Antiques offered directly from China = fakes

[peterp]

"Antiques" offered directly from China – or indirectly
via online selling services

Beware! Please do not compare any possible "antiques" you wish to purchase with online items sold from China. They are all fakes. The rules for the sale/export of cultural relics/antiques from China are now stricter than even a few years ago.
According to some reports there are even some Chinese museums having fakes in their display. The originals were illegaly sold by employees and replaced by fakes.

China is now really clamping down on illegal antique trade. Currently only items less than 50 years old can be legally exported. There may be a few exceptions, but generally said, China does only allow heritage items out that are of little importance. This means low quality or common wares that are still plenty. Punishments can be severe for those trying ... so almost all worth collecting and being sold NOW or having come out of China in recent years is either fake, new or in a condition or of a quality that makes it not worthwhile collecting them.

Most valuable, collectible antiques in private ownership in China are now required to be registered. If one is found without registration, it may be confiscated.
Grave robbers caught trying to get find genuine, valuable items can get the ultimate punishment,.

At the same time the quality of fakes is at its best now, so that even top experts often are not sure if an item is authentic or not. China's government does virtually nothing to stop rampant faking.
To appease the autorities some fakers are now using a new trick; they attach clay to the bottom of fired ceramics and add their seal or mark on it. But this is removable...


For trading antiques within China the general rules now seem to be:
    • Excavated items cannot be traded at all (this includes items from archaeological excavations as well as from graves). Such items are considered possession of the state.
As many older items, e.g. Yuan/Song dynasty, etc. are virtually unknown as inherited, they are assumed to be excavated items, which is forbidden.
    • Items handed down or inherited from ancestors, etc. may be traded. Some restrictions may apply and rules can differ according to the province.


There are some reports that certain antiques need to be registered, to be permitted having them. If they are found without being registered, they are confiscated. Not sure if this is a local rule or all of China.