TimeLine Inc.

[Conor44]

Hi all.

Its been yonks since I posted here but I was determined to share this story somewhere. It applies in this case to antiquities but could equally apply to coins. 

I collect antiquities (when the finances allow), and about a year ago I was on the hunt for a good condition bronze age sword- rare as hens teeth I know. I came across what looked to be a pristine, almost too pristine, example in a Scottish auction house, it's estimate being a tiny fraction of what it was worth. With these kind of items, provenance is vital, and I did my damnest to contact the auction house with a view to being helped out on this matter and was only met by quite rude replies which told me nothing.

Anyway, the auction came and the sword sold for about five times it's estimate, yet still far far below it's worth and very affordable. The complete lack of provenance put me off completely and I didn't participate.

About three months later, I had a lovely sword offered to me by a well known UK antiquities dealer and hey presto, the same sword. I thought this gave it an air of legitimacy and gave it another chance, and so myself and the dealer tried our utmost to establish some bit of provenance but getting absolutely nowhere and the Scottish auction house droned on about 'sellers privacy' (it was long gone and he or she had got their money, so why?), so for the second time, I passed on it.

Around a month later I see the sword being offered by TimeLine auctions at a hefty estimate. This left a bad taste in my mouth. I know it's passed through the hands of 'experts' since I saw it first, but I felt angry at the way TimeLine just bought it for peanuts and stuck it in their next auction as quickly as possible just to make a bit of profit. They unconditionally guarantee all of their items genuine, yet how on earth can they be sure this was? I'm sure this happens with hundreds of items all the time, but after that experience I think I'll be passing on TimeLine auctions for the near future.

Just thought I'd share this story just to make you all aware- just because something is offered by a 'reputable' dealer doesn't guarantee its authenticity.

Edited September 27, 2019 by Conor44

[1949threepence]

10 minutes ago, Conor44 said:

Hi all.

Its been yonks since I posted here but I was determined to share this story somewhere. It applies in this case to antiquities but could equally apply to coins. 

I collect antiquities (when the finances allow), and about a year ago I was on the hunt for a good condition bronze age sword- rare as hens teeth I know. I came across what looked to be a pristine, almost too pristine, example in a Scottish auction house, it's estimate being a tiny fraction of what it was worth. With these kind of items, provenance is vital, and I did my damnest to contact the auction house with a view to being helped out on this matter and was only met by quite rude replies which told me nothing.

Anyway, the auction came and the sword sold for about five times it's estimate, yet still far far below it's worth and very affordable. The complete lack of provenance put me off completely and I didn't participate.

About three months later, I had a lovely sword offered to me by a well known UK antiquities dealer and hey presto, the same sword. I thought this gave it an air of legitimacy and gave it another chance, and so myself and the dealer tried our utmost to establish some bit of provenance but getting absolutely nowhere and the Scottish auction house droned on about 'sellers privacy' (it was long gone and he or she had got their money, so why?), so for the second time, I passed on it.

Around a month later I see the sword being offered by TimeLine auctions at a hefty estimate. This left a bad taste in my mouth. I know it's passed through the hands of 'experts' since I saw it first, but I felt angry at the way TimeLine just bought it for peanuts and stuck it in their next auction as quickly as possible just to make a bit of profit. They unconditionally guarantee all of their items genuine, yet how on earth can they be sure this was? I'm sure this happens with hundreds of items all the time, but after that experience I think I'll be passing on TimeLine auctions for the near future.

Just thought I'd share this story just to make you all aware- just because something is offered by a 'reputable' dealer doesn't guarantee its authenticity.

"Seller's privacy" just sounds like a fob off to me. Any auction house worth its salt would have sought provenance from the moment the vendor offered the item up.  If it wasn't forthcoming, to then state "no provenance" against the sword at auction. 

Buyers are always going to be interested in the history of any object (where was it found, how long have you had it, where did you get it from etc) So to not bother, with something of that alleged age, is pretty bad form.    

[Conor44]

3 minutes ago, 1949threepence said:

"Seller's privacy" just sounds like a fob off to me. Any auction house worth its salt would have sought provenance from the moment the vendor offered the item up.  If it wasn't forthcoming, to then state "no provenance" against the sword at auction. 

Buyers are always going to be interested in the history of any object (where was it found, how long have you had it, where did you get it from etc) So to not bother, with something of that alleged age, is pretty bad form.    

Yeah, it all just seemed really fishy. I mean, no matter what the original seller would have told me, good or bad, he's got his money, it's nothing to do with him anymore and doesn't affect him in the slightest. Begs the question what was going on.

[blakeyboy]

Same tricks in the old audio gear business.

The most annoying was when a bit of old gear turned, of the make that's my speciality,

up that was out of RTE in Ireland, and was just a small add-on unit to other gear.

Slowly, after someone had rewired and modified it ineptly, and it had passed through a few hands,

it had morphed into a 'desirable piece of rare equipment'.  

A guy selling it asked if he could bring it to me for appraisal.

I had the factory build file on the unit, so I knew damn well what it was originally, and could tell what had been done to it.

He turned up, I took the lid off, peered inside, and told him about all the horrible wiring that had been added, and what It would need

to be useable and noise-free etc.

He went away, stuck it on Ebay as it was, and in the description, said that I had  'looked at it'.......

hoping of course, that a prospective buyer would see this as a stamp of approval.

Well, I had looked at it, inasmuch as light reflecting off it had gone through my pupils and formed an image on my retinas....!

 

The guy got one of the rudest emails I have ever sent and he changed the listing.

 Incidentally, but smacking of the initial post, the price, over the months,  had gone from an initial couple of hundred to SIX GRAND!!! 

 

( Don't get me started on 'provenance'......mind you, I did give friend of mine, a Who fan,  John Entwistle's Ronco Record Cleaner....)

[bagerap]

Back in the 60s, I was a "Saturday Boy" at Marshall Amplication in W7. Duties mainly involved humping and lumping and sometimes accompanying the hire gear to a gig if Jim didn't like the look of the roadies. Since then, I've hardly ever had the back off an amp but the local amp repair service heard a bit about my ancient history and I get invited for a look-see every time he gets an old Marshall in for service. Prices on some of that gear is getting a bit worrisome too.

[blakeyboy]

I spent a lot of time at the Marshall factory this year.

Their old gear collection is amazing- they still have Amplifier no.1.....!!