Here are a few tips on buying Glass at a market or Antique Store.
(I used to run a stall in an Antiques Market so this really IS from the Horses mouth !)

1 - Read all about the exact item you are thinking of buying.
Some items come in different sizes and usually larger one are worth more.

2 Carefully note down the Measurements - Why ?
You need the measurements because a fairly common practice is to have chips or scratches ground off professionally. This usually happens on expensive glass only as it is costly to have this done. If there are chips or scratches or even a piece knocked off the edge of the top or bottom of the glass the when it is ground down this will be right around the piece and it will either be shorter (if the nick is at the top of the glass) or narrower (If it is on the base). This means the dimensions will have changed from the original.There may also be some frosting around the rim (if it is not done carefuly) This drastically reduces the value of the piece.Check the pattern - a common way to remove a scratch is to engrave a frosted area over it. What SHOULD the piece look like - consult the internet for photos of what you are looking for - especially in a large antiques market like those in Lille,Paris or London Portobello Road where you will see many copies of rare glass pieces.
Some people tell you to run your lips around the edge of a glass piece but I do NOT recommend that - for two reasons - You might cut your lip and secondly have a think for a moment how many other collectors. and dealers have recently done the same (shudder !) - I dread to think where some of those mouths may have been....

3 inspect carefully for scratches or other marks. They seriously devalue any piece. Ciips can sometimes be ground down professionally but breaks generally are worthless

4 Look carefully at the signature. Signatures are not an easy thing to check. You need a linen tester to check them (they only cost a couple of dollars and slip into a pocket or handbag easily)
Some glassmakers signed all their work. Others had the person actually making the piece sign for them. (This is why there are so many different Lalique signatures)
Every glassmaker had different ways to sign pieces. Pantin for instance did not sign or mark anything while Lalique had many signatures and markings. You should read up about your favourite glassmaker before you buy. What I do is to photocopy Lalique signatures from books and take thse with me when I am buying.
I really must scan them onto a pda !

5 Fakes often include fake signatures too. Czech and Romanian Fakes often take the easy way out and have sandblasted signatures.Early Glass was either ACID ETCHED (deeply) or engraved.

Romanian copies often have the word Tip engraved alongside the copied signature.
This is often removed with a dental or craft drill by unscrupulous stores but leaves a blank area which if you study it carefully does not look quite right. This often happens with expensive reproduction lamps of Daum and other leading makers.

Remember - the more expensive the piece, the more likely it is to be forged ! Forgers usually only fake expensive pieces.
Everyone gets caught out by buying a forged piece eventually - even experienced dealers and Museum Curators !

I can be regularly found in smaller antiques markets,fleamarkets and arcades of antiques stores.
The latter are good sources as many of the dealers displaying in showcases do not specialise and it is from them that you will usually find the best bargains.

Cire Perdue

How It Works -

GALLE 24 HIGH CAMEO GLASS TABLE LAMP all orig PERFECT    US $20,000.00

EMILE GALLE ENAMELLED PRAYING MANTIS ART GLASS VASE    US $10,000.00

1912 titanic travel poster announcement disaster    US $8,800.00

Bacchantes Vase

This Beautiful Vase was designed by Rene Lalique on July 22, 1927 and has been in production at the Lalique glassworks ever since.
It includes full length neo-classical female nudes.

Lalique is one of the main leaders in high quality French Art Glass.

This is why there are so many  copies and reproductions of Lalique.

If you are buying how do you know it is really a Lalique piece?

The most common reproductions around at the moment are from Romania and the Czech Republic.

You may well be offered thees in markets or smaller stores.

Some reproductions of Rene Laliques Glassware are older copies from the 1900s to 1930s.

These are the hardest to spot as they do have authentic signs of age and may well have slight signs of wear that you would expect from that period..

There is no intent to deceive though many glassmakers of that period made glass pieces in what they termed The Lalique Style  .

Rene lalique s work was copied by many glassmakers and these pieces do turn up from attics and basements worldwide.

Etling, Genet and Michon made their own glassware in what they termed the Lalique Style. This was of course an attempt at the time to cash in on the popularity of Lalique.

By terming their glassware Lalique Style they managed to avoid legal action.

Many of these pieces were w=quit lovely in their own right and should be considered collectable as representatives of good quality glassware of the period (but not at Lalique prices !)

If you are looking for Lalique (or Daum for that matter) then this is an affordable entry into glassware collecting.

Just last weekend I saw a lady buying an old  style daum (nearly !)  lamp for just 65 Euro (about 75$) at a Paris fleamarket (30 seconds earlier and that would have been mine !!) So there atill are great bargains to be had (although you would have to get an electrician to re-wire it to make it legal).

Early copies often have discoloured glass due to impurities and they are often made in pressed glass (look for a seam running from lip to base and back up on the other side) These are common in American copies.

Genuine  Lalique always has a signature

Pre 1930 this was R LALIQUE and was engraved.

There are a number of different signatures on genuine Lalique :

R LALIQUE with FRANCE in smaller letter below in a stencilled mark,

R LALIQUE FRANCE in a curve (etched between 1925 and 935)

Moulded marks  R.LALIQUE  FRANCE (smaller letters) and these can be either in Relief or intaglio

Some pieces have the letter L extended below the other letters.

