Crescent City Connection

The Lost Saber of James Charles Hughes (KIA, Korea, 1951)

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Sun, 18 Aug 2019 17:09:00 +0000

Decades ago, someone gave my grandfather a saber, or maybe he found it left behind in one of his many rental properties. The sword was made by N S Mayer Inc probably in the WWII era. My grandfather had it hanging in his den for many years. At some point, he gave it to my cousin. This past weekend, my cousin asked me to take it and find the descendants to return the sword to their family.

It didn’t take long to find out about war hero, Hughes, who was tragically KIA in Korea and was described as,  “SNA Class of 1949, Lieutenant Junior Grade Hughes was the pilot of a F4U-4 Corsair fighter with Fighter Squadron 821 aboard the carrier USS PRINCETON (CV-37). On August 9, 1951 at CU 520395, his aircraft was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire, crashed and exploded. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.”

I began to explore his family through the help of genealogy and then was able to find the obituary of his brother. From there, I got a name of his niece, and it wasn’t but a few minutes more before I found her number through her Orleans Parish voter registration. I can imagine it was a weird call to get. But, when I asked if she had an uncle who was shot down in Korea, it started clicking. She drew a breath when she heard the tale of the sword.

She let me know that Lieutenant Hughes’ widow is still alive and in her 90’s. This week, she will receive this saber and it will be home, once and for all. Their family has elected his nephew, a retired West Point Lieutenant Colonel, to hand off the sword to her. As an antiques dealer and as a genealogist, it is these duties that I treat as the most sacred and pleasurable. In my eyes it’s jut a saber, but to them I know it will mean much much more.

Come see us at the new website www.dcsilver.com!

Ana Tkabladze Dances with Glass

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Mon, 20 May 2019 11:32:00 +0000

Ana Tkabladze

On a warm May evening in old town Alexandria, a small silver shop is buzzing with activity. There is excitement in the air and the ice-cold Cha Cha is flowing. Ana Tkabladze has a show. The entrance hall is jammed and people spill out into the historic brick-lined street. Inside, there is a bar, but more importantly, Ana's work is upstairs.

Working in any medium to produce art is difficult, but Ana works in multiple: silver and enamel, and also gold and gemstones. She is also facile working in copper. Combining materials in this way has challenges in spades, and those multiply when one of them is enamel. The smith must first anneal the metal properly, hitting the right temperatures to shape and texture the material (which differs with the type of metal) without causing later structural issues. Even then when everything is executed perfectly, to add enamel is literally another layer of extreme complexity. Each piece carefully laid out in advance and then predicting which way the glass will flow once it hits the 1300-1500 degree kiln. The enamel must fuse properly to the metal. The colors must not mix when meant to be separate and must blend when meant to blend. It is a dance and one that cannot be executed without years of devoted practice.

Upstairs, there is a throng waiting to get the chance to see each of these lithe necklaces and rings in the gleaming cases. I take in each one and as good enamel does, I am left amazed by both the textures and the color of the work. But this is not the same enamel work as any I have seen before. There is perhaps a similarity with the quality of the great enamalists in mid-century Norwegian work like David Anderson or Aksel Holmsen. But the style is completely fresh and the shapes of the pieces are not at all the same. A woman looks at her husband, points at a piece and says, "Frank Lloyd Wright." Perhaps I think.. A little, but no, not really at all. The fact is, to look at Tkabladze's work and try to reduce it as something derivative isn't possible. The work is truly unique. She brings her own eye for color and texture and overall design as well. These pieces are timeless, sophisticated, elegant. You've never seen this before. As an artist, she is sui generis.

In the beautiful warm evening, I strike up a conversation with a sophisticated young woman. I ask her which is her favorite piece. At first she struggles to name it, as would I, but then makes her way to a pair of multi-tiered dangling earrings. Her face lights up as she talks about what she would wear with them and then takes me across the room to see the Egyptian Revival necklace. It's a triumph. There in a glass and ormolu vitrine is a remarkable necklace. All at once Egyptian. And the colors are stunning. Between the lapis scarab focal and the vivid green and azure inset above a gilded field, this is a dazzling work. She talks about how the necklace evokes her memories of living in Egypt with her mother and of her continual visits back there-- a country itself steeped in silver work. Noticing how emotional and evocative it is, it's easy to see that this isn't merely jewelry.

The winged necklace harkens back to the period in 1820-40 when there was a mania for all things Egyptian in many parts of the world. The greatest discoveries were just happening at Giza and for a couple decades, the cities of Paris, London, and New York frenzied for the style of these ancients. Of course Ana knows that. She is formerly trained in archaeology and so these kinds of historical references are integrated into her work with aplomb and grace. The most difficult part of working with enamel is to exercise restraint, but allow it to shine. Too much color and pizzazz and enamel becomes garish. Not enough and it's cold. This is why, looking at these pieces, it's clear that they will be treasured. It's this kind of work that will be studied and debated in a century. Sought after.

