I will be traveling to Paris, Provence and the Riveria in May. I'm curious if the confit pots (mostly antique) that I see in the states (Calif.) are a good buy in France. If so, are they worth the purchase considering the shipping? The ones I see over here and on eBay tend to run between $200-$250. Any comments on the best places to find these?

Thanks very much, KOL

Hi KOL,

My niece is a potter. For $200 she will make you custom, handcrafted confit pots,and I will put the confit in them.

Do you want the pots or are you after antiques?

I don't know anything about this. I don't collect antiques. But I do remember there were several discussions about this on the Delphi Francophile forum. Unfortunately, I remember the useless personal aspects of these discussions more than the substance about pots and prices. However, I do remember that the prices, if purchased in the countryside, not in Paris or in very touristy parts of Provence, should be much less than $200-250. I'd suggest checking that forum.

To clarify, I really don't care if they're antique or not. They all look very old and most of the sellers say they're antique. I assume the prices are very marked up. I'm just wondering what I can buy them for in France as I really like them, but I'm not going to pay U.S. prices.

Here's the url of the Francophile forum. http://forums.delphiforums.com/PBProvence/start There are some people there who know a lot about these things. Really.

If you are not after the antique bit, there are several French shops in New Orleans that carry them. I bought a couple and depending on size, they ran from around $25 to $50.

A good, authentic antique (18th-19th century) confit pot in France will now cost you a pretty penny, as their popularity has soared in recent years and there are very few to be had as buyers are combing the countryside for them. The E-bay prices you mention are actually not all that bad. I've seen them for $400 and more.

The Dordogne is a good place to find them at good prices. I bought a couple two years ago for 45 and 65 € apiece. That is the exception to the rule, however. I knew where to look, what to look for, and how to bargain. It's also important to know what to look for in terms of authenticity, as there are now many vendors selling new pots made to look old.
The farther out into the SW France countryside you can get, the better your chances of finding a bargain. But that means really getting off the beaten track, really!