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A tribute to Simon Gillespie by Dr. Jeffrey Lant master marketer and also collector of fine
art Nov 18, 2012

Preface / Introduction

I wanted to share with you this week the business lessons that have been taught since joined
Worldprofit a few years ago to the entire team George Kosch, Sandi Hunter and Dr. Jeffrey Lant for
providing me the tools and resources to have a successful home business and also the fine art of
collecting.
The Next 7 people that Call me now for your FREE Internet marketing consultation. $100 value. Let
an expert show you RIGHT NOW how to profit online every single day without leaving home. Call
me -- Howard Martell-- now, (757) 962-2482.Or Skype me homeprofitcoach LIVE 24/7/365. Your
success guaranteed. I'm waiting for your call RIGHT NOW!
Feel free to comment always looking for feedback

Table of Contents
1. How to live like a sovereign or celebrity. The art of winning at the great international auctions
without breaking your budget.
2. Eating with history. The story of the newest acquisition to my collection, quondam property of the
dukes of Devonshire.
3. How to read an auction catalog and intelligently participate in auctions worldwide.

A tribute to Simon Gillespie by Dr. Jeffrey Lant master marketer and also collector of fine art Nov 18, 2012

How to live like a sovereign or celebrity. The art of winning at
the great international auctions without breaking your
budget.
by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
What do you do when you have a) stuff you don't want anymore and when you need b) some extra
cash? Why, you have a garage or lawn sale.
Such is also the fate of kings and celebrities. These folks have an unimaginable abundance of things
and often a decided lack of the ready.
Like you, these mortals also die in due course; uninterested heirs take over, and they never liked
Grannie the Queen's china pattern; (though it was given by HRH your cousin the Grand Duke). They
can also use the money and have been waiting a lifetime to get their white-gloved hands on it.
For such exalted folks, a table laden with old copies of "Mad Magazine" and the mitt your brother
will be furious you sold (he never helped, so there) won't do. These exalted ones have their own
way of dispossessing and reaping. And the most famous auction houses on earth, starting with
Sotheby's (founded 1744) and Christies (founded 1766 ) help them do it... tastefully, efficiently, with
pages of catalog provenance and always above all else, the History that doth hedge the royals (and
the film stars, too); no less after their prime and power than during. Thus you, should you wish to
possess the very goods and chattels of some of the most famous personages on earth must deal with
the auction houses, too. This article ensures you will do so with confidence, efficiency and without a
trace or suspicion that you are not either to the manner or the manor born.
Rule 1. Get all the catalogs for sale in your chosen field(s).
One mistake that way too many people make is to start their familiarization program with the grand
sales. Error! These sales are too crowded; too much is going on; the staffs are pressed with too much
to do and only a short window to do it. Thus to commence your education here is to prove how
unready you are to attend such sales at all.
Instead start your crucial education with the auction houses' standard sales in your field. Learn
auction art and craft first from the unhyped auctions. Starting here will stand you in good stead.
Note: it should go without saying (but cannot) that you should retain these catalogs for your records;
they will take a lot of space, but the information they provide is invaluable.
Rule 2. Make it a point to meet the auction house experts in your field.
These people are all knowledgeable, and constitute a vast treasure of useful information, not least for
guidelines on what to pay for a lot and candid (though not always complete) condition reports. Such
people, their knowledge, their familiarity with the various lot items is crucial to your success.
Rule 3. Create your own stable of advisors, including conservators and restorers.
While the auction house personnel are usually (but not invariably) excellent and most helpful, you
will also need your own experts. Remember, at the end of the day, auction house personnel serve
two masters, the auction house itself -- and you. And you know what the Good Book says about
that...
... which is why you need to have your own advisors. This will happen by referral... with the auction
houses making the referral, if and only if you request it. Such recommendations are not given