With Scent Bottles there is almost always an etched or engraved pattern number on bothe the base of the piece and on the base of the stopper (MUST be the same !)

After the death of Rene Lalique the R. was no longer placed as part of the mark.

Spurious marks exist where the letter R has been etched or engraved to make the piece look older.

Pieces after 1919 bear serialized numbers from 1 upwards with the last 2 numbers after the dash being the year of manufacture.

DO NOT rely solely on the signature - fakes do exists.

Instead weigh up the quality and design of the piece - Lalique really does stand out a mile !

Modern copies are made with the lalique signature  so look out for those.

Research by looking in museums and dealers.
(By doing just that I bought a 15th century buddha bronze in a flea market in London.)

.

You should use a UK BlackLight. This will show you any repairs or restorations but more importantly it will make old glass flouresce.

To Test Glass :

Pre 1945 Lalique flouresces YELLOW
Reproductions  do not flouresce at all or they flouresce a bluish white.

However all colourless American pressed glass flouresces yellow .
It is easy to see pressed glass and cristal is easy to see visually.

Fakes abound in French fleamarkets and these usually come from Hungary.They come with certificates of authenticity ... faked too !

St Ouen Marche aux Puces in Paris is absolutely full of reproductions of lalique  and you should only buy Lalique there from a member of the French Antique Dealers Federation.

 Fakes abound in  the huge street market in Lille in Northern France in September. 

(On the first weekend in September al the inhabitants of Lille clear out their attics and basements - they have a legal right to do so).There is much fake glass and 19th century and earlier reproductions of all kinds (pottery,paintings,copperware etc.). Suprisingly good quality reproductions.

You can still get Lalique in  Belgium where many original Lalique pieces are to be found. These mainly appear in provincial markets and from dealers.

Look out for the  Sunday Market in Brussels  (go early to get bargains) this is a great place to find all kinds of old French Glass .

In London you can try at :
Portobello Road (Fridays  are really for Trade) Saturday for the Public
Bermondsey Market (Early Friday Morning - well before 6 for bargains !)
Camden Market on Wednesdays
Grays Market in Mayfair.

Parisian  Fleamarkets are absolutely packed with vintage and antique glassware but the pieces that I saw recently (Marh 2009) 90 % is of cheap pressed glass - often at expensive prices.

Try French Provincial Markets rather than ones in Paris.

The watchword is definitely Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware)

Try to get old of a French magazine called Aladdin  this features Antiques Fairs,Brocantes (a sort of French antiques fleamarket) and also the same name is used a second hand antiques/collectables dealer to be found at the edge of most provincial French Towns) .
If you are going to France then try to get a copy of the magazine as it has excellent articles about identifying real and fake antiques of all kinds.

You can subscribe for Alladin on the Internet and it has not only very usefula and informative articles on all kinds of antiques but dozens of pages of small ads both for buying and selling antiques and collectables.

Our Lalique sections :

All Lalique
http://www.greatfrenchglass.com/Store/lalique

Lalique Bowls
http://www.greatfrenchglass.com/lalique/lalique-bowls

Lalique Big Cats
http://www.greatfrenchglass.com/lalique/Lalique-bigcats

Art nouveau Lalique
http://www.greatfrenchglass.com/lalique/lalique-nouveau

When you click the All Lalique Section even more sections will  open for you.

Our other website about Lalique has expanded sections on Jewelry and Glass.

I thought some of these Glass Stors might also interest you -

Other Glass Stores

Great French Glass Stores

Oldunusualthings

Strawberrynet Store

QualityOverstock123

Daum Art Glassware

Baccarat Fine Glassware

Lalique Erotica

Victoire Car Mascot

Car Mascots were designed by Rene lalique in both the Art Nouveau and Art Deco Styles.
The most famous is the Victoire but there are Czech Copies of this car mascot from the original moulds around.The originals are much crisper and have engraved signatures.
The copies are with acid etched signatures.

These were either of Glass or a mixture of Bronze and Glass.

Some have been copied by other manufacturers so please ensure the Lalique Signature is on the piece.

Especially popular with collectors are the range of semi-draped or nude ladies and the Eagle Head mascots.

The VICTOIRE ( a ladies head with Flying hair streaming back) is the most sought after car mascot.

Things to look out for - chips and scratches on the glass are not unusual and are a sign sometimes of authenticity as it shows the piece probably was used on a car.

Some pieces have the bronze base removed and have been used as rather classy paperweights - they are more valuable with the base.

Some earlier models were actually also produced as paperweights too.
One of the earliest Car Mascots was Grand Libellule (a dragonfly).

Some but not all were also fitted with a light bulb in the base to make them glow at night. These look gorgeous.
Car mascots in coloured glass are fairly rare.

Many Manufacturers in the 20s and 30s ordered Lalique car mascots for their automobiles as they added a certain touch of luxury to their models.

Many were actually produced as paperweights and bookends.

