Antique Dealers: the British Antique Trade in the 20th Century

Henry Herbert Sparks (or Sparkes) was an antique dealer trading on the South Coast of England in the early 20th century. In 1906, then trading from 24 High Street, Cowes, Sparks tried to sell a carved oak chair, 'made for the Earl of Portland, 1692' to the Duke of Portland for £100.  The Duke declined the purchase, as it was considered to be a fake.