http://www.HomeProfitCoach.com Copyright Howard Martell - 2012 4 of 11


spontaneously. Thus you see how incestuous this industry is, with personnel jumping from one
camp to the other. That's why in the final analysis the expert you consult most often is Caveat
Emptor.
Still other experts will come by referral from the various conservators and experts you consult -- and
pay for their work. These people, your crucial specialists will, in my estimation, give you
appreciably better advice about the condition of any item and problem(s) you may acquire along
with the lot itself. Like the auction houses, these folks should never give you advice and the benefit
of their expertise sotto voce. Request and always get it in writing; e-mail, of course, has expedited
this process.
Rule 4. Always be acquiring.
Having a collection means, among other things, never stopping the collection of the rare, the
fantastical, the previously unobtainable. It means finding these scarcities, scrutinizing them well --
before you purchase -- and playing the poker of auctions better than the inveterate cognoscenti.
What fun!
To collect a piece now and the next 5 or even 10 years later instantly drops you from connoisseur to
duffer. People who create collections of note are indefatigable, always having something new to
show and something "about to happen," about which mum's the word before the auction... becoming
a tale of triumph immediately thereafter.
Rule 5. Set your limit and stick to it, yes, up to and bidding the highly desirable object au revoir.
The grand auctions, the auctions of house-hold names and illustrious dynasties, always cause
ingenues and the out-of-control to overbid... and lament. You, however, are a collector, not a bank;
this means you must always maintain a sense of good value... and fatal overpayment. This is not
always easy to do.
Thus, with the assistance of your team of experts, set the top bid you will make. Then make sure you
are either present to bid in person... or on the telephone. Keep your highest bid in front of you and
bite your tongue if necessary to stay faithful to your (never sufficient) fund for purchases. Develop a
philosophical attitude if you lose... because even this loss is not necessarily forever. The more
familiar with your field; the more you see many objects auctioned... are re-auctioned later.
Start today
The catalogs are now available online and in paper for the next grand sale, items from the estate of
the late Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. (Died 30 April, 1980). March 14-17, 2011 are the sale
dates.
Her royal daughters are auctioning over 1,700 items, the proceeds to go to the Red Cross. While this
is not as grand a sale as those recently held by other princes (Queen Juliana, as is well known, had
simple tastes); still a royal sale is a royal sale, and there are some things which every royal collector
will crave. I know. I'm one... and perhaps I shall see you there, implementing the very
recommendations I have just given... you! Bonne chance!



Eating with history. The story of the newest acquisition to
my collection, quondam property of the dukes of
Devonshire.
by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
This is a story of unimaginable wealth, the highest social position in the land. It is a story of palaces
and prime ministers and master craftsmen. It is the story of another Kennedy tragedy you don't know
about and of monumental taxes and forced sales. It is the story of murder.
And it is the story of me, who now has en route from New York, two massive silver dishes,
captivating, their "wow factor" apparent to even the most obtuse and least perceptive. Even such
people can feel that these are something very special...and so they are.
First, the man who commissioned them.
In 1811, a young man named William George Spencer Cavendish succeeded to the title and fortune
of the Dukes of Devonshire. Born in 1790, he thus became at a stroke the richest peer in England.
He was already a master in the art of burning through money quickly. His father's man of business,
Mr. Heaton, warned the 5th duke, his father, thus:
"My Lord Duke, I am sorry to inform your Grace that your son appears disposed to spend a great
deal of money."
The 5th duke's laconic reply was "So much the better, Mr. Heaton, he will have a great deal to
spend." We could all wish for a father so sensible and so rich.
Now master of the largest fortune in England, the young man... spent it. On everything you could
think of... and then on things, very expensive, eccentric things, which only the very, very rich can
even imagine. One of those things was the grandest fountain in Europe, which shoots its spray up to
300 feet. It was built for the intended visit of Tsar Nicholas I to Chatsworth, the duke's country
place. But the Tsar didn't come after all and never saw it. It didn't matter... the money kept rolling
in.... and out.
In the mid 1820s, this prince of purchasers got around to silver. And like everything this seasoned
connoisseur touched, it had to be not merely grand but opulent, excessive, in your face, and of course
"unique, Your Grace, quite unique." So he went to the master silversmith Robert Garrard.
When Robert Garrard took over the firm in 1802 it already had a long history with sovereigns and
princes. It had started in 1722 with George Wickes. Frederick, Prince of Wales, father of King
George III was a major patron. Where princes buy, trendy lesser folk will buy, too. And so it proved
with the family Garrard. They knew the secret of entrancing fickle potentates. Such grandees wanted
things unique, finely crafted, and excessive. Garrard was an expert in satisfying even the most
difficult... and so he and his master craftsmen set to work on a silver service that was, quite simply,
the finest in Europe, which meant the finest in the world. Both the 6th duke and Robert Garrard
knew what they were about... and of course cost was never, ever a factor.
The duke wanted one thing and one thing only: perfection...
... and he got it!
In due course, pieces from this lavish service began to arrive at Chatsworth, the focus of the
Cavendish empire. Each piece was hallmarked. Each piece featured the splendid ducal coat of
arms... and all the serving dishes featured the ducal coronet with the strawberry leaves meant for



