The question of price is always a serious one, and it is easy to understand the reluctance of the amateur to inquire the price of a piece which has taken his fancy, knowing, as he does, that the sum asked may probably be as many guineas as he may be prepared to pay shillings. Yet a price, though high, need not necessarily be excessive; a genuine specimen acquires value in proportion to its rarity rather than its beauty of design or build. As to genuineness, a decent firm will readily give a guarantee by writing upon the bill something of this nature, “We guarantee this article to be genuine old ---- glass, made and decorated at ----, about the year ----, and in the event of the purchaser wishing to return it within one week, we will refund in full the amount paid, provided the article is returned in perfect condition.” A short time limit is only fair, as the seller must protect himself against a possible loss of sale. One word as to judging glass. It is not necessary to assume that a glass is old because it “rings” well; yet this is a common belief. The clearness with which a glass will ring depends on many things, the most important being its shape. Thus finger basins, rummers, large glasses, bowls, and preserve jars invariably ring well whether ancient or modern. The expert will judge by texture, the colour peculiar to the variety of glass, the shape, and the style of decoration. Even here he may readily be deceived, all these features being reproduced with remarkable fidelity. Only a short time ago a buyer to a large London firm asked my opinion with regard to a bowl which he had bought as “Early English glass.” To all appearance it was genuine, and yet it was clearly proved to be of Dutch, and very recent Dutch, manufacture. This Dutch glass is imported in large quantities, but the expert eye can readily detect it. The colour is a uniform green--a kind of deep-sea tint, and very clear. Moreover, the ware is not nearly so heavy as the genuine Waterford, which it resembles, and the facets of the cutting are too perfect and sharp. The muddy-coloured glass is also frequently imitated in the Dutch factories. Here again the weight is an important test; it is far lighter than the genuine English product. Even the facial scratches with which age invariably adorns the bases of all glass vessels are imitated by the modern “fake” merchant. A brief rubbing with pumice stone or rubbing the specimen against a stone will produce the desired effect. The best training for the amateur collector is to spend a few weeks in examining a really good collection, say that in the British Museum or in the South Kensington Museum. Thus the eye becomes educated to the colour, shape, texture, style of decoration, etc., of the various kinds of glass, and is less likely to be deceived by even the best of modern imitations.