Would you buy damaged items?

Carolyn Preston wrote:What potter is that? I quite like this stuff.

Carolyn

do you mean the pic i posted up ?

NaomiM wrote:
What really annoys me, though, is buying items off ebay that are described as being perfect, or with just a flea bile or two, and they turn up with bloody great big cracks and chips. Grrr.

With you on that one Naomi. I recentley won a San Marino dish that was a decent price and was described as perfect with no chips or cracks, when it turned up it had 7 chips round the rim. When I contacted the seller they never questioned it or were suprised so i'm guessing they knew about the damage but were trying it on.

In general I don't buy damaged items as I'm usually buying to sell on, but occasionally if the price is right I will. Last week the wife asked me to get some Primulas on the way home from work so I stopped off at a little junk shop where the guy sells his own flowers, he offerd me a pot to go with the primulas from a selection in a box at 20p each. I got this with a tight hairline, I thought it was 20p well spent

I do regard it as a problem but I cannot really cope with any kind of damage, although recently I have begun to accept a liitle glaze flaking on early earthenware pieces.

I will happily buy a damaged piece by a well-known potter - there's nothing like handling a piece and seeing the marks up close for imprinting it in your mind and I can't afford perfect pieces by the greats. And then of course, comes the day when you recognise a similar piece at a car boot sale!
There's a really interesting article in this month's Ceramic Review about Japanese ceramic restoration using gold and resin - this sort of restoration actually enhances the value of the pieces.

skipposal wrote:I will happily buy a damaged piece by a well-known potter - there's nothing like handling a piece and seeing the marks up close for imprinting it in your mind and I can't afford perfect pieces by the greats. And then of course, comes the day when you recognise a similar piece at a car boot sale!

Definitely! I often buy chipped and cracked little bowls and mugs for pennies, just to have an example of the potter's mark.
Similarly, if you're collecting Japanese and Chinese pottery you can buy bags of broken but identified shards so you get a feel for an original piece of Ming, etc, porcelain.

Carolyn Preston wrote:Yes, Eclectic, the messages are moving too fast, but I was referring to the lovely Persian potter you posted.

Carolyn

they were thrown and tubelined by a young Jessie Tait before she started her main career for Midwinter the items pictured are as rare as hens teeth i only know of about 20 other pieces in existance out of the 3 perfect pieces the lampbase and large bowl are the rarest nothing has ever been written or mentioned about bowls designed by Jessie, so i feel verry honored to have this piece in my collection.

And i must say you have a verry good eye.

I actually think when it comes to buying items such as pots that are 100+ yrs old they should have a guarantee that they have chips etc. not all , but for some it enhances the piece , call it character or whatever ,to know that it has had a bit of life in it makes it more intersting imo, then again it is unlikely I'l find a beautiful medieval pot wrapped in ye olde bubble and in it's original box.

I like the modern 'conservation' idea, the pot is made stable and all the work is visible

I've just bought a little Cookie Scottorn pot with a badly glued lid. Does anyone know how I might 'unglue' it in order to mend it more professionally?

Depends on the glue used, most common way would be to soak it in boiling water (sometimes need to be careful so it does not crack / craze the pot, but your stoneware pot should be fine).

Once warmed throughout, the glue would be more pliable and you can gently ease the joined pieces apart, the glue then usually will peal off.

Thank you