South East Asian "antiques"

Virtually every week on okay there are "Khmer antiques" offered for sale that are quite frankly modern reproductions. Some are obviously new, whilst others are based on more traditional pieces and yet others are, should they be genuine and authentic, some of the most important pieces ever discovered, and yet, here they are being offered for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
The simple fact is that you just cannot buy genuine Khmer pieces from the 8th - 13th century for these prices, unless they are very minor, or have been extensively restored or re-worked.
If you are seeking genuine pieces from ANY period, there is no substitute to doing your own research. Check auction records, check museum catalogues, check collections and simply check the internet. There is enough documentation available to allow you to then base your decision on some knowledge.
The next thing is to ask yourself the question: why is it this cheap?
Many pieces that if genuine would be considered quite important are priced at ridiculously low levels on okay. It doesn't take much research (just a check of Christies or Sothebys catalogues), to see that even minor pieces go for $4000 dollars, but most start at around $10,000 plus. Major pieces start at around $40,000 and can then go up to the hundreds of thousands. This is a fact. Secondly, if some of these pieces were genuine...well, believe me, major collectors and dealers look at okay too and being aware of the true value of items, would buy the pieces for close to their true worth.
There is not an unlimited supply of genuine pieces. Pieces that have been in legitimate collections for a number of years are more likely (although not guaranteed) to be genuine than those that have suddenly appeared on the market......and are not being offered in a venue where the true values are known..ie: okay.

If you have purchased pieces or are thinking of a purchase, not only on okay but anywhere, have the item checked out by a recognised authority. The major auction houses always have specialists to advise. Museum curators who are very passionate about their chosen field of study and are often more than willing to share with you their knowledge and there are specialist dealers too who are highly ethical and knowledgeable who are only too pleased to talk to you...after all, you are a potential client. If they don't know or aren't sure, they will usually tell you and perhaps refer you on to someone who does. BEWARE of sellers who don't recognise specialist dealers...or ask for written authentification or declaration of reproduction from Museums. The fact is that specialist dealers are, in the majority of cases, ethical, and they will help you....and Museum curators are often NOT able to put their opinions in writing. Sellers who specifically ask for this type of documentation (from museum curators or academics) should always be avoided...because you certainly won't be able to get anything from them in writing.......and certainly NOT within the 7 days often given by some sellers as the time for their Returns/refund policy !
If an item has: "User ID kept private", I would immediately ask "why?", after all, okay should be an open auction process. Why would a seller want to stop potential buyers from seeing who the bidders are? I think that the answer is self evident.
A trend appeared in August 2006 of now putting a much higher price (although still lower than what would be expected if the work was a genuine antiquity) on the items. The price quoted for "Buy it now" or even starting price, is in the thousands of dollars, so that the prospective buyer feels that this therefore MUST be genuine. Well, please be careful. If you really don't know how to judge if a work is genuine, then stay away. Don't be misled. Again, as I have said earlier, check the catalogues of the major auction houses to ascertain what is a fair and reasonable price.Beware too of sellers stating that they have Conservation Reports or Certificates to authenticate pieces. The fact is that a Conservation Report/Certificate is just that: it refers to the conservation of an item NOT to its age or authenticity.
I've had a few emails asking if there is any quick way to tell if pieces are genuine antiquities or whether they are modern, or even mid-20th century reproductions. My answer is that when you are collecting any type of article, the only thing that really helps you is EXPERIENCE. It is even more so when appraising Asian antiques and antiquities. After 30 years, I am still learning. The fakers use new techniques all the time to make their pieces appear as ancient. However, in the vast majority of cases, it is the experience of seeing and handling literally thousands of pieces that enables you to be more willing to gemit to purchase, or simply walk away. Many newer collectors are more concerned with developing "quick" collections: this plays into the hands of those whose concern is with quick profit ! In September 2006 I was offered a "collection" of Khmer stone pieces from a dealer operating predominantly on the internet, (although infrequently on okay). In my opinion, they were all reproduction, but were priced at just under what one would expect to pay for genuine pieces. Sadly, I have to say that I have seen VERY FEW GENUINE pieces of antique Khmer sculpture offered on okay, and yet there are many people willing to buy them as either: 1) they just don't know; 2) are happy to have reproduction pieces; 3) sincerely think that you can buy the genuine article at these prices...despite all the information to the contrary. If you are serious about collecting not only Asian antiquities, but anything, the best additional advice I can give you is to be prepared to pay a true and realistic price. January 2007. Having just returned from South East Asia, unfortunately I have to report that some of the recent reproductions of stone sculpture are exceptionally good......frighteningly so. This is yet another reason to be careful. However, for those of you who are TRULY interested, there is now a test available on stone sculpture....yes, this is true. For anyone in the USA, I believe that the LA County Museum conducts these tests. Sadly, there will be a lot of very unhappy people around.As I said previously, if you go after the bargain, you will be burnt. CAVEAT EMPTOR.