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Q: Xian warrior in the green cloth box ( No Answer,   3 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Xian warrior in the green cloth box
Category: Arts and Entertainment
Asked by: hannahveal-ga
List Price: $20.00
Posted: 23 Jul 2006 12:48 PDT
Expires: 22 Aug 2006 12:48 PDT
Question ID: 748779
I am interested in selling some artifacts that my recently divorced
father recieved as a gift.  There are 2 ~14" (terra cotta?) warriors, 1 large horse
and 1 small warrior (~5") and 1 small horse (~5").  All of the statues
have a felted bottom with a sticker that says, "Handmade in Xian
China" and each has it's own blue cloth box.  In each box there is a
certificate of authenticity stamped from 1982.  Do you know how
much these might be worth?  I can attach photos if neccesary...Thank
you!
Answer  
There is no answer at this time.

Comments  
Subject: Re: Xian warrior in the green cloth box
From: myoarin-ga on 23 Jul 2006 13:38 PDT
 
There is a big industry in Xian of producing replicas of the figures
found there since 1974.

There are full-sized replicas of the soldiers, and miniature ones,
such as your father was given.  The fact that they are in boxes with
authentication certificates only verifies that they are miniaturized
replicas from Xian.
The actual figures found in the archaeological sites are much larger.

Here is a website selling such:
http://www.taylorandng.com/wstore/shop.cgi?page=/terra.html&cart_id=58938.15604

ON this site, level with day 6, you can find another mention of replicas from Xian:
http://www.letstravelchina.com/TourDetail.aspx?ProductId=100

Here is a eBay offering:
http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/TERRACOTTA-HORSE-REPLICA-GSS-PROMO_W0QQitemZ140006835154QQihZ004QQcategoryZ4107QQcmdZViewItem

Scroll down and note the red text on the green field that states that
the figures are hand carves from stone, but then calls them
"terracotta", which is correct, a ceramic, not carved stone.

Maybe authorized replicas from 1982 are of better quality and are
worth more than the ones on the first and third site, but I doubt that
you could find a buyer that thought so.
Subject: Re: Xian warrior in the green cloth box
From: pinkfreud-ga on 25 Jul 2006 15:20 PDT
 
My mother and stepfather visited China in the early 1980s, and they
brought back replicas similar to the ones you describe. These are
souvenir items that are mass-produced for tourists. I doubt that they
have much value to collectors, since they are neither rare nor
ancient.
Subject: Re: Xian warrior in the green cloth box
From: ismyle-ga on 30 Jul 2006 20:55 PDT
 
As a Chinese, I have been in Xi'an once in 1990 and of course I bought
a set of terra cotta including 4 4" warriors and a horse at the price
of 10 RMB.
According to your description, I think the factory cost of your
collection is less than 100 RMB in all for terra cotta warrior is not
hard to produce with modern technique, and its roughness can be
explained as loyalty to the original.

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