A Blast Heard Across the Pond A cannon that’s primed to catch your attention Comments by Ralph Finch
R
emember Laurence Cooper? I’ve mentioned him before. He’s the London dealer of, well, incredible stuff, and has been a dealer since 1983! Over the last several decades, any visit to London demanded a visit to Laurence’s impressive shop along the Bermondsey antiques row, or anywhere he was *found. You might not be able to afford his price tags, but you are guaranteed to be awed by the quality and variety of incredible wares he always has. Laurence is an interesting and impressive dealer. I have continued to follow Laurence’s career — and his life and family — and even consider him a friend, although some three-plus decades ago he got upset with me when I described him as “the punk Brit dealer.” At that time, he had the style that was waaaaay younger than the averaged English, or even American, antiques dealer. The man has style, and taste. And his choice of wares remains unique. His website states: “The Antique Dispensary Ltd. was formed in 1998 and is a specialist source of exceptional antiques for the dealer and collector alike, with new finds constantly being added on a weekly basis. “I was an active collector of old bottles in my youth and from there my knowledge grew by wheeling and dealing at all of
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Antique Bottle & Glass Collector
Londons Antique markets like Bermondsey, Camden Lock, Covent Garden and Portobello Road. “Today, I have an eclectic knowledge of many antique collectable fields. This has helped me to form a wide range of private collections in the last 35 years.” Recently, at his internet shop found at “www.theantiquedispensary.co.uk” was this great … whatever. Here is how Laurence described it: “A very rare pottery beaker advertising Garantisept antiseptic liquid. The graphics on this rare beaker show 1st World War artillery soldiers standing in a line of cannon. The quality has the feel of a Royal Doulton-made piece, but there is no official mark apart from the number 2085. No chips, cracks or restoration. Less than a handful known to date, so incredibly rare. Height 4.25, width 3 inches. C1915,” and priced at £395. ($556 in U.S. currency)” A reminder. A visit to Laurence’s website is like a tour through an always interesting museum. *I once found him sitting on a park bench. I had just attended a bottle show in Knoxville, Tenn., some 15-plus years ago, and Laurence was sitting there wearing short pants and flip-flops with $40,000 in his pockets. He was asking people he knew to take money from him
Shoot, can you imagine an image more unusual than this?
… to take to London to return to him later! “But I won’t be going to England for six months,” I said. Still, he handed me $2,000. He had just returned from Iowa, I believe, having attended an antique marble show. He said he had sold every one of the rare marbles that he had brought. I still don’t know why he was in Knoxville. Has it every been on anyone’s route to London? In the meantime, I asked U.K. historian John Ault if he had any information of this “Garantisept,” and he replied: “No further info on the beaker; L.C. says it all. “And, yes, Laurence does find some amazing quality items, I’ve had a couple off him in the past; top dollar. “He digs deep in his pocket to acquire them and this can be reflected in his prices, but quality always comes at a premium.”
