Jun 20, 2013 | My Money MD | Shirley M. Mueller, MD
Being a Chinese antique is not all it’s cracked up to be.
There can be unexpected vicissitudes along the way, including total rejection. This is what happened to my seemingly very worthwhile 16th/17th century Chinese cinnabar lacquer container. I was assured somebody would desire it, which was true. Except he or she didn’t want to pay for it.
A large carved red lacquer globular box and cover. Ming Dynasty (Late 16th/early 17th century). It sold for 43% less in 2013 than the year before. In 2012, the Chinese buyer who bought it at auction did not pay for it.
I was left holding the bag. This is the story. I first sold the object at Christie’s New York at its March 22, 2012, sale for a very respectable price. However, my elation turned to confusion, and even sadness, when the Chinese buyer did not pay the auction house. This means Christie’s didn’t reimburse me. Instead, they held the box to resell it at their 2013 Spring Asian sale.
Of course, buyers do not know why the box is back on the market so quickly — they feel it is tainted. Its value was diminished. Though the box sold (again) in 2013, its sale price was 43% less than in 2012. Of course, I still had to pay the 12.37% seller’s fee and the $750 for “marketing,” which was really photography.