\paperw3360 \margr0\margl0\ATXph16380 \plain \fs20 \f1 \fs22 During the 18th century, disposing of private collections of æcuriositiesÆ became a thriving business. The clockmake
r and inventor Christopher Pinchbeck not only sold his own inventions, but also dealt in the general materials of museums and exhibitions as a broker and commission merchant. He devoted two rooms of his house to his saleable collections, and charged a 5
percent sales commission. When his unsold stock was sold at ChristieÆs in 1784, it contained, among other categories of art objects, 916 æbijoux curieuxÆ, 94 pictures, 41 porcelains, and 24 prints.\par