Tkabladze Ring

I would be remiss not to mention the fact that the work also has roots in another place. That place is Georgia. No, not the one near Alabama. The one in the Caucasus region of Europe. Ana's work has been recently exhibited at the Georgian Embassy in Washington, DC because of its close ties to the country. You get the sense that there are echoes of Georgia in the work. There are the curves in the cloisons, and the dancing colors that seem to be move together all at once alive and full of vigor. At the bar, there is a discussion of the dances in Georgia, their importance to life, and the weekly dance gatherings in Washington where the traditional dances of Georgia live on.

Somehow each piece manages to marry a calm and loose style with an absolute precision and intent. In fact, it is an intricate dance between these two characteristics. In my experience in enamel work, you'll usually find one but not both of these qualities. And to me, this is why this work is important and exceptional. It is difficult to believe when she tells you that she has already achieved her remarkable success in just three years of working in spare hours from her apartment studio.

A Tkabladze triumph

One example of this is the rectangular pendant. This piece is so cosmopolitan. So exceptional. And like truly great pieces of jewelry, there is a surprise. Great jewelers are beyond just competently putting together a piece. They add surprises, fun, and unexpected elements. And so it is here where the center medallion (with its fields of deep aqua and triangular insets) is completely removable. Another centerpiece could be made. You could transform this necklace with a subtle slide on the back. It's a technical accomplishment. Also, important is to note the textures. The gently oxidized silver with its matte lines and the fused chain. Taken together, it is a master work. And as if that weren't enough, there is a matching ring

Howard Street Antiques Row of Baltimore

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Sat, 11 May 2019 23:24:00 +0000

Howard Street in Baltimore at one time was known as one of the mid-Atlantic's hottest antiques markets. I went out today to survey the scene. It was a place where women wore white gloves in the streets. As the dealers there tell it today, there was the installation of the rail line in the street in 1992 that really hit them hard, and it never truly recovered. At that time, nearly 42 dealers led a bustling trade that spilled out onto the sidewalks. Today there are 7 or 8 active dealers. As I passed by the Imperial Half Bushel was packing things up for good at 831 N. Howard. It was a storied antiques store with a penchant for local Baltimore silver and many other items. They rebuffed me when I tried to enter the shop. Baltimore has things in common with Philadelphia and New Orleans. Economically polarized and not much leadership from politicians, a failing educational system, a flagging tax base. This has been much commented on by Washington area antiques dealers, who grow a bit misty eyed speaking of Howard St. Still, perhaps there is a beacon of hope or two yet on Howard Street. The City of Baltimore should be finding ways to bring back a new class of merchants to Howard Street. Baltimore is a place steeped in history. Its antiques business deserve the chance to shine.

Studio at 859

Beautiful Light in Studio at 859

Angela at Studio 859

Angela is a new kind of antiques dealer. She's fun, welcoming, down-to-earth. Her shop is eclectic and the collection she curates and sells reflects the changing eyes of today's buyers. Large scale colorful paintings and mid-century modern fiberglass chairs against an exposed brick wall, gorgeous hardwood floors, and light streaming in from a bright and clean storefront window. Angela is a delight to talk to and I lucked into a conversation with her and her husband. They are among the nicest dealers I've met in a while. They offered me a seat and shared about the history of Howard Street and quickly opened up. It felt like talking to family. Like you'd made friends from strangers. If you hit no other antiques shop in Baltimore, put Studio at 859 on your list of must visits. This shop is open Saturdays 12-4 and weekdays by chance or appointment. Call ahead. 410.925.8286. This is the future of the Baltimore antiques scene. The street needs about ten or twenty more dealers just like Studio at 859.

Dubey's Art & Antiques

Wood Buddha at Dubey's

Mid-Century Room at Dubey's

Dubey's is a well-established shop and the most robust shop that I saw in terms of inventory. They were in the midst of moving from one building to a neighboring one this May in 2019. I have to say, things weren't looking their best, but despite that, there were many very very nice items shining through and the new building is large (3 storeys) and cheerfully painted. They seem to be open most days 11-5 except Tuesdays. Standout items included a good collection of Qing Dynasty rank badges, a very interesting large ivory pulley / pull of some sort, a colonial era English sterling silver balluster form cann, and a surprisingly well-done mid-century room. A large weathered wood buddha was simply superb. Overall, they seem at their best with Chinese and some of those items are best in class. Very friendly and offered to help, but largely left me to my own devices. Loved the shop and I urge you to visit!

NYC made slag glass lamp at $1600

There was Earl Weber's shop at 867 N. Howard. Mr. Weber was there to let me in and showed me some of his terrific lamps. Of note were his fabulous slag glass and bronze lamps. I spotted a to-die-for bronze Tiffany lamp base and several green glass lamps from a Brooklyn maker who Mr. Weber explained had been a protege of Tiffany. These lamps were absolutely stunning and seemed to be very competitively priced.

The last shop I visited was E.A. Mack. It's been rare that I've been made to feel less welcome than by Mr. Mack. Go get lunch instead.

