PLACE OF BARGAINS

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 18, 19 October 1936, Page 18

PLACE OF BARGAINS

THE CALEDONIAN MARKET

The possibility of Caledonian Market being closed will cause consternation' in' a certain section of the collecting world, for every Friday throughout the year collectors flock there in their thousands hoping to make a "find" among the conglomeration of" old china, silver, and bric-a-brac displayed for .sale "on the stones," says "The Times" of September 23.

- The sordid atmosphere of the old cattle market does little to quench their entraordinary enthusiasm, and though many are tyros they feel confident qf "beating the market." Americans, particularly, never seem to tire of travelling there to search among the rows of stalls near the clock, and during the season they can be reckoned among the. market's best customers. Only when they return to New York does disillusionment come. The unsympathetic Customs officer more often than not demands duty on objects which they have been assured are more than 100 years old.

Collectors of knowledge and experience seldom visit the district. They have bought their experience and discredit stories of the remarkable finds that.have been made there.

To question the integrity of all the pitch-holders would be unfair. Some admit that honesty is the. best policy, but there are many others who, thanks to the ignorance of the average visitor to the Caledonian Market, can do without it Few possess more than a superficial knowledge of antiques generally, and they merely trade on that great weakness of the amateur collector, the desire to make a bargain. " No one can deny that the trade is a profitable one, for, wet or fine, each Friday morning a crowd of dealers is always waiting for the gates of the market to open, eager' to secure the best pitches. That watchword of honest trading, "All goods marked in plain figures," is usually ignored. The sellers are good judges of character and fix the price according to the apparent means or knowledge of the prospective buyer. Yet, to succeed in any sphere it is usually necessary to buy one's experience, and the beginner at collecting can perhaps do this more cheaply at the Caledonian Market than elsewhere.