ROOF TILE - Listed by ''antiquesinsydney'' on Ebay, February 2008.
Originally uploaded by cgardunofreeman
Some time ago, in my automated Ebay search, I came across this listing, for a real Sydney Opera House Roof Tile. It was listed at $200 - starting bid that is, and I was interested, but my budget wouldn't really stretch to that..... It did make me think though how this particular object was actually a 'bit of Opera House' a chunk of the roof. And it raised question in my mind about ideas of authenticity. You one of the souvenirs you can buy at the Sydney Opera House souvenir shop (on the lower concourse) is a small piece of tile some 15mm across beautifully encased and endorsed as authentic in a slab of glass. That little treasure will set you back $125. Thats probably a per kilo prices of about $16000 dollars (according to my rough calculations that one tile would yield about $128 pieces). Does the price and the Sydney Opera house's endorsement make it more authentic? Or does the Ebay tile, with its rough worn edges and black text make is more valuable. further, this tile is no longer part of the Sydney Opera House - if it ever was! Perhaps this is a sample used in the process, or a spare tile found in a garage from someone who worked on the building's construction? Perhaps the tiles on the Sydney Opera House's sails are regularly replaced, yielding an annual vintage for souvenir consumption. And yet it has economic value as being intimately tied to the building. It doesn't even look like the building, its a ceramic tile after all, not the wonderful curving sculpture associated with the Opera House. It does make me wonder how this 'authentic' tile is more authentic that the little snow dome my daughter loves to play with.....
