Chinese Ge

VANDOO · 27th May 2007, 01:51 AM

MY RULE OF THUMB ON THESE IS IF IT WAS BOUGHT RECENTLY FROM A DEALER IN CHINA ITS A REPO AS ANYTHING OVER 100 YEARS OLD IS FORBIDDEN EXPORT. THE ODDS ARE LONG ON GETTING A REAL ANTIQUE CHINESE BRONZE BUT I SUPPOSE IT COULD HAPPEN, BUT IF THE SELLER KNEW IT WAS THE REAL THING IT WOULD BE EXPENSIVE. I DON'T MIND BUYING A GOOD BRONZE REPLICA FOR A FAIR PRICE BUT UNFORTUNATELY MANY ARE PUT UP FOR SALE AS THE REAL THING WITH TOO BIG OF A PRICE ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ADD IN THE RIDICULOUS S&H CHARGES FROM CHINA. SEARCH THE OLD FORUMS FOR BRONZE AND YOU WILL FIND SOME OLD POSTS. ANY BRONZE ITEM WITH A OPENING BID OF .99 CENTS AND A S&H FROM CHINA OF $80.00 TO 150.00 ON EBAY IS A RIP OFF FOR SURE.

Klas Larsson · 27th May 2007, 12:17 PM

Hi Vandoo, Thanks for your advice. This was bought from the USA, and there where other items sold that where Chinese and definitely genuine, from Qing era. But the seller didn't really know what he had, and neither do I, in this case...

Mark · 27th May 2007, 09:27 PM

There are a number of examples in the History of Steel catalogue (and the on-line version), and they are discussed in the accompanying article as well.

I agree with VANDOO that the odds are not great that it is genuine, unless you can trace its provenance back at least a couple decades. I'm not sure when the repro industry really started taking off, but I'm guessing that during the Maoist era, and particularly during the Cultural Revolution (which ended in the '70s), they would not have been made at all, so it would have started later. Thus, anything that can't be traced back before the '80s is more likely a repro than not.

VANDOO · 28th May 2007, 03:44 AM

BEFORE THE RISE OF COMMUNISM IN CHINA THERE WAS A CLASS OF PEOPLE WHO HAD ENOUGH EDUCATION AND MONEY TO COLLECT ANTIQUES. SOME VERY GOOD QUALITY BRONZE WORK WAS DONE DURING THIS TIME AS THERE WAS A MARKET. THE REPLICAS HAD TO BE VERY GOOD TO FOOL OR INTREST A COLLECTOR , IT WAS DIFFICULT TO TELL THE FAKE FROM THE REAL EXCEPT THEY MADE TOO MANY OF THE MORE POPULAR ITEMS WHICH GAVE IT AWAY. WHEN COMMUNISM TOOK OVER THESE COLLECTORS WERE EITHER DEAD, FLED TO OTHER COUNTRYS OR LOST EVERYTHING THEY HAD AND WERE SENT OFF TO BE RE-EDUCATED TO BE POLITICALLY CORRECT. CHINA MORE OR LESS ISOLATED ITSELF AND THESE ITEMS JUST SET IN SHOPS THRUOUT THE COUNTRY WITH NO ONE TO BUY. WHEN cHINA STARTED TO MAKE A MOVE TO MODERNIZE AND COMPETE FOR WORLD POWER TRADE STARTED AND A LOT OF THESE ITEMS HIT THE MARKET THOUGH THEY ARE NOT ORIGINALS THE REPLICAS COULD BE OVER 100 YEARS OLD.

I HAVE NOTED THAT THE BRONZE INDUSTRY HAS STARTED UP AGAIN BUT OFTEN THE QUALITY OF WORKMANSHIP IS NOT AS GOOD AS THE OLDER ITEMS AND THERE ARE EVEN FANTASY BRONZE AGE SWORDS. SO THERE IS A MIX OF ITEMS OF VARYING AGE AND WORKMANSHIP ON THE MARKET AT PRESENT.

