opium pipe? Art expert Friederike Werner wasn’t sure what this “Bares for Rares” object was all about, and Horst Lichter seemed unsure: “Are we allowed to have something like this here?” At least two dealers were sure, the rarity was absolutely necessary to want to have. And at almost any price.
Art expert Friederike Werner initially misjudged the special object as an opium pipe. “Are we allowed to have something like that here?” Horst Lichter asked doubtfully. “As long as we don’t have opium!” he immediately gave himself absolution.
In any case, saleswoman Waltraut from Wermelskirchen came out as a non-smoker and did not know whether it was really an opium pipe. She had bought the small object together with other furniture from a villa 40 years ago. “Since then it’s just lying around.” But what was it then?
In fact, it was a luxurious smoking utensil: “A so-called cigar or cigarette holder,” the expert now recognized. The holder showed an eagle’s claw with an egg, “a well-known motif in the cultural history of the pipe”, made of 900 silver. The valuable material alone proves that no tobacco was put in here, the expert argued.
The mouthpiece of the holder was made of horn and so delicate that it was probably designed for a woman – and that as early as 1900. These pieces were also made of agate and amber in the past. “My God in heaven, did you make it worthwhile!” Lights marveled. Werner also found the matching wooden case “very, very nice!”.
The desired price was a slim 100 euros. The expert saw the value higher, at 200 to 300 euros. “I wouldn’t have thought of it,” said the vendors happily. Horst Lichter, on the other hand, was not at all surprised at the high estimate. “Because that’s just lovely!”
In the dealer’s room, the guesswork started all over again: “What kind of pipe is that supposed to be?” Walter Lehnertz wondered. But then he didn’t see any tobacco residue in the holder and also came to the conclusion: “It must be a cigarette holder!” And a really great one: “Cool part!”
“They’re definitely incredibly rare because we’ve all never seen anything like it,” noted retailer Daniel Meyer. The first bid came from the back row, from Christian Vechtel, who bid 100 euros. But the initial price was quickly exceeded. At 200 euros, Vechtel suspected: “The expert price has certainly already been reached.”
Nevertheless, Vechtel continued to bid for 210 euros, but Lehnertz countered this with 250 euros. “But that’s a big step,” his colleagues marveled. Lehnertz must have fallen for the stylish cigarette holder. “But I also think they’re great,” explained Markus Wildhagen and went with them. Until you stood at 300 euros.
“What’s wrong with you back there?” Lehnertz turned specifically to Wildhagen when the bids didn’t die down. But the duel between the opponents had only just begun and continued to escalate. “Apparently the tip is made of gold,” joked colleague Meyer when 400 euros were reached. “It turns to gold,” smiled the saleswoman.
“450! So that you can calm down!” Lehnertz countered and received a murmur for the high bid: “Oh, Waldi! That’s crazy!” After further Wildhagen bids, the dealer from the Eiffel decided: “Even if I’m totally crazy, I’ll give you 500!” For this he was awarded the contract and reprimanded by Wildhagen: “Nasty Möpp!”
Expert Heide Rezepa-Zabel appraised an opulent bracelet made of 750 gold with precious stones as a further object of the program at 2,200 to 2,400 euros. The family heirloom from the 1960s came from Italy. The desired price was only 1,800 euros. But retailer Susanne Steiger found the bracelet simply “Wow!” and paid 2,500 euros.
The desired price for a hand lamp for train drivers from 1958 was 100 euros. According to Sven Deutschmanek, it was an “absolute collector’s item with beautiful age patina!” with a value of 80 to 100 euros. Dealer Markus Wildhagen paid 80 euros.
The seller asked for 2,000 euros for a 750 gold brooch with old-cut diamonds (2.5 carats). Expert Heide Rezepa-Zabel estimated the value based on the material at 2,800 to 3,000 euros. Dealer Susanne Steiger was awarded 2,500 euros.
A seller at the flea market bought the hydrant bronze for “a fiver”. According to Friederike Werner, it was action art by Wolfgang Wimhöfer, a student of Joseph Beuys from Düsseldorf. The bronze from a monument protection campaign at the Düsseldorf harbor in 1998 was worth 150-200 euros. Christian Vechtel paid 360 euros.
Sven Deutschmanek appraised a men’s wristwatch “Calculator” from the Heuer company from the 1970s at 2,000 euros, because “currently there is a huge run on vintage watches.” Despite his desired price of 2,5000 euros, the seller accepted the dealer card and received it from the dealer Susanne Steiger ended up with 2,200 euros.
This article was written by Natalie Cada
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The original of this post “Insane dealer dispute at “Bares for Rares”: “What’s wrong with you back there!?”” comes from Teleschau.
