Hey guys,
I draw your attention to this didgeridoo listed on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Didgeridoo-Hand-Pai ... dZViewItem
This is a relisted instrument from the Katherine area made for the tourist trade in the 1970's or 1980's as is evident in the use of acrylic pigments and the dot-art style decoration which was only applied to instruments from this area at that time. I kindly offered this information to the seller (an art dealer in his own right) as he had listed the instrument as having been from 'the 1940's" which it is clearly not, and referred him to a number of sources to validate my opinion. Guan and I have discussed the provenance of this instrument and both agree that it was crafted much later than the dealer claims. I also suggested to the seller that if he wished to sell the instrument at auction on ebay a more realistic starting price of $100 would encourage more interest and be more in line with the instrument's value.
I won't supply copies of the ensuing correspondence, however I will say that this dealer was incredibly rude and stated that both Guan and I 'got the wrong information' and didn't know what we were talking about! He refused to refer to the references I'd provided and kept accusing me of trying to get a bargain and cutting his price down so I eventually told him that he could take or leave our advice but that the truth regarding its provenance and value would out when the item received no bids. This, not surprisingly, is exactly what happened and I noticed today that he has relisted the didgeridoo at the same seriously inflated opening price.
This is a classic example of somebody attributing value to an instrument they know little or nothing about and a possible hazzard to the unsuspecting buyer who would think they were investing in a valuable vintage instrument. A very similar one sold recently on ebay for $70AUD - proof that these are not as highly regarded as the seller believes. I was most appalled at the attitude of this gentleman who claims to be a professional art dealer. I must say that his actions and words were far from professional in this case.