I didn't find any treasures on Howard St, but I have found some wonderful things at www.nateivey.com.

Typical Street Scenes in Baltimore (2019)

A Neighborhood Residence

Closed shop on Howard

An Afternoon at Trimble's Tavern Antiques with Chris and his 'Witnesses of History'

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Sat, 12 Jan 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Chris Trimble

Trimble's Tavern

Colonial Shoe Buckles, a pewter pap boat
and riding spurs

To spend a few hours shopping at Trimble's Tavern is an extraordinary privilege. And if you chance to engage Chris Trimble, two things become immediately evident. Firstly, you are speaking with one of the most expert pair of eyes in the mid-Atlantic antiques business and secondly, you have come to a place that has been overtaken by an extreme passion for history. From the imposing and rare large scale furniture pieces to the smallest coin, everything here exudes a past-- and when he's able to avail himself (only because he is in such high demand), Chris Trimble will be your guide. His formal education and a lifetime of scholarly study of colonial American history is instantly accessed as he recalls the stories of how he acquired a piece and why it's so important.

You will find his shop just as you enter the small town of White Stone, VA in the Tidewater region that centers around the Chesapeake Bay and the Rappahannock River. It's a delightful area whose culture and environs remain much as they always have-- small town charm with a few good restaurants and salt of the earth folks who seem to take things just a bit slower than the city folks who surround me. When you are in Kilmarnock, time seems to be on your side and it thus presents a great location to spend a summer weekend, hitting the antique stores and swimming in the mild sandy waters. And if you don't come the week of Brimfield, you're pretty likely to find Chris in his shop.

Chris seems at ease with all people and is as gracious as he is knowledgeable. In between stories he will purse his pipe stem between his lips and take a few draws before launching into a tale. I asked him about his philosophy regarding antiques and his eyes began to gleam. "These are the witnesses to history!" he exclaimed.

Only a Philistine could leave this building and learn nothing. You won't see a collection of colonial antiques as fine as his in all of Washington, DC or even in the entire state of Virginia. Need a signature of Alexander Hamilton? Yes, he has that in stock. Indian trade beads? Which color would you like? Are you searching for military relics? He has them in spades, and now more than ever now that he is pursuing a second Master's degree in Military history.

A portrait of Washington, daggers, and tobacco boxes

To look at his cases of smalls, you would think that this collection took much of a lifetime to assemble, and I have no doubt that is the case.

On this last visit, I had come on grim business to the Tidewater, to memorialize a young woman and mother who had passed in the week after Christmas. I arrived to find his enthusiastic and knowledgeable assistant and naturally Chris was in the back. That's because Chris isn't just a reseller. He is a conservator in his own right. He makes exceptional and meticulous repairs to paintings, fabrics, and anything else that will benefit from his hand. In fact, a Virginia Civil War flag he restored has won awards at numerous major antiques shows in 2018. Sure, it is the very best Virginia flag I've ever seen. It's also just fabulous! He conserves antiques with a humble sense of his own place in history, always mindful to only make changes that can later be undone should a higher standard of conservation be attained in the future.

I've always wondered why he called it a tavern. On this most recent visit, that finally became evident. Chris is building a tavern within the shop. By tavern I suspect he means a historically relevant tavern. The place had been roughed in since last time I had been there and some spectacular period copper chandeliers hang from the ceiling. You sense it won't be long before he's serving up claret and ales. It will be amazing.

Parlor card of John Wilkes Booth at
Trimble's Tavern

While I'm writing, I should also mention that all of this instinct and intelligence seem to run in the family. Not so far down the road in the town of Kilmarnock, You'll find another Trimble brother and his shop. Their styles and pursuits are completely difference, but the thread that binds them is a spark and a joy in bringing the most interesting wares to their customers. Lewis Trimble operates Lewis Trimble Decorative Arts and Antiques. And their mother can sometimes be spotted at Lewis Trimble's store. She's sharp as can be! So, if you've gone as far as White Stone, you may as well pop by Kilmarnock This other shop is far too complex to cover in this blog post, but perhaps another day I will guide you through it.

At any rate, a big thank you to Chris for whiling away a little time with CCC and for his kindness and professionalism. I've grown professionally because of this man. He will tune your eye if you'll take the time to pay him a visit and listen.

An Interview with Kelly Keating, Professional Appraiser in New York City

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 14:27:00 +0000

In the coming months, CCC is hoping to interview some of the bright minds in antiques and silver collecting for the blog. In this inaugural interview, we sat down with Kelly Keating, the owner of The Antique Flâneur, and an accredited member of the Appraisers Association of America and a silver and fine antiques appraiser in New York City. he has a retail location at The Antique Flâneur.

Nate: Hi Kelly, thanks for taking time out of your schedule with clients to do an interview with CCC. We've gotten to know one another over the last few years because we're both

1960's West German white porcelain vases
(courtesy Keating Collection)

silver enthusiasts. As people in the industry go, you've got quite a formal background in antiques and appraising. Can you tell the readers a little about yourself and what you love

about serving your clients in the business?