27th May 2007, 09:27 PM	#3
Mark Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 987	There are a number of examples in the History of Steel catalogue (and the on-line version), and they are discussed in the accompanying article as well. I agree with VANDOO that the odds are not great that it is genuine, unless you can trace its provenance back at least a couple decades. I'm not sure when the repro industry really started taking off, but I'm guessing that during the Maoist era, and particularly during the Cultural Revolution (which ended in the '70s), they would not have been made at all, so it would have started later. Thus, anything that can't be traced back before the '80s is more likely a repro than not. Last edited by Mark; 27th May 2007 at 09:44 PM.

27th May 2007, 01:51 AM	#1
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	MY RULE OF THUMB ON THESE IS IF IT WAS BOUGHT RECENTLY FROM A DEALER IN CHINA ITS A REPO AS ANYTHING OVER 100 YEARS OLD IS FORBIDDEN EXPORT. THE ODDS ARE LONG ON GETTING A REAL ANTIQUE CHINESE BRONZE BUT I SUPPOSE IT COULD HAPPEN, BUT IF THE SELLER KNEW IT WAS THE REAL THING IT WOULD BE EXPENSIVE. I DON'T MIND BUYING A GOOD BRONZE REPLICA FOR A FAIR PRICE BUT UNFORTUNATELY MANY ARE PUT UP FOR SALE AS THE REAL THING WITH TOO BIG OF A PRICE ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ADD IN THE RIDICULOUS S&H CHARGES FROM CHINA. SEARCH THE OLD FORUMS FOR BRONZE AND YOU WILL FIND SOME OLD POSTS. ANY BRONZE ITEM WITH A OPENING BID OF .99 CENTS AND A S&H FROM CHINA OF $80.00 TO 150.00 ON EBAY IS A RIP OFF FOR SURE.

27th May 2007, 12:17 PM	#2
Klas Larsson Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 23	Hi Vandoo, Thanks for your advice. This was bought from the USA, and there where other items sold that where Chinese and definitely genuine, from Qing era. But the seller didn't really know what he had, and neither do I, in this case...

28th May 2007, 03:44 AM	#4
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	BEFORE THE RISE OF COMMUNISM IN CHINA THERE WAS A CLASS OF PEOPLE WHO HAD ENOUGH EDUCATION AND MONEY TO COLLECT ANTIQUES. SOME VERY GOOD QUALITY BRONZE WORK WAS DONE DURING THIS TIME AS THERE WAS A MARKET. THE REPLICAS HAD TO BE VERY GOOD TO FOOL OR INTREST A COLLECTOR , IT WAS DIFFICULT TO TELL THE FAKE FROM THE REAL EXCEPT THEY MADE TOO MANY OF THE MORE POPULAR ITEMS WHICH GAVE IT AWAY. WHEN COMMUNISM TOOK OVER THESE COLLECTORS WERE EITHER DEAD, FLED TO OTHER COUNTRYS OR LOST EVERYTHING THEY HAD AND WERE SENT OFF TO BE RE-EDUCATED TO BE POLITICALLY CORRECT. CHINA MORE OR LESS ISOLATED ITSELF AND THESE ITEMS JUST SET IN SHOPS THRUOUT THE COUNTRY WITH NO ONE TO BUY. WHEN cHINA STARTED TO MAKE A MOVE TO MODERNIZE AND COMPETE FOR WORLD POWER TRADE STARTED AND A LOT OF THESE ITEMS HIT THE MARKET THOUGH THEY ARE NOT ORIGINALS THE REPLICAS COULD BE OVER 100 YEARS OLD. I HAVE NOTED THAT THE BRONZE INDUSTRY HAS STARTED UP AGAIN BUT OFTEN THE QUALITY OF WORKMANSHIP IS NOT AS GOOD AS THE OLDER ITEMS AND THERE ARE EVEN FANTASY BRONZE AGE SWORDS. SO THERE IS A MIX OF ITEMS OF VARYING AGE AND WORKMANSHIP ON THE MARKET AT PRESENT.