A man named David Jewell, a dealer in old china
in Oxford Street, was tried at the Central Criminal Court on Monday and Tuesday for receiving some china stolen from Mr. Savarin Salting, a connoisseur in the article. There was no doubt that Jewell bought the china, and bought it cheap, and tried to sell it dear, and the defence was that hits of that sort were cus- tomary in the trade. Mr. Watson, a dealer, said he bought a pair of Chelsea vases for £2 and sold them to Mr. Bohn for £00, which is pleasant news for Mr. Bohn. Mr. Joseph Welch bought a beautiful console-table for £2, which he sold to Baron Rothschild for £250, and "mentioned other eases of the same character." Mr. William Henry Libbis bought a cup for is., and sold it for £5. Mr. John Eyles " remembered " a Bristol tea-service bought for 16s., and sold shortly afterwards for £20. Another witness, quoted by Mr. Parry, mentioned a case where a piece of china bought for £2 was sold for £100, and then resold for £1,500, the trade, in fact, having in it a large gambling element. The experienced dealers, if we may believe Mr. Wertheimer, the most experienced dealer examined, are well aware of this, and expect the mania to cease prese ntly. Moral,— if you have scarce china, sell it ; if you have none, wait ten years before you buy any at any price over a pound.
Previous page
