It was my huge good fortune to acquire a mentor who understood the difference in good and bad Chinese pieces.
I also learned to spend more money on books and visiting collectors where i could handle authentic pieces ....... than I did buying on eBay. This was very hard for me in the beginning because I thought that I saw a good piece online. It really looked right to me, I should snap it up.
In the years I have been collecting, I got ONE sleeper on eBay and that was pure blind luck. I also have one marginal jian that I like anyway. I keep it to explain the sheer artistry of the fakers.
All my good pieces I bought from dealers at what seemed like high prices at the time, but yesterday's high prices are tomorrow's bargains!
For a while I even went on a binge of trying to help warn people I saw bidding on obvious fakes, but I realized that the great majority just wanted to buy a wall hanger that MIGHT have belonged to a Chinese Emperor General. Clean the carefully applied rust from the blade, hang it over their fireplace and watch "the game" on TV. Never buy another one.
But the serious collectors. This Forum is one of the great places to find help, mentors and learn.