dukes and dukes only. The most discriminating aristocrat in Europe was satisfied... or as satisfied as
a restless man with a connoisseur's eye and the means to gratify could ever be.
And so the story might have ended here, with a splendid silver service doing its bit to create an
ambiance fit for a duke and his suitably impressed guests. But the story does not end here because
humans do end. We die... and our possessions... migrate to others, all of whom have stories, too. Fast
forward, then, to Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire.
Born in 1895, succeeded to the dukedom -- and of course the still complete silver service designed
by Robert Garrard in 1825 -- in 1938.
Still rich, still powerful, still owning and living with an overabundance of things rich, famous,
astonishing, Cavendish and every other aristocrat now had a very potent enemy: taxes, especially
death duties. These could be circumvented but only by establishing trusts. These could pass
properties largely intact to eager heirs... but only if the strict requirements were met. But things went
wrong, disastrously wrong. The Cavendishes and their world were vulnerable.
First the heir, Lord Hartington along with his wife "Kick"" Kennedy, JFK's favorite sister, was killed
in a plane crash (1944). Both families, a la "Romeo and Juliet", had bitterly opposed the marriage;
like "Romeo and Juliet" the lovers married anyway... and died together tragically.
Then the duke died, amidst a background of murder and scandal. The duke's sister, Lady Dorothy,
wife of Harold Macmillan (my distant cousin) and future British Prime Minister (1957-1963) was
having a notorious affair with another Tory politician Robert Boothby, enfant terrible and practised
bi-sexual seducer.
Conspiracy theories abound about the 10th duke's death. Why was the death certificate fudged; why
had the coroner not been contacted as by law he should have been? What had the freemasons to do
with the matter... and, most of all, was he murdered... or die naturally?
Whatever the facts (and they are suggestive and controversial to this day), the duke was dead (1950),
a few months before his asset-saving trust became operational. Mourning, devastated, the House of
Cavendish now needed mountains of cash. The result was Christie's auction of "Highly Important
Old English and French Silver from the Chatsworth Collection" (June 5, 1958) A large part (but not
all) of the 6thh duke's magnificent silver service went on the block, including two over-the-top meat
dishes, 5,038 grams of silver, hallmarked by Robert Garrad, with the resplendent ducal coat of arms,
the finial with ducal coronet and strawberry leaves.
These are now wending their way to me, and the next part of their destiny, the next part of the story,
but only the next. For these glorious items have a life long beyond mine. The saddest thing of all is I
will not be here to know it.
But for now, for now, they are mine all mine. I shall enjoy them immensely and tell all those who
dine from them the story I have just shared with you, for now I am part of their story, gladly so,
forever more.



How to read an auction catalog and intelligently participate
in auctions worldwide.
By Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Author's program note. The autumn auction catalogs have begun to pour in, a stunning library of
things rare, notable, luxurious, just the kinds of things you know are necessary for the "look" that
screams your name. You are -- or want to be -- a collector on an international scale... but you don't
know how to get started. You are seized with curiosity for what's available but need a
knowledgeable friend to show you the ropes. I am that friend, and it's time to start your education.
I have selected Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" for today's background music. Written in
1874, it is lush, grandiose, opulent in the Slavic style, just the kind of music that gets you in the
mood for seeking the treasures which will enhance your life and present you to the world just as you
like. Go now to any search engine and find the rendition of your choice; make sure to include the
celebrated "Kiev Gate" portion. Then come along with me as I open a spectacular world to you... by
giving you the practical details you need to participate.
A word about your guide... me!
For the last twenty years and more, I have been an active, even obsessive, participant in the auctions
presented by the greatest auction houses in the world... Sotheby's and Christie's in New York, Rome,
Paris, London, Amsterdam... Bukowskis in Stockholm... the Dorotheum in Vienna. Each sale always
had a catalog... and I have learned what only other collectors, connoisseurs, museum officials etc.
know: how to read an auction catalog and know the essential, hitherto unpublished facts, the facts
which crack the code on participating successfully in these auctions. For you see, what the
cognoscenti know they are not anxious to share with you. They want to hoard this information and
keep it from you; the better to gather the treasures of the earth unto themselves and themselves
alone... without being bothered by... you! That changes today...
The pivotal fall sales of the world's great auction houses are now underway; nearly daily from now
until the great pre-Christmas December sales take place, the eye-popping, mouth-watering catalogs
arrive to titillate, frustrate, unsettle... for that is what these and all auction catalogs are so artfully
designed to do... they aim to plant the seed of desire in your mind and so haunt you night and day. I
know that siren song too well; it has insinuated itself into my brain often and expensively over and
over again. And if you have an insistent eye for beauty and a need to acquire, it will insinuate itself
into yours, too.
First, start today.
Success in auctions is based on these key factors:
1) the development of an "eye"
2) doing the necessary homework for each item of your interest
3) finding and listening to your experts
4) setting and living within a realistic budget.
Let's look at these points one at a time:
1) Developing your "eye".
Great collectors, sage and savvy collectors, are people who can see within even the most battered



