I need hardly say that the seeker for bargains should not attempt to pursue his object in large West End shops or their equivalents in provincial cities. Rent, rates, and large salary lists preclude any possibility of cheapness there. And further, if I may venture to let my readers into a secret, there are hundreds of so-called antique dealers in our principal cities who are as incapable of telling the real antique from the artful fake as the veriest tyro. Their statements, about glass in particular, are often utterly unreliable. There are good firms to be found who have expert knowledge and whose judgment may be relied upon, but they are few and far between. The so-called expert antiquary is only too often a victim to his own too alluring imagination. He thinks he _knows_, “good, easy man,” when in reality fancy is building him a home of romance, into which, unluckily, he leads his too credulous client. And--then the disillusionment! And confidence in expert opinion vanishes into the realm of the things that were. A friend of mine recently purchased a “Fiat” glass from a large and famous West End house. He was assured that it was genuine, and on the strength of that assurance paid a fair price. Within three days he was back, furious at being deceived. They returned his money. To my own knowledge, that particular firm has had many old wine glasses engraved with the “Fiat” decoration and emblems. They are stored in a dark cupboard and one only is shown at a time. There is little doubt that many collectors have suffered from this insolent piece of trickery. Personally, were I starting to collect glass in a small way, and for any reason preferred not to go out into the highways and byways to gather in what I might find, I would shun the big dealer altogether. I should select a small man whom I had reason to believe scrupulous and “clean”--a man with a reputation to gain and, consequently, a business to make. Such a man will generally have had a sound training, will know his subject, and take pleasure in justifying your confidence.