posted on January 20, 2001 08:49:37 AM
Help if you can.Have pre columbian bowl but no other info .Anyone know a good site for auction? So many of you are just brilliant and inspiring .Thanks in advance
posted on January 20, 2001 09:36:15 AM
If you actually have a Pre-Columbian bowl, you need to get it appraised by an appraiser with expertise in that area of collecting. There are several excellent specialists in Pre-Columbian where I live in Los Angeles. Be aware, however, that many items sold over the last hundred years or so as Pre-Columbian are actually fakes of much more recent origin, because the hungry locals know (and have known for at least 100 years) that collectors from America and Europe will pay big bucks for Pre-Columbian goods. (Hey, if you can't stop them from looting the real stuff from your country, sell em fake crap instead! Poetic justice in a way!)
If your bowl was appraised a while ago (more than 10 years) have it done again, because appraisers have become much more knowledgable/aware of fakes/forgeries in recent years. If it is actually a Pre-Columbian artifact, I would not suggest selling it on Ebay, or at least not without a reserve commensurate with your appraisal. Instead, I would ask your appraiser which fine art auction house has the best reputation for dealing in this period, or which gallery you should consign it to. While getting my B.A. in Art History I visited a few auction houses here in Los Angeles and saw Pre-Columbian items going for wonderful prices to galleries and private collectors. It would be worth it for you to invest some time in this, if it is genuine. If not....you have a nice table decoration.
Edited to add: In my comment above re: fakes, I definitely did not mean to imply that your bowl in particular, or that fakes in general, are necessarily "crap"....I want to add that some fakes can be valuable in and of themselves for a wide variety of reasons, and an appraiser can advise you on that, as well. After your nice remarks about us AW'ers, I wouldn't want you to be offended by my usual colorful way of putting things...
posted on January 22, 2001 06:17:20 AM
brighid868
thanks for taking the time to give me detailed answer...know you're correct...was just hoping for an easy route. thanks