and mistreated object not just what it is now... but what it once was and with tender loving care can
be again. This skill is pivotal and can only be developed by constant and detailed artifact review.
ALL collectors know the value of doing their homework. The development of the Internet has made
this easy, for the information you need is as near as your computer.
Gathering this information long precedes acquiring objects or having the necessary funds to do so.
Thus, start visiting the websites of the auction houses mentioned above. ALL now post their
catalogs online available for your scrutiny 24 hours a day, a benefit your parents and grandparents
could only have imagined. With these e-resources you are able to be better informed than any
previous generation of collectors. Use this advantage to develop the all-important eye.
The "eye" that it takes a lifetime to acquire through constant viewing, reviewing, and careful
judgements is not something you can rush. Its development is predicated on constant catalog review,
reading what experts have to say, attending museum lectures and events... assiduously working on
seeing, perceiving, looking beyond the surface into the soul and meaning of each object. This is a
lifetime's occupation and should be undertaken as early as possible. People who do not do this are
and always will be at the mercy of the market and will never develop a collection of merit that
showcases your impressive knowledge and success on the never-ending hunt.
2) Doing the necessary homework.
Many wealthy people buy art and artifacts by the yard, advised by decorators who may know
something about arrangement but who almost universally lack the essential knowledge of history,
provenance, and underlying value and significance possessed by real collectors.
Like it or not (and you'd better like it) all true collectors understand the need for intense analysis of
any item in which they're interested. This information comes first by studying the catalog; then
requesting a "condition report" from the auction house. This reports consists of what the auction
house knows about the object in question. It will be honest but it may well raise more questions than
it answers. If so, check the catalog to get the name of the auction house's designated authority on this
object. Either email or call. You will find these experts personable, candid, anxious to be helpful.
Just remember at all times: they want to sell this object, and so condition reports must always been
read with a grain of salt.
3) Finding and listening to your experts.
Because auction house experts all work to sell, you need your own experts, people who have no
other thought than honestly advising -- you. Where do you find such people? Auction house experts
can help, by making referrals. They will know everyone who is anyone in the field. You will need
their expertise. Take full advantage of it. As I can attest these folks, zealous in your service, can
spare you the pain of expensive, embarrassing mistakes. Listen carefully too what they tell you,
especially once you know they have that all-important eye.
4) Setting and living within a realistic budget. Have you begun to master the key points above?
Good! Now it's time to gather the funds you need to participate. Begin at once.
Depending on your particular area of interest, you may be able to start for as low as a few hundred
dollars. Start small, start careful, go slow, as you come to know the vicissitudes of auctions.
Remember, these great auction houses have existed for hundreds of years. Move forward with due
deliberation. But don't let deliberation become procrastination. Care is needed but so is the ability to
take action as necessary, while always setting and living within your inviolable budget.
Last Words.
You are now ready to begin one of the most important and exciting journeys of your life... as you



commence your walk down the red carpet towards the most beautiful, valuable, and important
objects on earth. One last thing: don't expert those who don't appreciate such things to appreciate
you and your sublime and never-ending search. Don't let their uninformed remarks and blindness
infuriate or irritate. By following these steps you will leave such people in the dust while embracing
all the connoisseurs, experts, and knowledgeable friends who henceforth enrich your life. Be sure to
include me amidst their number... and let me know how with this candid advice you get on with your
passion.



Resource
About The Author Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., where small and
home-based businesses learn how to profit online. Dr. Lant is an avid art collector, and author of 18
best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Howard Martell http://HomeProfitCoach.com.


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A tribute to simon gillespie by dr. jeffrey lant master marketer and also collector of fine art nov 18, 2012

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