Topic: Hello! A little help please?

[mitch121]

Hello everyone
I must say im very pleased to have found a Murano glass forum! I have trying for many years on and off, to find out the name of the beautiful glass vases that catch my eye when out and about! you wouldnt believe how difficult it is to find something on the net when you dont know its name haha!
Well, this week i fouond out that this glass im in love with is called Murano glass! So, now the adventure begins!
I cant wait to start my collection of Murano, but i want to be cautious and not stupid. I want to educate myself as much as possible so that im not embarking on the greatest collection of chinese import glass in the UK lol!
I will be buying pieces (for not TOO much money) that I find attractive, but dont really have any investment potential. I would want the main body of my collection to be not just beautiful, but also a good investment. I think it would be just silly to buy endless amounts of glass only to find that they arent worth as much as I paid for them in years to come or even less!
Im after some help in how I would go about educating myself in murano glass with investment potential. A little nod in the direction of a good book or website is all im after at the minute. Im willing to put in as much hard work it takes to get myself upto a level to know what im holding is genuine and its true value. Also any little bits of information about buying for invstment, for example are there any particular families/companies that I should be looking for? Is it best to collect the newer Murano glass or the 1950/60's era items?

so here goes the start of a life long obssession!

thank you all for reading my first post!

regards

mitch.

[johnphilip]

Hi Mitch dont jump in the deep end look more than buy at first,  you will probably get a few disapointments so only buy if you like the item you wont get an instant profit , go to fairs talk to people you will find they are willing to talk your ass off , go to auctions look at catalogues write down prices compare with estimates and above all buy good books .  Welcome to the madhouse jp

[Ivo]

That is sound advice - so seconded. I would like to add, stay away from obvious ashtrays and from large dishes. They may be spectacular but they take up too much room. :wsh:

[mitch121]

hey guys thanks for the replies!!
yes im definetly going to do alot of research before i start buying. regarding turning a profit, im thinking more of buying items with the intention of turning a profit with them (if i decide to sell them) in many years time (like 10-15 years). instead of buying them with the idea of re selling them a week later. i hope to build up a large collection over a long period of time that i hope will mature in value while in my possession.
are there particular companies that gain in value moreso than others? know of any good books? tried to buy Italian Glass by Leslie Pi-a today but the bookshop didnt have it. may buy it online if you guys reckon its worth it

thanks again!

[Ivo]

Especially true for Italian books is that these feature full page images of glass which is unreachable because it is rare and/ or locked away in private collections. You will have to make do with what hits the market - and that is not so easy to identify. I would guess that Barbini, Barovier & Toso and Seguso are the names to look for in the available class - but you'll need to get the knack of identifying those.