Buy African Art. Antique dealers on the internet: Strange ducks or precursors?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) November 26, 2007 -- (ANTWERP, BELGIUM) David Norden is one of the few that masters selling African Antiques on the Net. Unlike the traditional antique dealers he gets most of his business online. He is the owner of six sites. He knows what he is speaking about when it is about online antiques.

Part1 at: http://www.buyafricanantiques.com/african_art_on_the_internet.htm

Do you buy yourself from the net from time to time ?

Yes, it happens, but my online purchases are only two or three percent of my annual business. For instance, I bought at Skinner's, an American Auction house, through the internet.

I don't buy many pieces on the basis of a picture alone, but I absolutely don't have any problems with it. Sometimes people want to exchange pieces. They can simply send me pictures but, whenever possible, I still prefer to go see the pieces at people's home.

Is it always possible to spot a fake from a real piece on a picture?

(image removed) Fake Bamileke beaded statue ( © David Norden )

Sometime it is very difficult. In some extreme cases it is nearly impossible. But this is not only the case on the internet. I bought not so long ago a beaded statue from a dealer. I couldn't study the piece, because the Shop wasn't lightened very well. It was only when I came home I saw it was a fake

(image removed)Genuine Bamileke collected before 1923 Photo Peter Horner © Museum der Kulturen Bazel

One could only determine that it wasn't real, was because the rope that kept the beads together, had not a normal wear of old ropes.

You can't see it easily, even the bottom of the statue was fairly convincing.

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“Ik think a croock can not only trick you at Ebay, but also on his website, or in a shop.”
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There really are specialists among the fakers. Also fake pieces at the Heidelberg Museum where not easy to distinguish from the real pieces, but if you are an expert you'll be able to tell the real from the fake.

So there are really pieces copied with the intention to sell them as real?

Yes. This happens in all areas of the Antiques dealing world. How many fake Gallé- vases did emerge twenty years ago from Romania? They did not have the refinement of a real Gallé vase, but for someone knowing only the Gallé name they seemed quite attractive.
There are only very few areas where fakes doesn't exist

Is this a main weakness of Internet business ?

No, because the Internet is just a transcription of the real world. On the net it is just easier to find the things. I think a determined croock can always trick you.

Also, in the mainstream Internet business people often become victims, but this is not only the case in the Antiques business. Naturally, I receive from time to time e-mails from Africa showing fake pieces. Once I even received just a scan of a book asking me if I wanted to buy the piece. But when you see the printout you know you should use your brains. I even recognized the book from which the picture was taken.

One of the most dangerous threats on the net is spam. The worst aspect of it is that it often works - from fake Viagra pills to Russian woman or fake Rolex watches. But sadly enough, there are still people who gets misled.

Read Part 1 at http://www.buyafricanantiques.com/african_art_on_the_internet.htm

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