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Author Topic: Flaws and value  (Read 3284 times)

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Offline gfirob

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Flaws and value
« on: May 17, 2012, 04:27:12 AM »
How do you measure flaws and their effect on value on a nice piece of glass?  I have a couple of Gunnel Nyman pieces from the late 40's and they have what I would call scuffs, abrasions on the surface of the glass.  They are very small, but you can feel them with your nail.  Not scratches really, but places where the glass has rubbed into something in the past, probably another piece of glass.  But these are almost 65 years old now.  So is it common to find pieces that are this old that escape the years without a mark?  Any thoughts?
Thanks
Rob

Offline chopin-liszt

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Re: Flaws and value
« Reply #1 on: May 17, 2012, 12:15:39 PM »
It's not common to find something 65 years old without some age-related wear - although scuffs on the surface are "worse" than those on the base.

It will really all depend on how bad they are. Often, marks like that can be polished out without affecting the overall integrity of the piece.

Another thing to consider is the type of glass the marks are on - scuffs are far worse on "pure" sorts of clear Scandinavian or Murano pieces than they are on more random, coloured, opaque-ish sorts of glass - such as Mdina.
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

‘For every problem there is a solution: neat, plausible and wrong’. H.L.Mencken

Offline gfirob

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Re: Flaws and value
« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2012, 03:02:06 PM »
Thanks Sue.  These are both Gunnel Nyman pieces, where the mass and clarity of the glass is a big part of the design.  The marks are quite small and something you would only see if you really looked for them, but on the other hand, if you were buying or selling them, you would look for them.  I don't know how much of a risk polishing entails as well, or how much polishing is required for abrasions like this.  Or even if it actually matters.  I know that water stains on the inside of glass can be removed through abrasive tumbling, but those kinds of stains are very obvious.  I'm not sure that it is worth the concern I am giving it, since I am not a dealer.  But I wonder about these old pieces of heavy glass making their way through time, hoping to avoid the friction of life—packing up and moving, standing on a shelf next to other heavy glass as the grandchildren pass by, being packed up and sold off...  I know I haven't been able to get through the years myself without a few scratches and abrasions...

Offline flying free

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Re: Flaws and value
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2012, 08:19:36 PM »
For me, it really does depend how small the marks are as to whether I would purchase, e.g. a 1cm scratch might/would put me off, but a 2mm by 2mm scuff might not.  I don't buy anything with water stains inside or clouding (unless of course it is opaque type glass where it doesn't show through and then I would be swayed by how much I wanted the piece, how old, how rare etc) ....I'm not entirely sure it is possible to remove those to be honest.
I read somewhere on someones site, that a piece that was damaged in some way (I don't count base wear on old pieces unless it significantly detracts from the piece, i.e it's a completely transparent piece where all the base wear reflects in the glass) would get between 10-50% of the value of an undamaged piece, depending on rarity and the damage of course.  In addition to this I would add though that I can't see anyone turning down a Galle because of a scuff and I would think they may pay a pretty price for a rare Galle, by contrast a piece of Mtarfa that is seen regularly on ebay but has a large deep visible scratch on it, may garner no bids.  I think if it is rare it will get away with some damage and still maintain a good price if two people want it. 
m

Offline gfirob

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Re: Flaws and value
« Reply #4 on: May 17, 2012, 11:00:01 PM »
Thanks, flying free.   I had to go and get a metric converter to figure out how small 2 mm was.  Looks like that is about an 8th of an inch.  These scuffs are smaller than that, but I would also have to add that Gunnel Nyman is a rare creature in the States, so for me it is not as if I have many to choose from, particularly those that are acid signed.  I know  for some collectors of musical instruments, for whom originality is very important, a very small flaw can drop the value quite a bit, no matter how the instrument sounds.  These are standards placed on them by collectors and dealers, of course, but they are the people that set the price.  I still great get pleasure in having a piece of glass that I can look at and touch, rather than examining in a photograph, as a way to understand the designer's and glass blower's intent.  So I have some glass that has chips in it (usually purchased pretty cheaply) because I wanted to hold it in my hand.  I like the glass for the physicality of it as well as the look of it.  That's why Nyman is so nice

And the water interior staining on glass can be removed mechanically using bits of copper wire, water and polishing compound, but it requires a system for sealing it up and tumbling it for a couple of days (this is how bottle collectors clean the inside of their bottles).  I've even thought of building one of these contraptions, since they are quite common in the bottle world, but I never had enough stained glass to make it worth the trouble.  Interesting idea though.

Offline flying free

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Re: Flaws and value
« Reply #5 on: May 17, 2012, 11:26:03 PM »
yes I agree, holding the glass and being able to weigh it up physically is also important to me.  And I do own damaged glass, it's just that the pieces I own are ones that don't come up very often. I have got to the stage now though where I would rather not spend but save the money, to then buy an undamaged (i.e. not chipped or badly marked) piece of glass.
I suppose the other issue is that glass desirability comes in waves.  And if you have a damaged piece and need to sell or want to sell to fund other purchases, then unless your piece is riding the crest of the desirability wave it is unlikely to sell.  It would have more chance of at least garnering some return for you if it was undamaged.
m

Offline gfirob

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Re: Flaws and value
« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2012, 12:00:40 AM »
I think that sounds like a sound policy, saving for the good one.  I'm afraid the older it is the more desirable it often is to me, so unblemished glass seems pretty hard to find or pretty expensive when it turns up.  And some glass, like Sarpaneva's Finlandia, has a design that makes it almost impossible to find without a chip because the ground edge is so thin.  i don't know what he was thinking...  If cost is no object, there are many pieces to be found at dealers around the world, but cost is usually an object for me.  And Finnish glass, towards which I lean, is much less common here in the States.  So I just keep looking like everybody else.  And buying books, which are cheaper than glass, usually.
Rob

Offline flying free

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Re: Flaws and value
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2012, 12:13:07 AM »
Not Scandinavian so I probably shouldn't link it in this thread, but I thought you might like to see a recent purchase....it barely has any of it's feet intact, 2 of the rim 'prongs' are badly damaged and whilst it displays beautifully, close up it has over 100 years of ingrained dirt I've found impossible to remove....but it's still one of the most beautiful pieces of glass I own  ;D

http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=46824.0;attach=98977;image
sometimes it's still worth it despite the damage.
m

Offline gfirob

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Re: Flaws and value
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2012, 12:40:59 AM »
100 years?!?  Tell me about it, its quite remarkable.

Offline flying free

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Re: Flaws and value
« Reply #9 on: May 18, 2012, 08:17:56 AM »
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,46824.msg263302.html#msg263302
The thread is here, with the last post on the thread giving the explanation  :)
m

 

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