Bird Automata
By Keith Matthews, forwarded by Terry Smythe
Forwarded Message:
From: kam@sandwell.demon.co.uk To: ALL Orig: MBNET
Subj: Re: Help! Bird Automata Area: 2-rec.antiques Date: 01/12/96
=============================================================================
> In article <4ctue0$10go@useneta1.news.prodigy.com>, GYWM74D@prodigy.com
> (Reyne Hogan) wrote:
>
> side, beak moves, tail moves etc. I was wondering if anyone can direct
> me to a guide on these so that I might find out the circa and an approx
> current value
You probably won't want to know this, but singing birds in cages have been made in large numbers in recent years, in Eastern Europe. About fifteen years ago, I was in the back room at the shop of a British 'antique' dealer who had imported a large number. There were single birds, double birds, and a deluxe triple bird model. The 'gilded' cages had just the right amount of discolouration, and they were sprinkled with special 'antique' dust. Boy were they convincing. While he was talking on the p hone we set about ten of them going to annoy him - it sounded like a bad day in the jungle! He sent a number of them to auction sales all over the country and as they had not been seen before fetched high prices. They are now well known here as fakes and fetch very little. I hope that yours is a genuine antique but I would not bet the farm on it.
--
Keith A Matthews |
(Message sent Mon 15 Jan 1996, 15:38:06 GMT, from time zone GMT-0600.) |
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