I thought I'd try a snap at ebay, being strapped for cash as ever, and thinking that even stupid people can make money selling stuff on ebay. I thought I'd try antiques - as I was totally ignorant about them of course - but I did know I liked art deco stuff. Clarice Cliff was an obvious place to start looking. I figured that I would be clever (ah, me...) and look for mis-spellings of the name, as it was obvious anything correctly spelled was getting picked up for outrageous sums by people with a lot more money than me (little did I know every serious treasure seeker uses the same technique). I found this slightly ugly mask, labelled as 'In the style of Claris Cliff' (sic), and although it was unsigned, from my researches I figured it was an actual Clarice Cliff, and not just 'in the style of'.... so I bid on it, and was the only one, buying it for £25.
It was confirmed by my local auction house as a genuine and original Clarice Cliff, and sold at auction there for £1025. They featured a stunning photo of Flora (as she was called) on the front cover of their glossy auction catalogue. The bidding was electrifyingly exciting, with several phone bidders fighting it out.I was hooked. Sadly, of course, I have never had quite the same success since - but the hunt is the thing - one day....
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