This Wednesday January 22 in the show Deal donea buyer deliberately withheld important information to ensure she won the auction.
During the broadcast Deal done on Wednesday January 22, a seller came to present a beautiful silver music box. This precious object, whose mechanism animates a small bird singing and displaying real hummingbird feathers, has attracted the attention of experts and buyers. Estimated at 400 euros, this rare piece sparked debate in the auction room. Buyers doubted the date of creation of the box, located according to expert Violette Stcherbatcheff between the 18th and 19th centuries.
Deal done : a buyer hides crucial information from her colleagues about an item offered in the auction room
This rare object, probably dating from the 18th or 19th centuries, has attracted the interest of buyers. However, crucial information regarding the exact date of creation was not shared by Christine Metais, one of the buyers, who preferred to keep it to herself: “At first I thought it was later. But when I looked closely I saw the hallmarks“, confided the buyer. She continued: “Obviously, I didn't tell my acolytes, because there was an 18th century hallmark right next to the silver hallmark.” This discovery confirmed to Christine Metais that the object was much older than she thought. This strategy of not revealing key information paid off: “I know that FX (François Xavier Renou, editor’s note) I also like this type of object. But maybe it's not quite his period, that's why he let me buy it” she explained before concluding: “I was really delighted. The hallmark leaves no doubt, it is from the 18th century.” Ultimately, the buyer won the auction by paying 1,250 euros for an item initially estimated at 400 euros.
-Julia Vignali prohibits entry to the auction room to a seller in Deal done
The day before, January 21, another seller had tried his luck by offering a tray that he thought was signed by Émile Gallé. Unfortunately, expert Violette Stcherbatcheff quickly detected inconsistencies in the signature, declaring it to be a forgery: “I don't like her. She's not usual. (…) this signature is false.” Faced with this revelation, Julia Vignali took a rare decision by prohibiting the seller from accessing the auction room: “We cannot be responsible for reselling a fake because we must cut the chain of counterfeiters“, she explained.
