“Cash for Rares”: Dealer bets on the show – and gets more money than the seller

“Cash for rares”
Are ravens songbirds? The dealer bets on the show – and receives more money than the seller

There was actually a cigar cutter for sale at “Bares für Rares”. But it came in the form of a raven – which sparked a zoological discussion.

Carlos Borrell and Nadja Gruber have a black raven with them “Cash for Rares”. As an old connoisseur, Horst Lichter immediately knows what the animal’s function is: “It’s a cigar cutter,” he says expertly after expert Detlev Kümmel has shown the scissor-shaped beak.

Friends of the two sellers bought the raven in Sweden about 25 years ago. Although there is no information about the manufacturer, caraway can tell you a lot about its origin. The bird was made from black painted iron. The container into which the cut-off mouthpieces of the cigars fall is made of brass. The entire object follows the Arts and Crafts movement, which began in England in the 19th century and combined art with crafts.

“Cash for Rares”: Fabian Kahl disagrees

There is a company in Germany that represents this style: Goberg Metallwarenfabrik in Thuringia. The sculptor and designer Ignatius Taschner (1871 to 1913) often made designs for this company. Although the signature is missing, Kümmel assumes that the raven comes from Taschner or one of his students and was made in the first 20 years of the 20th century. Nadja Gruber mentions 50 euros as the desired price. But the expert sees it differently: He thinks 100 to 120 euros is possible.

Even in the dealer’s room, the men in the group immediately recognize the raven’s actual purpose. But then the dealers start a zoological discussion. Wolfgang Pauritsch mentions that he also knows these cigar cutters in the shape of a fox. Jan Čížek then objects that fox is better than raven. What Julian Schmitz-Avila doesn’t want to let go: “A raven is one of the songbirds,” he says. Fabian Kahl then intervenes and doubts the statement. But Schmitz-Avila insists, and so the two of them make a bet.

Because of this, the auction is almost forgotten. Esther Ollick decides for herself and buys the cigar cutter for 80 euros. There is even more money for Julian Schmitz-Avila. He gets 100 euros for his winning bet. Since he is currently getting a hunting license, he knows: ravens are songbirds.

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