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Charll shared this beautiful Xianfeng (1851-1861) dated bottle depicting NeZha combating the Dragon King amongst a rolling sea of blue and eight mythical sea creatures.


Chinese Snuff Bottle Discussion Forum 中國鼻煙壺討論論壇
March 28, 2024, 03:08:51 pm
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Sam
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« on: April 08, 2015, 01:13:02 am »

My name is Sam and I am from Sydney. I am completely new to snuff bottle collecting.  I saw some recently in an antique store while I was in NZ and I have been obsessed with them every since.  I'm currently making purchases, but I'm definitely making a lot of mistakes along the way, so any advice is most welcome.   Smiley
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Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司
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« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2015, 03:18:29 am »

Dear Sam,
    Welcome to the Forum! I live most of the year in Jerusalem, Israel, but have a summer place in SE Ireland.
    Since 1991, I have collected Inside Painted bottles, both antique (ca.1795-1930) and modern (ca.1950-present); Underglazed Blue & White Porcelain snuff bottles, from ca.1720-1900; and Nephrite Jade snuff bottles (mainly white, but also other colours).
    However, I started (in 1970 at age 13, in Toronto Canada, my birthplace) collecting every type. But after 21 years, with 660 bottles, I decided to specialise.

    There is a lot of info out there, much more than when I started. Take advantage of it, learning BEFORE you make expensive mistakes.

    Good Luck, we look forward to sharing knowledge and the love of these miniature examples of Chinese art with you,
Joey
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Joey Silver (Si Zhouyi 義周司), collecting snuff bottles since Feb.1970

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« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2015, 03:24:55 am »

Welcome aboard Sam.  If you want to meet a bunch of other collectors who are obsessed with snuff bottles, then you have come to the right place!

My first piece of advice, since you are new to collecting these palm-sized gems, is STOP buying, and start reading some of the older posts on this forum.

Unfortunately there are a lot of less than scrupulous (or else plain ignorant) sellers out there. A novice collector and his/her money are soon parted. We all have drawers full of junk purchases we made early on in our collecting years. Of course, it's all part of the learning curve, but reading these posts and listening to advice will hopefully minimize the 'damage'.   Wink
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Collecting since 1971

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« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2015, 03:31:20 am »

Welcome dear Sam.
Joey's and Tom's words are pure gold. Do not buy before building up some knowledge or soon you will have a lot of worthless rubbish at home, which will be very hard to get rid off.
Kind regards
Giovanni
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« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2015, 04:22:10 am »

Welcome on board Sam ! You board the right plane indeed.

I only started collecting in early 1990's, making much mistake and paying much tuition fees as well.

I have learnt much from fellow collectors on this Forum.

Regards,

Inn Bok
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« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2015, 04:47:53 am »

Dear Tom,
 
     I'm mortally offended!  Cheesy   
I don't have a drawer full of  'junk purchases'! I flogged them at Eldred's Auction on Cape Cod 30 years ago!  Roll Eyes
     Members of the ICSBS have a saying -  Eldred's is to snuff bottle collectors, as soil is to doctors: it's where you hide your mistakes!  Grin

    Seriously though, Sam, Tom is correct. I think I know only one collector who never made a mistake in buying, because she literally ONLY buys what a 'certain UK dealer' recommends. But she has made beaucoup mistakes in what she DIDN'T buy! However, she is the exception which proves the rule.
 
    There are a lot of total fakes and 'partial fakes' (mediocre but genuine bottles which have been tarted up to get more than they are really worth); there are also still a lot of genuine treasures to be found, primarily by Steven and Charll on our Forum!  But they succeed because of studying hard, not by taking a shot in the dark.


Welcome aboard Sam.  If you want to meet a bunch of other collectors who are obsessed with snuff bottles, then you have come to the right place!

My first piece of advice, since you are new to collecting these palm-sized gems, is STOP buying, and start reading some of the older posts on this forum.

Unfortunately there are a lot of less than scrupulous (or else plain ignorant) sellers out there. A novice collector and his/her money are soon parted. We all have drawers full of junk purchases we made early on in our collecting years. Of course, it's all part of the learning curve, but reading these posts and listening to advice will hopefully minimize the 'damage'.   Wink

   This is a great group of people and collectors. Last Oct./Nov., I travelled around the Far East, meeting, dining, and looking at snuff bottles with, members in Hong Kong, Taipei, Bangkok and Singapore for 3 1/2 weeks. It was wonderful! And in 9 days I go visit another good friend and fellow Forum member in northern Italy, on my way to my summer home in Ireland.
 
   And during the summer at least one Forum member is coming to visit me in Ireland. We love snuff bottles, and have great times with others who do as well.

Best wishes,
 Joey
« Last Edit: July 27, 2015, 05:49:29 pm by Joey » Report Spam   Logged

Joey Silver (Si Zhouyi 義周司), collecting snuff bottles since Feb.1970

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« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2015, 05:17:54 am »

Hi Sam and warm welcome aboard !

Glad you found us and look forward to sharing bottle collecting experiences with you..
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« Reply #7 on: April 08, 2015, 07:17:26 am »

Hi Sam

Welcome to the forum!

Regards.


Richard
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Richard from sunny Singapore
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Sam
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« Reply #8 on: April 08, 2015, 08:45:30 am »

Thanks everybody for the warm welcome.  I will definitely do a lot of reading on this forum and learn from you.  I hope I make some great purchases and learn some helpful points along the way that I can share with you in return.

Sam
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« Reply #9 on: April 08, 2015, 09:18:54 am »

Dear Sam,
     It seems that there were old collections in Australia and New Zealand, amassed during the 1920s, 1930s and, after the end of WWII, the 1940s and 1950s. I've acquired a number of really top-quality earlier bottles (ca. 1890s to  late 1930s) that came from NZ and Aussie collections. The trick is to not get fooled by modern stuff shipped over from China (PRC) in the last 20 years.
Best,
  Joey
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Joey Silver (Si Zhouyi 義周司), collecting snuff bottles since Feb.1970

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« Reply #10 on: April 08, 2015, 07:51:12 pm »

Dear Sam,

Warm welcome. Looking forward to your sharing in the future.
There was a lumsden collection auction in Bonhams Sydney recently. Did you participate?

Cheers,
YT
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« Reply #11 on: April 09, 2015, 06:03:45 am »

A warm welcome to you Sam.  You can learn much here that will help you as you build your collection.  Jo
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« Reply #12 on: April 13, 2015, 07:28:02 pm »

Hi Sam,

A warm welcome from me, an opinionated potential collector in snuff bottles too.

I found it very helpful to also purchase and read lots of books on snuff bottles and Chinese Arts in general. It is money well spend, as avoiding a couple fakes will more than cover the cost of acquiring them.

Best Regards,
David
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David

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« Reply #13 on: July 27, 2015, 05:56:20 am »

I'm currently making purchases, but I'm definitely making a lot of mistakes along the way, so any advice is most welcome.   Smiley

Don't be shy Sam... Share a few pictures with us of the ones you purchased so far..

What is your favorite type of bottle ?
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"Experience Each Experience To The Fullest To Obtain The Most Growth"

Snuff Bottle Journal
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