Kelly: My family moved to New Jersey when I was 7 and there they had something- grand estate sales that they had not had in Brooklyn. My mother and I loved to go to these sales which took place these grand old New Jersey houses. This activity is where my love of antiques began. My stylish mother had a good eye for pieces even if she did not know the what or why and that impressed me. I started to collect English china dogs at these sales. I enjoyed the hunt with my mother.

At college I fell in love with art history earning a BA and then I received an MA in art history here in the New York City at Hunter College. I continued onto a PhD program here in the city as well which I did not complete. I then worked with my mother in her floral design business for 17 years where we often used antique vessels and containers for arrangements which I would source. Along the way I met my friend Joanne who had completed the Appraisal Studies Program at NYU and I was very intrigued. She introduced me to a superb appraiser named Louise Devenish and I became her assistant on appraisals in 2010 while I completed the appraisal program which I finished in 2014. I also opened my own business, The Antique Flâneur, in 2010 sourcing antiques for interior designers and private clients, doing consignments and then adding appraisals when I completed my certificate in appraising in 4 years later. My art history background has been invaluable in appraising and my study of antique silver and other items. It gave a vocabulary to describe and categorize items: Neoclassical, Rococo, Arts & Crafts, et cetera.

Every appraisal I have done turns up something surprising and intriguing that the client was perhaps not even aware of it. A recent appraisal which at first seemed to be a bunch of 20th century good silver plate on copper yielded a George III Old Sheffield Plate neoclassical hot water urn and a circa 1900 Chinese Export silver dragon bowl. Every appraisal is a surprise and a learning experience and I love that about the practice.

Nate: I've often heard it said that it's "the finding and not the having". When you're not working with clients, do you feel that you're more of a hunter or a collector? What's your personal approach to antiquing?

Polar Bear Pitcher (courtesy Keating Collection)

Kelly: I am definitely more of a collector though I do enjoy the hunt whether online or in the real world. And I do constantly refine my collection by selling pieces and living in a small New York City apartment it is necessary too, but there are other pieces I would never sell. I have an unmarked 19th century American silver plate insulated water pitcher with a polar bear finial (I love polar bears) which I would never send on its way. I had it restored which was expensive, but worth it to me even though it is silver plate and not sterling.

Nate: You have a special passion for silver. What do you like about it and how does it make you feel to hold a fine piece of silver?

Kelly: Growing up we did not really have any family silver. From my grandmother there is a set of quite tall Reed & Barton silver plate candlesticks which I have always loved. Beautiful detail. Also there was a flatware set from her in the popular Coronation pattern by Oneida introduced in 1936. Silver in my house was about celebrating holidays and special occasions. The silver was “brought out” for these events. The idea of special occasion silver flatware or good china has fallen much by the wayside these days which I think is a shame.

Nate: There are so many styles of silver and of course so many periods. This metal has been loved globally and has come to symbolize many things. Do you have a favorite style, origin, or period of silver?

Kelly: About 20 years ago I started collecting English Aesthetic Movement transferware and thought I needed some flatware to go with it to set my table. I learned then that English silver for the most part maintains certain forms and is cyclical and one might even say conservative, but that American silver in the 19th century adopted new styles such as the Japanese influence of the Aesthetic Movement and that began my love of American Aesthetic Movement silver plate. It is wonderful and even wacky at times.

Nate: New York City is a special place for antiques and I'm sure you've had the chance to make some exciting discoveries. Can you share a story about finding something exciting or meaningful?

Kelly: I used to go to the Garage Antique Flea Market on 25th Street for years, but it is closed now. That market had some good silver dealers and it is where I bought my first piece of sterling silver a late Gorham creamer and sugar in a fairly common pattern whose name escapes me. There is nothing exciting or remarkable about this creamer and sugar. They are simple, but have a lovely patina and I would never get rid of them because they were my first foray into silver before I knew much more than that Gorham was a good maker. And they are quite usable and look lovely on my small dining table.

Nate: You help your clients find decorative items as well. One of your offerings really stands out to me. This piece has a really unique design with very clean lines and it has fabulous patina. Can you tell us a little bit more about the little Marchak clock in your shop, The Antique Flâneur?

Marchak Clock, Paris

Kelly: The wonderful Art Deco Marchak miniature clock only 1.5” tall is on consignment from a client in Queens. It is such an appealing little piece with an interesting story. The clock has a rectangular block case which is made of French .950 silver by the Parisian silversmith, Adolphe Frontin or his sons Henri and Robert. The vanity clock is marked with the Minerva head for .950 silver and the Frontin mark in a diamond lozenge on the interior of the clock door which reveals its inner workings. The dial of the miniature clock is marked J Marchak Paris. Joseph Abramovich Marchak was a young talented jeweler in Kiev in 1878 and then in Russia where he became a competitor of Faberge and was known as the Cartier of Kiev.

His son, Alexander, born in 1890 came to Paris from Russia in 1920 after the Russian Revolution where he opened a jewelry store in the Rue de la Paix next to the Place Vendôme and the famous Hotel Ritz.

