How are prices calculated? There are three main elements to consider when pricing Dutch glass: 1) Identification (The designer and name of this design) 2) Size and colour of the item. The largest size of a series will usually be most expensive. Some colours are particularly collected (anna-green, blue and purple) while others are less sought (fumi, smoke, etc) 3) Condition: Starting with a clear idea about the scarcity of the item, and how often the item is found in damaged state, it is possible to estimate the premium which might be achievable for a delicate item in exemplary condition. But more often the problem is how to calculate how much of the value has been lost due to damage. A small bubble or surface damage which does not affect the appearance of the object should be priced down by 5-20%. A chip which is considered to spoil the appearance in profile will reduce value by at least 30-70%. A visible burst or crack in the body of the glass (i.e. away from the edge) usually means it is valueless! Mineral deposits on the glass ('aanslag') can often be cleaned away by a professional, but he will charge about 30 euros per item for his time and equipment. Can I still get a bargain? Where do I go for a good deal? In a small market, prices can be quite volatile! Prices do NOT rise all the time! There are quite a few items whose prices have fallen in recent years, and some analists are very negative about the future of 'collectables'. If you only buy things which give you pleasure then at least you will always have THAT (even if prices should crash in the future) Whatever the price you pay, you shouldn't be surprised to see it somwehere else for half the price, or twice the price! Dealers carry a large stock and cannot suddenly mark down their prices because of a poor market. Part of the price is the identification. If you search through Kringloopwinkels and car boot sales then you can still find a bargain, but it's usually because the seller has not identified the object exactly, and/or does not have access to information about current prices, and cannot therefore look up its value. In the first three months of 2008 our best bargains included a clear 1924 waterkan by Copier with etchmark for 1.50, a 1931 vase by Rozendaal for 1 euro, etc. In all of these cases we recognised a design which the seller did not. During the twice yearly Collectors Fair at the Jaarbeurs in spring 2008 we noticed the same vase (marked by Copier) for sale on 5 or 6 stands. The highest price asked was 95 euros, whilst the careful shopper found the cheapest of them at 12.50! Even experts who know exactly what it is have some problems establishing the 'real market' value of things. Insurance and valuation Although low value items are often covered by normal household insurance, many collections quickly add up to a substantial value. It is wise to make special arrangements with your insurance broker, and make sure that you have suitable photographs and documentation ready to show the claims-assessor. For insurance purposes it is particularly important to cover the 'Replacement Value' (not the cost price). In general you should base your price on current dealers and similar objects. Don't forget to check the paperwork every now and then to update your list and prices. Based on these experiences, we conclude that there are no real experts when it comes to glass values. Markets change quickly and so do tastes in collecting. If you can find a similar object on www.marktplaats.nl then it is the best indicator of current market values. Most dealers and collectors are users of this site. Is my glass collection a good investment? Only time will tell! Although it's easy to have the impression that 'young people are not interested these days', actually our open days show that collectors start young. and come in all shapes and sizes! Often the appreciation of nostalgic and antique items will grow in later life. There are several museums which have large collections, but they are nearly all closed. Some of the collections have disappeared into the vaults, while others (like the National Glass Museum in Leerdam) are expected to re-emerge from their cocoon in a bigger and more beautiful form. The re-opening of the museum could create a surge of interest in Dutch glass. We collect these designs because we enjoy living with them, using them, and sharing them with others. We hope that by building and developing the knowledge about this area of work we can create new collectors for the future, and we hope that by publishing in English we will stimulate greater international appreciation too! The future of glass collecting The standard reference books by Annette Kley-Blekxtoon are now nearly 10 years old, and very little material of significance has appeared in hard print since then. Although there have been several general titles released they are merely re-iterating the content of previous volumes. The Glass Museum does not offer access to its documentation. The museum lost a big collection of a documents in a fire and only has limited archives itself. With very limited display space they have not been able to mount exhibitions of much interest to collectors. There are quite a few collectors and dealers around who have 'more knowledge than the museum', although they are not always inclined to share it. Since the museum is staffed by non-professionals and volunteers who may have patchy or little knowledge and training, it cannot be considered as the main centre of expertise. The site at Leerdam is not well-presented for visitors, and the potential to attract larger number of visitors has not been valued by the local authorities. Poor signs, restricted opening, and a general lack of co-ordination between the parties mean that most trips to Leerdam are disappointing. It is hoped that the 2008 re-organisation and re-opening of the museum will prove to be a successful initiative. There is still NO printed information available in English except for some short translations in museum publications. Since we started this website we have been able to forge links with a large number of collectors and started to stake out a place in the international community. This is one of the main reasons why our website is in English! Our web statistics show that there ARE collectors all over the world albeit small in number. We hope that our work will lead to greater appreciation by the international community, and try to structure this site so that it is accessible to a wide range of collectors at home and abroad. We keep our links page updated with the latest work from other collectors, dealers and researchers. Please feel free to send us an email and we'll be happy to see if we can make an immediate cash offer!