Just lost 300 yuan on a fake 'vintage' teapot from a market in Suzhou

I was on a weekend trip and got really excited about this little clay teapot a seller said was an old Yixing piece. He had a whole story about it being from the 80s. I paid 300 yuan, which felt like a good deal at the time. When I got home and showed a friend who knows more, he pointed out the seal mark was wrong and the clay felt off. It's a pretty good fake, but it's just a modern copy. I feel pretty silly for not checking more carefully before handing over the cash. The worst part is I was so caught up in the moment of finding a 'treasure'. It's a lesson to always do a quick search on your phone or ask more questions before buying anything like that. Has anyone else had a bad buy at an antique market here and learned how to spot the fakes better?

2 comments

2 Comments

harperwright21d ago

Ugh, that's the worst. Those market sellers are pros at the convincing backstory. I got burned on a 'republic era' vase once, same deal. The glaze looked right until you compared it to a real one under good light. Now I just assume everything is fake unless it comes with solid paperwork from a real shop. The thrill of the hunt makes you want to believe it. At least it was only 300 and not thousands. That teapot will still make tea, so it's not a total loss.

olivers2821d ago

Three hundred dollars for a fake vase is brutal. That's a whole different level of commitment to the lie. I'd be checking every inch of my house for other fakes after that. At least my bad teapot was a tourist trap impulse buy for like thirty bucks. Your story makes me feel a lot better about my own bad choices.