Nate: What are your hopes for the future with respect to your occupation in silver and antiques?

Kelly: Eventually I would like to be become a certified appraiser in silver, but I am not ready yet for that step. I need a few more years of experience. I would also like to increase the love and popularity of silver which has certainly waned over the last 15 years. That is why I started a silver discussion group and a silver sale group on Facebook.

Nate: Thank you, Kelly, for taking the time out to share your passion with us. One more question- You've been in the business for quite a few years professionally. What advice to you have for a young person who's just getting started?

Kelly: Thank you Nate, I really enjoyed your questions. Everything is not on the internet. Build a good silver library that you can refer to as you research pieces. Also, wherever you live, go see all the art and decorative art exhibitions you can.

If you want to become an appraiser, the Appraisers Association of America (AAA) in New York City now has a program to become an appraiser. They are a great organization for the profession and training.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To read a bit more about Kelly or his services to the industry and clients, please see his website at The Antique Flâneur. His retail shop is The Antique Flâneur

The Beckley-Lincoln Book

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 18:46:00 +0000

Debates, Resolutions & Other Proceedings, of The Convention of the
Commonwealth of MA to Which the Federal Constitution is Prefixed

The 1789 title page inscribed by the owner,
John James Beckley

Once in a while. Once in a while you see a book that is so much more than a book. More than a leather binding and all the wear of the dirty fingertips over tallow candles. Sometimes you find a book that talks and breathes, that lives its history and the history of our nation with it. I want to tell you about John Beckley's book. It almost certainly wasn't his only book. He was a learned man. The largest collection of books in the country at that time was probably Thomas Jefferson-- some 6,500 volumes. More typically, people owned a few volumes and the very wealthy maybe owned a few dozen. As Brian Hoey once said, "Some studies suggest that as many 60 percent of colonial households owned at least one book". And more to the point, "..while many people owned a few books, few people owned many books." Even among those who did, every book was priceless.

When at first I spotted this copy of, Debates, Resolutions & Other Proceedings, of The Convention of the Commonwealth of MA to Which the Federal Constitution is Prefixed, I was thrilled. It's an exceptionally scarce and important book of its own right. This book provides the official record of the debates that occurred in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts prior to the founding of our country with the later adoption of The Constitution. It was during these debates that the first amendments were proposed.

Then I noted Beckley's signature on the title page and began to research the man. John Beckley, a personal friend of Thomas Jefferson, was appointed to become the first librarian, establishing the Library of Congress among his many other roles in our young nation's history. That is a stunning ownership history for a book related to the establishment of our nation from the personal collection of the man who started our nation's collection of knowledge!

Known signature of Levi Lincoln, Sr.

I've learned as a collector and a researcher, though, that you have to pay careful attention to the smallest details and to piece together as much of the story as you can from the details. You never know where it may lead. And you have to understand with books just how precious they were. A gifted book would often be noted 'from' and 'to'. It was a significant contribution to a man's estate to give him a book. And so it was that another significant owner of this book was identified. On a page that was sadly torn, I found the gift inscription which today only retains the words, "L. Lincoln to.. John..." I knew the John was obviously John James Beckley, but I wondered, who could L. Lincoln be. Such a fragment of a name that it seemed like it might be impossible to identify this person. With a bit of brute force research, I realized it must have been Levi Lincoln who was the Attorney General of Thomas Jefferson. And, luckily for me, the inscription is a dead match to that of the known signature of Levi Lincoln. Consider for a moment this book on Lincoln's office shelf as Jefferson strode in to discuss the legal concerns of the day. Some of our nation's most important founders have almost surely shared the room with this small volume. It's an astonishing find. Scarce, historic, and important book capturing the conversations at the founding of the United States of America bound in leather by Adams and Norse, Boston, 1788.

The book was later owned by early settler, Henry S. Baird of Green Bay. Then the book has a stamp from Casper, Krueger, Dory, & Co. of Milwaukee. Finally, in 1939, F H Taylor acquired the book in Milwaukee. Most recently, the book was auctioned in Ohio and purchased by www.nateivey.com

This exceedingly scarce book (Jefferson's copy is in the Library of Congress for example) is in fair shape with wear. One of many rare books offered for sale at www.nateivey.com.

New Shop Website!

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 17:55:00 +0000

Crescent City Connection now has it's own website!

Also at: http://www.nateivey.com

The Kennedy Scalfaro Box by Pampaloni

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 02:24:00 +0000

If you come from a family like mine, you grew up with a very deep respect for the Kennedys. My parents deeply admired all the Kennedys. There was always a light and a sadness in my mother's eyes when she spoke about President Kennedy, and about Bobby too. These men had inspired my parents in the 1960s and that enthusiasm for these men who led our country through change and turmoil and gave it all for us permeated down into me.