There is More information about Lalique Car Mascots at Lalique Art Nouveau

Amazing Lalique Guides

Lustres de Lalique
Lalique a produit beaucoup de lustres - voici certains que vous pouvez trouver dans vos recherches.
C'est nullement une liste approfondie mais a la plupart des lustres de lalique que vous pouvez trouver par hasard.
Les prix varient. Erreurs et ommissions exceptés.
Il y a des reproductions autour des lustres de Lalique.
J'ai vu beaucoup de reproductions à vendre sur le marché de Septembre à Lille France.

Alger - espace libre de lustre à ailes par 7 avec les oiseaux et les feuilles appled
Atlantique - a l'appui 4 en verre avec les disques clairs soutenant une boîte opale en verre avec De cubes art déco géométrique ci-dessous -
Bandes de Roses - cuvette circulaire en verre rose givrée avec 4 cercles dans le rose
Boule de Guy - corps rond de Froste avec le gui appliqué
Charmes - circulaire avec des feuilles dans le soulagement
Chrysanthemes - verre circulaire clair avec un remous renversant des chrysanthemems opales et feuilles tourbillonnant du centre de la cuvette
Coquilles - la cuvette en verre claire avec la bucarde opalescente écosse tout en rond Boîte en verre octogonale de prise de soutien de Coquelicots- 4 avec des festons
Dahlias - forme de passoire avec de grands dahlias en verre givré entre les feuilles dans lcear du verre givré lighty rose
Deux Sirenes - deux sirènes nues cabriolez au-dessous d'un hémisphère givré - morceau renversant. En verre clair ou ambre (lalique indubitable)
Chiffres de Douze - sections givrées de verre avec les nymphes élevées sur chaque section
Eglantines - cuvette givrée blanche avec les bâtis renversants des roses douces de briar
Etoiles - le disque clair RENVERSANT avec des undreds d'or tient le premier rôle partout lui et le dôme au centre
Fougeres - verre givré semblant Modernistic avec des ailes de verre
Gaillon - cuvette givrée avec les tasses givrées par pendant
Grand Fleur - cuvette opaque rose avec la fleur simple énorme et les graines centrales
Hirondelles - cuvette givrée avec les hirondelles contasining de panneau projetant des côtés
Feuilles de Charmes - cuvette givrée avec des perles de modèle de feuille - Lookes comme un stand de gâteau à l'envers. Rayonne pour perler - comme les perles en verre sur les parties de dessus et inférieures. Givré avec la jante claire
Lausanne - cuvette givrée avec le fruit/oiseaux et les feuilles
Lierre - cuvette opalescente en verre givré avec des soulagements de lierre.
Le Madagascar - (mon lustre préféré de lalique) un dôme pâle opaque renversant d'umber avec une frise du beau singe dirige tous autour
Madrid - 4 ailes de verre clair avec des modèles de feuille sur chacun
Monnaie du Pape - cuvette claire avec le modèle des feuilles.
Moineaux - appui 4 d'anneaux en verre clairs au-dessus d'une boîte carrée avec la frise des oiseaux et des feuilles. Nan-King - cuvette givrée géométrique faite en relier ensemble des triangles chacune avec plus de triangles dans elle-même.
Noisetier - dôme pendant avec la base en verre givré et les ailes feuillues ci-dessus.
Palmes - l'appui simple avec les disques en verre tient 4 boîtes jointes avec le modèle en feuille de palmier sur en dehors de de chacun
Papillons - en forme de tambour avec la frise des papillons avec rayonner la cuvette dessous.
Plaques de Papillons - cuvette en verre claire dans les sections avec les papillons opaques moulés
Passiflore - boule opaque en verre avec l'étamine saillante de fleurs de passiflore (fleurs de passion) de chaque fleur.
Ravenne - le verre givré d'art déco ressemble à une crinoline carrée avec des bandes. La frontière pendante du marbre en verre aiment des perles et une copie miniature de elle-même ci-dessous.
Rinceaux - le modèle d'art déco courbe overlaping partout le dôme. Espace libre ou or Ronces - blanc ou cuvette givrée par rose avec les mûres appliqued
Soleil - bleu de cuvette claire avec le modèle géométrique et de dômes clairs partout il.
Stockholm 1 - Cuvette jaune pâle d'art déco avec les feuilles et l'appui pyramidic horizontaux des anneaux en verre clairs.
Stockholm II - semblable à Stockholm I mais avec le modèle géométrique ci-dessous
Vendome - élégant soucoupe-comme le lustre avec le bambou comme l'appui ci-dessus.
Ville Neuve - cuvette d'or avec 4 butins d'Al blanc en verre opale rond. Beau.
Veronne - le verre opale jaune avec des feuilles et les pétales aiment le lis d'eau recouvrant tout Rappelez-vous - si un lustre de Lalique semble nouveau et vient dans une boîte scellée que c'est probablement une reproduction.
J'ai vu plusieurs articles truqués chez un Brocantes juste à Paris la semaine dernière - et un bon peu de Daum copie aussi. Cet article est COPYRIGHT (c )2008 Keith Jones www.laliqueartnouveau.com

Veuillez excuser mon français pauvre - je tred mon meilleur pour rendre cette liste valable