Dear Richard,
I read this post with great interest. You are correct in everything you wrote, but I'd like to add one condition:
In order that there not be discord and problems, it is important that there be great trust between the two parties.
The ONLY person I have ever felt comfortable trading bottles with, in my 44+ years of collecting, was Rick of New Orleans, who's a member of the Forum (though I often chide him that he isn't contributing commensurate with his knowledge: He has more knowledge than me, has been at this longer than me, was a dealer many years, and is a board-certified GIA gemologist as well.).
We have traded bottles one for one. We were able to do this because we both knew that the values of the two bottles were equal in the market, and we trusted each other implicitly. I have had and now have, many many friends in the snuff bottle world, whether in the ICSBS or the Forum; there were doubtless others I could have trusted or trust now.
But not only do the two parties have to trust each other's honesty and knowledge and their own; the two bottles must be equal in value, or one should add some cash or other additional value, so that the two lots are exactly equal. I have found it easier just to buy, rather than trade. The only times I sold, I did through Sotheby's London(big mistake!), Clare Lawrence LTD (now Asian Art Studio, Clare Chu), Christie's HK or Sotheby's HK.
Best,
Joey
Hi YT
Thanks for your feedback.
Yes, I agreed that every collector would like to collect the best.
However, 'the best' is a very subjective term. What is your best may not be mine. As you can see, snuff bottles come in all sort of materials and artistic techniques. Therefore, different collectors will have different focus. Just take a look at some members in this forum, some collect only modern inside-painted, some porcelain, some glass, others organic. The list goes on. Personally, I am more into hardstone bottles such as jade and chalcedony.
People trade for all sorts of reasons; some lose interest after a while and started collecting other stuff, some change their focus to only certain type of bottles (example: Joey). Some just need the extra cash to buy another dream bottle (many of us do!). So trading among collectors is definitely possible and is happening all the time. In fact, I have traded a few times with fellow local collectors in the past few years.
For your reference.
Regards.
Richard