If my father and I ate at Martin's, we always asked for "the booth". I always felt like royalty when I ate there in that booth thinking about our President and his beautiful bride, the pride of our nation. And later in life, while hiking in Ireland I was touched again by President Kennedy. I was far away from everyone walking across farm fields near the coast of County Clare. I spotted the ancient ruins of an old farm cottage, surely abandoned for decades. I let myself in of course. It was sparse. There was a bed and a weathered farm table, plastered white wash walls and a thatch roof. These people had little, and they probably suffered greatly working the land to survive. But, there on the wall was a crucifix and under a thin layer of dust was a photograph of JFK. I felt a tear of pride well up for our great fallen leader.

Brant Point, Nantucket

In my late 20's I began to summer in Nantucket and would always feel that same sense of pride as we rounded Brant Point and looked back to the left. You would throw a few coins and wait for Hyannis to stare at the beautiful Kennedy compound there on the beach. Last year while hiking near Sconset, I reached Great Point. It's a place that many Nantucketers know with it's barking seals, but not a place most Americans know. There at that solitary point is a beautiful isolated lighthouse. It is one that was saved from certain destruction by Senator Ted Kennedy. Reading the simple bronze plaque, that same surge of emotion washed over me.

Kennedy Avramopoulos Charger

Recently, I was watching a charity auction and made a startling discovery. There was a box for sale in sterling silver engraved to the Honorable Patrick J. Kennedy from the Mayor of Athens. With an inscription like that, I knew it would be very difficult to win. Coincidentally, in the same auction, I noticed two other silver boxes. The first was a small round box by Pampaloni. Inside this second box was the calling card of Oscar Luigi Scalfaro. If you don't know who that is, you're not Italian. Oscar Luigi Scalfaro was the 9th President of Italy from 1992-1999. In the same auction was a third larger Pampaloni box. This box was itself engraved with the signature of Oscar Luigi Scalfaro and had the seal of the President of Italy. If you're like me, you're thinking that the odds are very slim that all three of the boxes didn't belong to Mr. Kennedy. But before I tried to win, could I prove it? There was no connection initially.

A thorough search revealed a 1996 blurb in the New York Times detailing how Mr. Kennedy did indeed meet Scalfaro on April 2, 1996. It was the only visit to the United States that Scalfaro made during his presidency and he only made a couple of stops on the journey. The provenance seemed likely enough to take the gamble. Besides, Pampaloni makes some of the most beautiful silver in the world. Their craftsmanship is comparable to Cartier or Tiffany in the world of fine silver.

And with that, I was privileged to win the spectacular Pampaloni Box. The box features a seal in the top in the form of an inset coin. This coin is the Seal of the President of Italy and reads, "Il Presidente Della Repubblica Italiana". There is a figure of a man's head and it is flanked by a wreath of olive branches. On the interior is the opposite side of the coin and it has the Palace of the President. The box is marked for Pampaloni on the bottom and on the lid. And on top of the lid, it is engraved deeply with the signature of the Italian President, "Oscar Luigi Scalfaro". It was a stunning piece. Of course it had some patina, but a very careful treatment removed all of that and showed the fine finish that brothers Francesca and Gianfranco Pampaloni bring out of the metal. The box weighs about 1.25 pounds.

It was hard to deny that this was a Scalfaro box. But was it a Kennedy box too? I was in Lawrence Miller & Co on other business and ran into the legendary antiquarian, Frank Milwee. We were chatting about a really unusual piece of Dutch stamped silver when I mentioned the box. "Can you tie the box directly to Patrick Kennedy?" he astutely asked, "Because otherwise all you really have is a defaced box". It was a valid point from a respected veteran in the silver trade. I took it as a friendly challenge.

I started searching about the Scalfaro meeting. There were a few newspaper articles, and no photos that I could find. I wrote an email to the Italian embassy. They didn't write back. I wrote to the House of Representatives and asked where to find declared gifts. Nothing. And then I discovered Mark L. Pisoni. Mark was the translator who accompanied President Scalfaro during his meetings. I figured it was worth a shot. Mark was approachable and extremely friendly. He remembered that there were gifts exchanged, but he didn't go into details. I realized, of course, he may not have been at liberty to go into details. After all, the better part of valor is discretion!

The Kennedy Scalfaro Box

I was giving up hope when I got a curt form email reply from the Clerk's Office at the House of Representatives. While they maintain disclosable gifts for about the last seven years, something like this they do not have. They said, "To obtain the information requested, please check with your closest Federal Depository Library." I reached out to mine. It was at the University of Maryland. I called and got a return call from McKeldin Library Government and Criminal Documents Librarian, Celina McDonald. She was exceptionally kind and professional. Celina looked up the records and said I could come down to the library to research them. I explained that I was looking to document the Scalfaro box and hung up. When I arrived, minutes before she was supposed to leave. She stayed late for me and said that she had found the record! There in the arcane records of the US House of Representatives was a line of text that said it all in the 1997 Schedule VI Form of Mr. Patrick Kennedy..

And with those few words, the Beautiful Scalfaro box by Pampaloni was reunited with its critical history where two important world leaders came together. And now what once may have been merely a defaced box became the Kennedy-Scalfaro Box.

