The Ivory Cross

In the early nineteen fifties, the antique trade was a booming profession and after a number of years suffering colourless porcelain (it was forbidden to waste time and resources to produce anything that was not utility during the War Years), people were hungry for beautiful artefacts. I remember going to an auction sale in a private house where even the utility furniture was rationed and one was not allowed to purchase two suites of bedroom furniture. In fact one large firm actually coined the name of 'beautility' furniture. I would not exaggerate by saying the country was culturally sad and the people were starved of colour and pretty items. However, antique porcelain was available with beautiful workmanship and vivid colour and it and became greatly in demand.

There was however, a body of men of which I was a member, that appreciated and loved the quality of the Victorian and earlier periods of antiques. It was possible to obtain beautiful items for sale, as many people had collected all their lives and when they died, unless they had some prior knowledge, was considered 'junk' by the surviving relatives. In many cases they were almost given away.

Britain was a veritable treasure house. All the industrial nations, especially America and Italy sent in their own dealers to compete with ours. The prices rose accordingly, and at one time at least six freighters would leave our docks every day full of the finest quality porcelain, furniture, paintings, clocks and object d'art. You did not have to be a financial wizard to realize that the well would soon be empty and antiques would reach the formidable prices that are now prevalent.

In our own town of Bournemouth, we had quite a few general dealers with no premises or shops. They would all get together in the evening to discuss the various deals that they had done during the day. Mostly their stories were not true and they often exaggerated to make the other dealers jealous. We amongst us some dealers with a fairly credible knowledge who could recognise a quality item as rare, even if they did not know exactly what it was.

A small time dealer called Oscar, now deceased, had a little shop in the Lansdowne and had purchased a small collection of articles. They were mostly inexpensive jewellery, but included in the batch was a small ivory cross. Oscar offered them all to a dealer named Jack Shaw, for a small amount of money but Jack decided he was not interested.

Jack had no shop premises, but made a small time living buying at auction sales. He was always immaculate in his dress attire and carried an aura of wealth, but fortune always seemed to elude him however hard he tried.

A prominent local antiques dealer (whom I shall call Mr. 'G.') was very well known and had a magnificent antiques shop. Mr 'G' heard about Oscar's collection and purchased the items in a lot for a modest amount. He then took them back to his shop to evaluate and examine them further.

A very experienced antiques dealer from London came into his shop, to enquire if he had any fine goods for sale. Mr 'G' told him that he had nothing that would interest him. This London dealer was not popular and was known to be very greedy.

The London dealer persisted and seeing the items that 'G' had just purchased, fastened on an antique Ivory Cross that was included in the lot purchased from Oscar. He demanded to know how much was the price of the cross. 'G' told him that he had not evaluated that item, and he would inform him later if he would wish to sell it. At this the Dealer turned a bit tardy and insisted for it to be priced, as it was in an open shop. 'G' told him that if he insisted he would ask £500 for it, which was an enormous amount at that time. The dealer, feeling that 'G' had paid a fairly modest price for it, became quite cross. He said that he considered the price quite ridiculous and made to exit from the shop.

Hesitating at the door he returned to 'G' with his £500 in his hand. This was now refused, on the basis that he had turned down the original offer and was told that the price had now gone up to £1,500. The dealer became furious and swore that he would never again do business in that shop again.

That night at midnight, the phone rings in 'G's home. It was the London dealer. He said that he would give 'G' £5,000 for a half share in the Ivory Cross. The dealer was reminded that he had told 'G' that he would never do business again with him and the phone was abruptly put down.

It appeared, that after some in-depth authentication, the cross was one of eight ivory crosses made in the 8^th century and was Saxon in origin. It was well known and had been considered lost for hundreds of years.

'G' being made aware of its true value put it up for auction in Switzerland. Where it made £40,000. Today it would reach at least £2,000,000.

Poor old Jack Shaw, realising that he had rejected an enormous fortune, by not purchasing it first from Oscar, died at the early age of 45, we suspect, of a broken heart.