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Bares für Rares Exposes Estimate Gaps, Dealer Makeovers and Fake Busts

Outcomes reflected dealer resale calculus alongside strict authenticity checks.

Overview

  • Expert Albert Maier identified a Sigmar Polke work on paper at €900–1,200, but dealer Daniel Meyer secured it for €660.
  • Dealer Elke Velten-Tönnies bought a 3.8–3.9 ct diamond ring for €5,300, had the stone reset into a yellow‑gold bangle with roughly €4,000 in added work, and plans to retail it for €12,000.
  • After buying a Mazega Murano lamp for €500, Christian Vechtel found it further damaged in transit; restorers created four new pieces that he hopes to sell for about €2,400–2,500 in total.
  • A platinum‑plated stick brooch from circa 1910–1915 was appraised at €1,200–1,400, drew bids only in the low hundreds, and the seller left without a deal after tensions in the dealer room.
  • A cat‑shaped bronze lamp brought as a presumed 1920s piece was deemed a later casting from the 1980s or 1990s, and the couple was denied a dealer card.