Does a Chip Matter?

Here in the antiques biz we come across a lot of great things on the hunt. Things that are old, that have been used as intended for decades, even a century or so. They've lived full lives, they've gone through many hands, and we happen upon them in their current state. And that state sometimes includes a chip or two, or a crack, or a repair. And it's the age old question for collectors and sellers: Does a Chip Matter?

Here's how I feel about that. Yes and No. Glad we got that settled. Honestly, that is my answer: Sometimes it matters and sometimes it doesn't. And it's closely related to my philosophy of both collecting and buying: Have I Ever or Will I Ever FIND ANOTHER ONE? That's the real question.

When I come upon something that I've rarely or never seen before (and I've seen a lot) and it has damage, I weigh the damage against the desirability or "rarity" of the piece. I use quotation marks around "rarity" because something may not be necessarily rare, but the odds of me finding another is marginal at best. A great and not-often-found piece with damage, particularly not immediately visible damage, is worth taking the plunge, to my thinking.

Case(s) in point:

Two fantastic pieces: a vintage black & white porcelain oversize canister made for use in France by a late 19th / early 20th century Dutch pottery company; and a mid century decanter designed by Roger Capron in his Vallauris (France) studio for Saks 5th Avenue. Where do I begin to talk about how fantastic these two pieces are? And as it happens, the canister was from the personal collection of a former antiques dealer and there were 3 of them (!!happy dance!!) and the decanter had a mate - Gin - just as fabulous. Who could walk away from these?

Turns out, not me, in spite of the fact that all the pieces in both collections had some kind of damage. This canister has a crack on the bottom (in the pattern of a peace sign!) which has created a circular interior crack. Doesn't effect the overall look or the stability but it's there. The other canisters had similar damage.

 

The decanter has a chip to the lip at the back; the other decanter has chips at the base.

When I weigh the damage against the likelihood of finding another one of any of these pieces, the decision is clear: Get Them. The fact that the damage isn't visible when simply admiring any of them as they sit makes the decision easy. A large chip at the front, a considerable crack down the middle - those would result in me walking away, even at the risk of never seeing one again.

In this case, the decision would be the same whether I was buying for my personal collection or if I was buying to sell. Even on things a little less rare, I could overlook a chip if buying for myself. And that is the standard of measure for the collector when buying a piece: Is the damage the kind that I can live with? Will I get just as much pleasure out of owning this as owning a "perfect" piece? That's a question we have to decide individually on a case by case basis.

For me, I can only hope to look half this good after being around for 100 years! The canisters and decanters are available here in my Chairish shop.

Happy hunting everyone - Peace Out - marilyn