The age news paper has had a number of stories of late about some questionable dealings from a few Melbourne based Art Dealers 2010-2011 which in my World the Art/Antique trade is not uncommon, this practice has been going on for years, faking & signing paintings, as we call it in the trade duding up paintings.
Most of those traders are known to the Melbourne Antique trade and some are even liked, but now we have another Antique trader in the market place and this sort of trader has been here for many many years, they are Antique Dealers that represent Antique Auction Houses.
One dealer in particular representing Mossgreen Auctions of Toorak Rd Sth Yarra, which opened there doors a few years ago as a boutique Art/Antique Auction House selling private Collections for clients living in Melbourne, selling in opposition to Leonard Joel, Sotheby's, Deutscher and Hackett, and Menzies Art Auctioneer's.
This interesting concept which Mossgreen Auctions have adopted, is the experts promoted on Mossgreen's website or via there printed Catalogue while having a specialist auction, are business people in their own right ''Antique Dealers'' who specialise in a particular area of the Antiques trade and what is wrong with that you may say ? and yes, I would say the same thing.
But over the short time Mossgreen Auction's have been conducting on site house auctions and antique auctions in there rooms in Melbourne and Sydney, there has been a few things that have come to light in the last few months, that is at least one of there ''Representatives''
An expert in Australian pottery and Australian Furniture, who is also a representative of Mossgreen Auctions.
In my opinion, this can be a problem when wearing two hats, as you will discover.
When a Mossgreen representative like Graeme Dodd who is an expert in his field of Australian pottery and Australian furniture, who is promoted on Mossgreens Website and in there Catalogue as a leading expert in his field, and a Representative of Mossgreen either part time or on a full time bases.
Now, when giving evaluations he is bound by Law to give all clients who walks through his front door of business a true Auction appraisal, that is if this representative for Mossgreen Auctions is ''honest and transparent'' in his dealings with clients wanting to put Antiques in to Mossgreen up-coming Auctions.
Any representative of any Auction House trying to buy from a client before their item is offered to the market via the auction system, is a conflict of interest.
I also believe this underhanded practice can be answerable in a Court of Law.
Any member of the public wanting a true market appraisal of their Art/Antiques from any Auction Company or representative should be able to receive a honest and correct value of what the market will pay.
Which is not the case here, what has happened in this case, is highly questionable and a conflict of interest in any one's language.
There is a standard business practice which is adopted by most Antique Auctions in Melbourne or their Representatives such as Leonard Joel, Sothebys, Deutscher and Hackett Art Auctions.
Where Auctioneers giving appraisals to clients either at their Auction rooms or in the clients house have a standard code of ethics, which is the representatives of those Auction Companies do not try to buy items of considerable value from clients out right.
This is one of two true stories which need to be told so other unsuspecting clients don't become victims of rip off practise's.
A client walks in to a representative of Mossgreens in Sydney a Mr Graeme Dodd for an Auction evaluation ? for a Castle Harris 3 Koala figured statue, the representative values the item around $7000 and strongly suggests to the client, that's all they will achieve at Auction, less Mossgreens selling commission.
Mr Graeme Dodd assessed the Castle Harris figured group at $7000 and not a penny more ? and strangely enough the representative Graeme Dodd who values this Koala group as not worth a penny more than $7000 at auction, wants to buy the item ?
The client sells to the representative of Mossgreen ''Graeme Dodd'' who has a hidden agenda, which is to sell the item through Mossgreen Auctions him self via the Randwick Auction in 2010.
And that's what happened on the 30.8.10 Mossgreen Randwick Auction in Sydney.
Graeme Dodd of Graeme Dodd Antiques situated in the Rocks Sydney was to buy from the client, a Castle Harris Koala Figure, for $7000.
Which if this happened in any other Auction House would be instant dismissal, he resold the Castle Harris Koala figure in Mossgreens Sydney Auction for $25,095 including commission.
This is not the first time this sort of practise has happened relating to this representative of Mossgreen Auctions Graeme Dodd, not to long ago Graeme Dodd took on consignment a Deerbon Koala jug consigned by the vendor for a Mossgreen Auction or that's what the vendor thought that's what was going to happen ? with an offer from Graeme Dodd to purchase from the client before Auction for a few thousand dollars but was not accepted by the vendor, the vendor wanted the Deerbon jug to go to Auction.
So in Graeme Dodd's wisdom he offers the Deerbon jug to a collector in Sydney, this is what we call in the trade a 'private treaty sale' before Auction, with out consulting the vendor, for a whopping price tag of $17000, which I may ad $12,000 over the reserve price.
This practise offering an item before it goes to Auction for a set price with out consulting the vendor is extremely uncommon.
I also may ad, offering the item a Deerbon Koala jug too a private collector before Auction is unusual, but too be offered for $12000 above the reserve price with out consulting the vendor is not only unusual but highly questionable.
Antique Auction Houses like Leonard Joel, Sotheby's, Deutscher and Hackett have a code of conduct where this business practice normally does not happen, without consulting the vendor.
But this practice is not uncommon when offering an item at a reduced price after the item has been offered at public Auction, and not sold via normal conditions of Auction, referred to as ''testing the market'' in fact this practice is very common for Antique Auctions to sell items after Auction for a lesser price than the set reserve price, given the item has not reached its reserve price.
But the Auction Company will always contact the vendor to receive instructions so they may sell the item for less than the reserve price.
The interesting thing here is we are all left wondering if Mr Graeme Dodd had achieved a private treaty sale, which he did not.
What would the vendor be payed out ? would it be $17000 less commission, or the $5000which was the reserve, I wonder ?
If this scenario was to have happened in any other Auction House, at the very least heads would roll and I would suggest grounds for suing the representative.
Honest Art/Antique Auctions have policies they strictly adhere to, the standard practice of most Auction Companies relating to selling before auction, normally only occurs after testing the market via public auction.
You should be highly suspicious with this practice of a ''Valuer'' or ''Auction representative'' from any Auction Company who is wanting to buy any item from you which you have taken to be valued.
Mr Graeme Dodd is an expert in this area of Australian pottery and Australian Furniture.
Alarm bells should ring loud and clear when a ''valuer'' evaluates your item and wants to buy that same item from you.
I would be very very careful, always get a second or third opinion.
And for those who give Graeme Dodd the benefit of doubt, that does not wash with me, if you look at all the important Castle Harris pottery items sold over the last 5 years all have sold for more than $20,000 and some for $30,000
