Chinese Snuff Bottle Discussion Forum 中國鼻煙壺討論論壇

Ok so you said I could ask your opinion before I buy, but unfortunately I have already bought this one.
I bought it from a girl in Honolulu, and then immediately after several more came onto the market mainly from China. I have counted 6, but there are three different variations on the design. All are in amber or green glass.
I can't find a record of anything like this - but then again I have a limited library at this point.
Because they are coming from China, I am thinking that I have made a mistake - so would highly value your opinion.

thanks!

It was only a mistake if you thought it old and of value.. If it appeals to you, then find a nice place on your shelf for it..  :)

Maybe this is an ok time to ask you ...  Is there a particular type of snuff bottle you are most attracted to ? Porcelains, inside painted, gemstone, glass, etc. ?

Hi George,

So this was probably made like yesterday. Still it's very beautiful and I could bury it in my backyard with instructions for my son to dig it up in 50 years. Haha! That is, if there aren't already 10,000 of them made.

I think I'm trying very hard to be a collector of bottles that I can enjoy, but that will at least retain it's value, if not increase, and at the moment am too caught up in the "oh that's so pretty" stage where I am making bad decisions.

I am not buying any more bottles at the moment. In the short weeks since I started collecting, I think I have close to a hundred bottles so it's time to step back, re access, and read some more!

Hi Cathy,

Welcome to the Forum from Steven here. I have been offline more than one month., Glad to see so many new members here.

As I always tell new collectors, read more before buying. Your bottle sure is unusual and good looking, but not the typical bottle which all collectors will appreciate.

Steven

Morning Steven, and welcome back !

You know the song "29 bottles of beer on the wall"?
Well 21 bottles just arrived - more from my BBB (I want to coin a new phrase here!)

I think I did more than ok on these, but will post a few of them later for your opinion.

And hello Steven! Nice to meet you. I am reading - I've read Lilla Perry's book, am in the middle of Bob Stevens book, have read Ma Shaoxuan, have looked through and read a little of the Blair Bequest, have thoroughly enjoyed Joey Silver's Israel Exhibition catalog, and have read everything on Hugh Moss' site. I am trying! I think with me, it takes a while to sink in, plus I haven't ever seen or held any real bottles and I think that's an important part of the education that I'm missing. 

Cheers!
Cathy

That's a lot of bottles !!  Looking forward to seeing them as you share them ... Crossing my fingers for you that there are a few extra special ones !

I will post them in the right section, but here's a preview - they are all amber - each one different - beautifully carved - and some have seals or calligraphy on them

Hi Cathy,

I really don't want to disappoint you over here, but they are not REAL amber as I can tell, maybe not even a single one, I wish you didn't pay much for them or I am totally wrong.

Steven

Wow Stephen - how can you tell that from this picture?

Ok this is getting embarrassing! I'm going to delete this whole thread!

Cathy,

From the pictures my concern is that actually all these bottles are a resin material and are molded.  I've actually purchase a couple of these types of bottles myself to use as a comparison when looking at true amber bottles.  I was looking to see how close they are coming at imitating the natural/native materials. 

Charll

Unfortunately the board won't let me delete this thread!

Charll - I'll be happy to sell you one!

 ;D

Hi Cathy,

Nothing to be embarrassed about, the reason I can tell from just a glance is that I have been there before, I bought a quite few of fake ones when I started to collect, and I believe that most of the collectors have been there before, and I do still pick up some fakes from time to time.

It would be a good to keep the thread if you are comfortable, since it can help the newer collectors to know the mistakes you have made, and not make it again which is the good part of the Forum, you can learn from other's mistake . But you have right to ask George to delete the post.

You also can go through some old threads of the Forum, it has a lot of info, and you can learn a lots from the mistakes we have made.

Best and Happy collecting..

Steven

Oh for the sake of the greater good, I will bear my shame!

 ::)

Cathy,

All you have to do is type in 'mistakes' in the search box at the top right corner of the page header and you'll see all kinds of threads with bottles and related discussions on mistakes we've all made. 

Charll

There ya go ..  :D

There have been times where I to could have started a hall of shame thread for myself !

You're certainly right George! Most of us have at some point in our collector's life left a footprint in the "Hall of Shame"! :D

Dear Cathy,

As a new collector myself, I'd say, be cautious and skeptical on each piece before making the decision to buy it. Spend every effort to ensure you'll get something that's really worth what you're paying. So to say if for the price you're paying you're intending to get an antique bottle, try making sure it is indeed an antique bottle. I was told that this hobby can be addictive to which I agree. Sometimes we're too much attracted by how special and pretty some of pieces look at a glance. Don't blindly let the addiction drive you. I started the hobby just less than a year ago. I too bought quite some bottles in the first couple of months. Having learned more about snuff bottles recently, my feeling is that only 1/3 of them are authentic. I've got plenty of useful and important advises from the guys on the forum. Our participation in all these discussions would only consolidate our knowledge in the very hobby we love, and the very collection we're going to put our money on. I've kinda slowed down these days, haven't bought anything for months. I want to make sure I'm getting the right ones. And I think it's helping. Just to give you an example, while browsing through auction house webpages recently, I was drawn by an antique amber bottle which I decided to get at my affordable price. Eventually I missed it as the bidding went too high. But that I think at least prove one thing, the realized price and number of bids of the bottle did reflect that it was a genuine antique. I see that as a subtle turning point in my collector's life showing that I am beginning to gain the ability to identify the real stuff. Of course, there's still an ocean to learn! Just be patient, and don't be disappointed by your mistakes. Just try your best to minimize the risk.

There's a Chinese saying: 失敗是成功之母, which reads failure is the mother of success. I believe many other cultures have the same teaching too.

Best,
Samson

Well said Samson !

Thanks Samson - next time I even think about buying a bottle, I will re-read this post!

Hi Cathy,

Lots of good advice in this post. Nothing much I can add, except to say that most of us wish we had been given similar advice when starting out!

You have acquired some VERY good books there. Read them well, and do browse through the older posts on the forum. But you are right - it is not easy to differentiate good from mediocre, or old from modern, until you have handled some genuine old bottles of high quality.

Thanks Tom - I am hoping I have acquired at least a few good bottles!

To give an example of my confusion, I put my fake one on the left and a picture of one that sold at Skinners that is beyond reproach on the right. I see now that the color was way off. But the fakes are so good!   

And getting better year by year.......unfortunately.  :(

I'm new to this too cshaprio. I can only echo what others have said. In the very beginning I bought maybe 20 bottles but all were cheap and some were a $ each! I thought 1 or 2 maybe treasures, but in time realised they were not. Though, you have also acquired some very nice bottles too in my opinion. For instance, the glass imitiating coral bottle you posted was a beautiful thing.

Thanks Pookles - maybe this will save you from repeating my mistakes!

Hi Cathy,
I nearly bought  similar  glass bottle on eBay recently, I knew it was new but I wasn't bothered as I specialise in collecting bottles with tigers on. In the end it went for more than I wanted to pay for it. Three came up in quick succession including a blue one, I didn't buy any of them, I can wait until one comes up at a price I want to pay.
We would all like to but quality old bottles for next to nothing but that doesn't happen that often, but It gives you a great deal of satisfaction when you do. My advice if you are buying long distance assume they are new and pay new prices, If you like the look of the bottle just enjoy what you have bought.  It's always worth looking on eBay before you buy as there is sure to be one on there if its new. Don't beat yourself up about it we have all been caught out at some time just don't make a habit of it.

Regards Jason.