A TALE OF TWO SHOES
BY
TERRY MOORE

One of the major worries when buying pottery on Ebay is the accuracy of the item description. Whilst in the main I have been quite lucky in that the large majority of the Crown Devon that I have purchased has been received in the condition as described by the seller. There has been the odd piece with a hairline crack or a small chip that the seller conveniently forgot to mention but in the main the misrepresented pieces have been few and far between.
One of the biggest misrepresentations occurred a couple of weeks ago when I bought a pair of Royal Devon shoes. I had always wanted a pair of these shoes and over the past few years had come across two or three single shoes and a couple of pairs which were not perfect. The last two single shoes that appeared last year at an antiques fair both sold for over £300 each so around £600 would be the current going rate for a pair.
Two or three weeks ago a pair of Royal Devon shoes appeared on Ebay. This was the sellers description.
· Item: Crown Devon S Fielding & Co Blush Ivory Ware Shoes Porcelain
· Age: c1880 - 1917
· Size (approximately): Length – 8 ½ inches (21.5cms) / Height – 4 ½ inches (11.5cms)
· Condition: Very good – some staining to body throughout – light crazing throughout – some wear with scuffing to gilt – dust and dirt gathered throughout – all commensurate with age.
Well, that was a bit of a disappointment - 'some staining to body throughout' and 'wear with scuffing to the gilt' . A good look at the accompanying photographs still didn't really show up the staining or any problems with the gilding so I e mailed the seller asking "Can you tell me how bad the staining is?" to which I received the reply:-
Hello Terry :-)

There is a light staining throughout which is usual with these type of items as you are probably aware, due to their unglazed nature, there is heavier staining in the grooves, again all commensurate with the type of item this is.

So bearing in mind, these items are usually lightly stained, we would term these as very good condition overall.

The images in the auction do clearly show the level of staining :-)

We do offer a 100% money back guarantee, including return postage if the customer is not completely happy with the item :-)

Hope that helps,

No, it didn't really help - I have been collecting Royal Devon for many years and was totally unaware that staining was 'usual with these types of items'. Yes, I have seen pieces that have been very badly stained, fruit bowls that the acid had attacked over the last 100 years and jardinieres which had been attacked by water, but why should a pair of decorative shoes be stained. A closer look at the photographs revealed nothing - the shoes looked a bit grubby but I still couldn't spot any staining.

The last hours of the of the auction came and the price stood at £280, less than a half of the going rate. What should I do? Bid, or leave them alone? I decided to gamble and make my bid. The auction finished in the middle of the night so when I got up the following morning I checked on Ebay ony to find that all the other 'contenders' had chosen the opposite option and no one else had registered a bid. The shoes were mine at a two for one price! The problem now was just how bad the staining was going to be - had I been rash and would I end up with 'damaged goods'

The answer was provided two days later when the postman delivered my parcel. They were very professionally packaged and it took me what seemed like an eternity to unpack them. Then - the moment of truth. Yes, they were dirty, especially in the grooves, and yes they were grubby, but the staining as I had imagined it, just wasn't there. Out came the bowl of hot water, the bottle of cream cleanser, a cloth and a toothbrush. In less than 10 minutes, both shoes were pristine and in 'mint' condition. No staining whatsoever, no wear to the gilding - They had been just plain dirty!!

Whilst I must admire the seller for being 'over honest' in the item description, I can't help wondering why they weren't given a good wash in the first place. With this pair of shoes, I really think the seller shot himself in the foot!