Antique Shopping In Yuma, or, Two Birds in the Hand
While I was in Yuma, my mom suggested that we go look at an antiques store in downtown Yuma. She had been there with her sister last month, and noticed that there was a section filled with Asian antiques. I'm very interested in Chinese language and culture, so she knew I would enjoy looking at the selection.
A lot of the stuff there was gaudy junk: cheap looking vases and plates. There were a few interesting pieces, though. There was a lovely mahogany tea cabinet that smelled wonderful. Unfortunately, it was $200--a little out of my price range.
On a shelf, surrounded by ugly vases, there was a pair of bronze birds. They were cranes standing upon turtles, and they caught my eye almost immediately. Only $35, and I could see myself actually using them as decoration. I left them there while I looked at the other offerings.
I found a very pretty photo album, which the tag said was from the Korean War. I liked it a lot, but I wasn't sure what I would do with it, so I left it alone.
After closely studying everything that had caught my eye, I still wasn't sure if I was going to buy anything or not. I happened to glance at the top of the shelf in front of me (it was about six feet tall) and I saw something I immediately wanted. It was a small bonsai pot on a ceramic stand. I have tried bonsai in the past, but was never able to find decent pots. This pot is only large enough for a miniature bonsai, but I still like it a lot. It cost $8.
Back to the birds. The more I thought about it, the more I liked them. They had a certain grace, and $35 wasn't really that much. So I decided to buy them.
It's clear that they are a pair, because they are mirror images of each other, not identical. One of the cranes is missing part of one toe, but otherwise they appear to be in perfect condition.
When I got back to Tucson, I showed them to Corvus. He was noncommittal: he knew I liked them, so he said they were nice. Later that night, he went to a meeting and I decided to see what I could find out about them online.
I learned that the figure of a crane standing on the back of a turtle was a symbol of longetivity, and it was used often in Buddhist temples. Often the crane would hold a lotus flower in its beak, and the stem of the flower would curve up to form a candle holder.
Finally, I found this site. This crane is nearly identical to the ones that I bought. The main difference is that it has something (an incense holder?) in its beak. Careful observation of my figures showed me that there might have been something in their beaks at some time. Also, the details of the feathers and the turtle's scales are slightly different.
I was stunned at how high the asking price was. $350 for a single, damaged crane-on-turtle figure? If that is a realistic price, and mine are authentic, then that means they are probably worth $700-$800! Wow. I think I did good.
Unfortunately, I could find no other listings for bronze cranes that were identical to mine. The others were more ornate, with the crane holding a lotus or the turtle wearing a dragon's head. They were all selling in the $350-$400 range, though.
When Corvus got home he saw the websites open on the computer, so he asked me how much my birds were worth. I told him, and he got a panicked look on his face as he asked, "How much did you pay for them?" Once I reassured him, he became very impressed with them.
Perhaps now he'll let me decorate the house in an Asian theme.
A lot of the stuff there was gaudy junk: cheap looking vases and plates. There were a few interesting pieces, though. There was a lovely mahogany tea cabinet that smelled wonderful. Unfortunately, it was $200--a little out of my price range.
On a shelf, surrounded by ugly vases, there was a pair of bronze birds. They were cranes standing upon turtles, and they caught my eye almost immediately. Only $35, and I could see myself actually using them as decoration. I left them there while I looked at the other offerings.
I found a very pretty photo album, which the tag said was from the Korean War. I liked it a lot, but I wasn't sure what I would do with it, so I left it alone.
After closely studying everything that had caught my eye, I still wasn't sure if I was going to buy anything or not. I happened to glance at the top of the shelf in front of me (it was about six feet tall) and I saw something I immediately wanted. It was a small bonsai pot on a ceramic stand. I have tried bonsai in the past, but was never able to find decent pots. This pot is only large enough for a miniature bonsai, but I still like it a lot. It cost $8.
Back to the birds. The more I thought about it, the more I liked them. They had a certain grace, and $35 wasn't really that much. So I decided to buy them.
It's clear that they are a pair, because they are mirror images of each other, not identical. One of the cranes is missing part of one toe, but otherwise they appear to be in perfect condition.
When I got back to Tucson, I showed them to Corvus. He was noncommittal: he knew I liked them, so he said they were nice. Later that night, he went to a meeting and I decided to see what I could find out about them online.
I learned that the figure of a crane standing on the back of a turtle was a symbol of longetivity, and it was used often in Buddhist temples. Often the crane would hold a lotus flower in its beak, and the stem of the flower would curve up to form a candle holder.
Finally, I found this site. This crane is nearly identical to the ones that I bought. The main difference is that it has something (an incense holder?) in its beak. Careful observation of my figures showed me that there might have been something in their beaks at some time. Also, the details of the feathers and the turtle's scales are slightly different.
I was stunned at how high the asking price was. $350 for a single, damaged crane-on-turtle figure? If that is a realistic price, and mine are authentic, then that means they are probably worth $700-$800! Wow. I think I did good.
Unfortunately, I could find no other listings for bronze cranes that were identical to mine. The others were more ornate, with the crane holding a lotus or the turtle wearing a dragon's head. They were all selling in the $350-$400 range, though.
When Corvus got home he saw the websites open on the computer, so he asked me how much my birds were worth. I told him, and he got a panicked look on his face as he asked, "How much did you pay for them?" Once I reassured him, he became very impressed with them.
Perhaps now he'll let me decorate the house in an Asian theme.
posted by Mel, Foxtail Farm | 10:25 AM
4 Comments:
I looked at the picture of the crane and turtle for sale. It does look like yours. Why don't you take a picture of yours and contact the seller, maybe he can tell you about yours?
That's an idea. The worst that would happen is that he could blow me off. Speaking of pictures, I finally got Blogger to post the ones I took.
I forgot to mention, did you notice that there were photos from several angles at that antiques site? They show more clearly how similar it is to mine.
I saw that, and was amazed at how similar they are. Now that your aunt Barbara is online again I'm going to give her your blog info so she can see what you bought. Maybe she has some insight into the value
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