﻿January, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  27 
  

  

  Symetrical 
  Arrangement 
  of 
  Miscellaneous 
  Subjects, 
  Collection 
  of 
  Mrs. 
  Marshall 
  L. 
  Hinman 
  

  

  "Columbia 
  College," 
  eight 
  and 
  three-eights-inch, 
  acorn 
  

   border, 
  with 
  medallion 
  of 
  DeWitt 
  Clinton. 
  

  

  "Octagon 
  Church, 
  Boston," 
  ten 
  and 
  one-half-inch 
  flat 
  

   plate, 
  open 
  edge, 
  shown 
  in 
  illustration. 
  This 
  view 
  is 
  very 
  

   rare 
  in 
  a 
  flat 
  plate. 
  

  

  "St. 
  Patrick's 
  Cathedral," 
  Mott 
  Street, 
  New 
  York, 
  six- 
  

   inch 
  plate 
  (Stevenson). 
  

  

  A 
  word 
  about 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  this 
  historical 
  blue 
  china. 
  I 
  

   deprecate 
  the 
  tendency 
  toward 
  absurdly 
  high 
  prices 
  even 
  

   for 
  the 
  rarest 
  views. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  Macy 
  sale, 
  November 
  23, 
  a 
  "Sandusky" 
  platter 
  sold 
  

   for 
  $220. 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  idea 
  who 
  bought 
  it, 
  but 
  I 
  know 
  it 
  was 
  

  

  not 
  worth 
  over 
  $100. 
  The 
  color 
  was 
  bad 
  (a 
  light 
  purplish 
  

   blue), 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Macy 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  sell 
  it 
  for 
  $150 
  while 
  it 
  

   remained 
  for 
  months 
  among 
  his 
  stock. 
  I 
  repeatedly 
  re- 
  

   fused 
  to 
  buy 
  it 
  at 
  this 
  price. 
  Those 
  people 
  who 
  are 
  not 
  well 
  

   informed 
  as 
  to 
  values 
  are 
  often 
  responsible 
  for 
  inflated 
  

   prices. 
  They 
  meet 
  at 
  an 
  auction 
  and 
  bid 
  against 
  each 
  other 
  

   regardless 
  of 
  what 
  the 
  piece 
  is 
  worth. 
  If 
  a 
  collector 
  wants 
  

   a 
  piece 
  of 
  blue 
  china 
  badly 
  he 
  will 
  sometimes 
  pay 
  a 
  ridicu- 
  

   lous 
  price 
  if 
  he 
  can 
  afford 
  it, 
  but 
  he 
  will 
  know, 
  all 
  the 
  while, 
  

   that 
  probably 
  he 
  could 
  not 
  sell 
  it 
  for 
  half 
  what 
  he 
  paid. 
  

   There 
  is 
  no 
  standard 
  of 
  values. 
  But 
  then 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  limit 
  to 
  

   the 
  enthusiasm 
  and 
  vagaries 
  of 
  collectors. 
  

  

  