References:
1.) New York Times, "Italian President to Visit R.I.", April 1996.

2.) Financial Disclosure Reports of Members of the U.S. House of Representatives For the Period Between Jan. 1, 1997 and Dec. 31, 1997, Vol. 2, Communication from the Clerk of the House of Representatives

Should I Use the College of Arms for Identifying a Coat of Arms or Crest?

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 00:38:00 +0000

The answer to whether you should hire The College of Arms in my opinion is a resounding NO. The services they provided me were less than worthless, and of very questionable integrity. I would be loathe to level words against this organization like fraudulent or criminal, but taking money and providing nothing in return in every other business dealing I've ever been engaged in would be considered unacceptable and dishonorable. Yet, this is precisely what they may ask you to accept. But, so you fully understand how valueless is the service they provide, I have chronicled it here so hopefully if you choose to wire them money, you'll understand the very real risk that they will keep your money and do nothing for you except provide lip service.

Here's some background. The College of Arms in London, "...maintains registers of arms, pedigrees, genealogies, Royal Licences, changes of name, and flags." The heralds are appointed by the Queen of England. This group was founded in 1484. Heady stuff! As they describe, "The individual Officers of Arms are paid nominal salaries, less than £50 per annum, by the Crown, but conduct their professional practices on a self-employed basis." So, in effect, the government provides them no financial support and they earn a living by charging for their research. If you are trying to research a coat of arms, the College of Arms asks that you contact the Officer in Waiting.

So, I went for it. I had an incredible wax seal set in gold and I wanted help tying it to a particular family or organization. I left an email message and was greeted same day by the Officer in Waiting who happened to be one of the pursuivants. This was March 5th, 2015. On the same date, he wrote,

"Thank you for your enquiry which I have received as Officer in Waiting for the College of Arms. The College of Arms has probably a hundred thousand different coats of arms on record, filed in date order with various nominal indexes, but not computerised. To identify something from a picture or description is extremely time consuming and I normally make a charge of £125 to undertake such a task.

If you would like to send me an image of the arms in question to this email address, I shall be pleased to reply without charge if I recognise them immediately. If not, I shall advise you of my fee."

Encouraged, I sent photos the same day hoping he would recognize it right away to avoid the fee. Time passed and no response from the pursuivant. I followed up about 20 days later to ask if he had a chance to take a look. More than 2 weeks later, I received the following reply,

"I regret that I do not recognise the arms and cannot do so readily. I should be pleased to search the records of the College of Arms in an endeavour to identify them for you. If I can identify them, I shall tell you when they were first granted or confirmed and to whom.

The College of Arms has never been publicly funded and we have to charge for our time. My fee for this work will be £125 which should be sent to me in Sterling drawn on a British bank in favour of College of Arms (or transferred to my client account) if you wish to proceed."

On June 4th, I took the plunge and sent the £125 + a 6.5% fee via PayPal to his personal account. From then on, I entered a long period of silence. Not even a receipt. I requested to know if he had even received the funds on June 17th and received no response. A month later, I again requested to know if the funds had been received. He finally agreed the money had been received and stated that the work would be completed in 3-4 weeks. I heard nothing and finally wrote him on September 4th to get an update on the work. No response. Again on September 26th, I requested an update. No response. On October 8th having heard nothing, I wrote and asked for an update and asked if I needed to send a message to the King of Arms.

It was this that finally provoked the pursuivant to reply and miraculously, the research was completed on October 11, 2014-- 5 months since I made payment and 3 months over deadline! I surmised that the analysis would be detailed owing to the amount of time and concentration they must have put into the task, but that's where I was wrong. What finally came back from the pursuivant was that nothing could be determined. He also provided no analysis, for example, describing the seal formally or any indication that he had done anything at all except to say he had flipped through a few books.

Here's the form letter I received via email in full regarding the wax seal,

"Thank you for your recent email; I am sorry for the delay in writing back to you, but we have been submerged with work over the past few months.

I have now had an opportunity to examine the records of the College of Arms and can report to you as follows.

I first searched the records of the Heralds’ Visitations of the English and Welsh counties during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Officers of Arms went out to each county roughly every generation to oversee the use of arms and to record the pedigrees of the gentry. I also searched the records of grants and confirmations of arms from the Tudor period to the present day. Sadly, I did not find in any of our records the arms engraved on your ring.

A search in Sir James Balfour Paul’s An Ordinary of Arms (Vol. 1, 1903 and Vol. 2, 1977) was made, but once again nothing was found.

I then looked at Elvin’s Handbook of Mottoes (1971) and Fairbairn’s Book of Crests (1905) for the motto, but did not find any reference to that found on your ring.

I finally turned to Burke’s General Armory (1884), a dictionary of arms that lists those families who might have used armorial bearings with or without the sanction of the Heralds. Again, I did not find any relevant reference.

I am sorry that our search has proved unfruitful.

