have branches in China that they could sell these things through? Wouldn't that solve the problem?

Rules are different by country, And what you declare on your customs form will have a lot to do with if it clears or not. Understood?

@greeno107  It seems like there are many tricks to the trade that I will need to learn. But in life in general, sometimes what you don't say is just as important as what you do, so I suspect that applies here as well. 

@william absolutely gorgeous piece. 
Was a good sale; I remember eyeing that one - good to know it went to an appreciative home! 
Congrats on grabbing it. 

I’ll hold off on my opinion of price discrepancies, as they’re just opinions (and layman ones at best).

What I will say is @greeno107 and @imperialfinegems were spot-on with some of the large houses having the visibility & “prestige” factor, along with some deep (and bid-happy) pockets.

Think also in terms of multiple locations, and a lot of resources to devote to courting clients; along with an endless back-catalogue of consignment submissions.
Is this saying they don’t deserve their prices reached? No, not saying that at all! 

They work very hard on sourcing great items and maintaining a good reputation, supplying confidence to buyers they’re getting a serious product with their money. 

But they’re also not the only option; and outside of that sphere of the market there’s many comparable examples reachable for the “everyday” collector too imo.

iGavel is honestly something that was well ahead of its time as a platform (being created in the early 2000s far before LiveAuctioneers and such, during the eBay early days, predating a lot of online emphasis like the current market).

As said: it may not get the attention it deserves - and I feel many who are privy to it don’t always want others knowing.

It’s a shame because there’s always been a high standard with what’s sold there, and a guarantee of items being authentic & as described. 
Lark’s team especially does a great job at supplying good items and giving most a chance to fairly obtain quality & desirable examples. 

Very few places will give the opportunity of bidding on a pair of Qianlong cloisonné vases with provenance opening at under $4,000 - or a Song Junyao obtainable under $500 knowing it’s authentic. 
Conservative (and reachable) estimates, items truly as described, and actually “something for everyone” during most sales. 

Never a bad experience myself either; and truly show top care for their clients. 

-JRN

Christies South Ken (which shut) told me, a few years ago now, that their bottom limit was £1000. That was more than likely not the case for specialist sales. They sold a painting for me by someone well-known in certain groups, but not a famous artist as such, in one of their Interiors sales.  They were interesting, wide-ranging, lower end of the market catalogues and I remember there were a good few Chinese items.

The whole process, though, was incredibly slow. An advantage of ebay is the speed at which you can things around.

As anyone tried Sothebys online private selling platform? They do take an eye-watering 40%, I believe.

@jrn

I do love iGavel’s Asian sales. My budget for antiques has unfortunately shrunk alarmingly since my retirement several years ago. Sad to say, I now get a vicarious thrill by being first bidder on coveted items that are ‘mine’ for a few days or weeks until the inevitable happens.  In the past couple of years, I have only won two items at auction so those few successes are particularly satisfying!  Fiscal discipline late in my collecting  life has the unexpected benefit of concentrating my interests to a ‘short’ list of desired objects and ‘mostly’ ignoring all the rest.

Do you remember back in the 1990s the old Sotheby’s.com on line auction site?  Lark Mason was working for Sotheby’s at that time and was involved the creation & operation of the first vetted on line auction site on the internet.  Sotheby’s couldn’t make a success of it, but Lark took the ideas & goals of the site to strike out on his own.  He created a smaller, more economical business that has been an ongoing success.

Sounds like a competent person this guy, Lark Mason. iGavel is definitely a platform whose listings II will try to follow more carefully like other US sites. Here in Denmark we not only have to pay import tax which is a pretty hefty 25% of the purchase price but also of the shipping price plus an additional $22 our now privatized shipping company for calculating the import tax. With these cost it would almost allow you a "free" trip to the states if if the purchase price is over $2500 since you don't have to pay import taxes of goods purchased when on vacation. I hope to do this more in the future. I would especially like to travel to Japan to hunt for antiques.

But here's an example where iGavel have messed up both the dating and value completely selling off a million dollar imperial seal for $60,000. I've posted these links here before but many of the newer members might not have seen them. https://bid.igavelauctions.com/bidding.taf?_function=detail&auction_uid1=2944466 http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2016/dragon-emperor-hk0678/lot.3301.html

@avatar. I think there is a justifiable reason for the low estimate and resulting low result (relatively speaking), not related to lack of knowledge or human error.

When selling an imperial piece, if you lack provenance from the time of its creation, you run a huge risk that the buyer drags you into court if they dispute authenticity.  It just takes one 'expert' to whisper a word of doubt to a buyer who just spent a million dollars, for that buyer to file a law suit.

It is my first hand understanding that Lark discusses this strategy of listing with conservative estimates of age and value with the consigner prior to the sale, and discusses the risks and potential upside.

Consequently, I have seen items at iGavel estimated in the thousands sell in the millions, but not always.  Ultimately, it depends on the certainty of the buyers, how many are bidding, and how fat their wallets are.

@greeno107  That's interesting. Do you know of any specific examples where such things got taken to court and how it turned out? I would be curious to know how it has played out in the past. 

Well, probably didn't happen with Lark due to his approach. I don't think Christies or Sotheby's would openly disclose that type of info.  However, I recall a painting sold for $150 million in Beijing, reported to be by Qi Baishi (a large eagle painting if I'm remembering correctly). It was later disputed by family members, and a law suit followed shortly after.