Yours sincerely,

[Name Redacted] MSc

Rouge Croix Pursuivant

College of Arms

130 Queen Victoria Street

London EC4V 4BT

T 020 7332 0666"

The Power of Silver Hallmarks

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 01:27:00 +0000

Hallmarks can be extremely powerful and important in silver. They tell the story of many pieces of silver that is absent on most other kinds of antiques. For the furniture enthusiast, there are sometimes paper labels or pencil mark signatures, but these are rare. For silver, the marks are often there, and when they are, you need to pay heed. The absence of a hallmark can also be significant but we'll get into that later. In this little article, I want to describe the non-US hallmarks that have been the most important to me in my business dealings. The photos are pieces I have bought and/or sold some of which are still available at Crescent City Connection in my silver section. I make a description of some of these marks and use many thematically similar pieces to give those descriptions. I don't claim these are the best of the best pieces, just items I've been able to trade.

For me, at my current stage of collecting, nothing could be worse on a piece of silver than a simple stamp that says "Sterling" and nothing else. A piece like this will usually be three things: (1.) American (2.) modern (3.) cheap. Although rules are made to be broken, most pieces stamped this way will fall into this category. Let's face it, usually only a piece of which no one can be proud is left unsigned by a maker. But, wait, Msstom always said to look for the word Sterling on the bottom! I hate to break it to you, but if you listen to Mom, you will miss out on some of the incredible finds out there waiting for you. You're doing it wrong...

English Marks
English hallmarks are some of the simplest ones to understand and learning these can be a gateway into many other types of marks. It's a great place to start. The English have a well organized, old, and clear system for hallmarking that was put into place long ago in order to collect taxes from silversmiths on their wears (primarily) as well as to identify the maker (secondary).

Traditional English marks courtesy of the
Goldsmith's Company Assay Office

So, the typical English mark is composed of, the maker mark, the lion, the assay office, and the date letter. The 925 mark shown above is not that common in antique silver in my experience. The others are nearly all there. Bear in mind that each large city had an assay office, so these vary. You will need a table to look up the date mark and these tables vary across assay offices. So, first identify the town, then identify the date, then look up the maker.

A few additional words on English silver identification:
1.) Occasionally you get two date letters that look a lot alike. You can usually use the maker mark to figure out the date in these cases.
2.) Very occasionally, you get two date letters that look a lot alike with two makers with the same initials operating during the two different dates. You will need in these cases to research other pieces of the two makers and compare them stylistically. It doesn't happen often. Sometimes you can use this one to your advantage where a seller has misidentified/dated a piece of English silver and has thus undervalued it.

Millesimal Fineness Mark for Britannia
Silver (958)

Pictorial Mark for Britannia
Silver

3.) Duty dodgers. There are fakes and there are unmarked pieces of English silver. I've not seen them often, but I have occasionally. They were usually made to evade taxes, but occasionally, a Hester Bateman mark or a Paul Storr mark has been cut out of a lesser piece and then welded into a better piece. It doesn't happen that often, but you would be advised to look at the mark very carefully when buying big name English silver.
4.) Britannia silver. I don't run into Britannia silver too often in the US, but it's worth understanding it in case you do. Britannia silver is 95.8% silver, meaning it is of a higher silver content than sterling. It can sometimes achieve higher values than comparable sterling silver pieces. The 100 gram piece above, for example, was sold for around $620 in 2013.

1817 English Silver Cup

Chinese Marks

Hallmarks on 1840 Chinese Export
Mustard Pot

It may seem odd to begin a discussion of Chinese marks at the end of one on English marks, but there can be confusion between the two. It's important to understand that while Chinese produced silver for centuries before the English arrived, the English had a large influence on the manufacture of Chinese pieces. Specifically, colonialists had an influence on pieces made for the outside of country market, "Chinese export" silver. Chinese export silver in the classic sense utilized European themes and tried to imitate European silver. It isn't clear to me (though I am sure it is well understood) how much volume they were making upon request to match existing sets versus how many were made simply modeling them after other examples. The end result is the same, European styled pieces were produced by the Chinese.

1840 Chinese Export Mustard Pot

This imitation goes right down to the marks.

Most of the accounts I've read are in agreement that the Chinese were not making silver meant to fool anyone as being English, but rather they wanted to please the European sensibilities. And further, since these makers did not understand the hallmarking systems, they frequently copied the marks, customizing them to a greater or lesser degree. At the example above which is a detail of the mustard pot at left, you see that the mark has a sort of rendition of the English lion, the London leopard, and the letter W which could be construed as a date mark. Because of the similarities of style (see 1817 English cup versus 1840 Chinese mustard pot) and marks. Fortunately, you should not be alarmed if you accidentally wind up with some Chinese export silver thinking it's English. It is enjoying a surge of popularity in 2015 and has been for a number of years. A Chinese export mustard pot like the one above should currently expect a value of around $1,000 if it is by an identifiable maker.

Mexican Marks

William Spratling Amethyst Earrings

Spratling Hallmark

I would just say that there is a huge diversity of marks in Mexican silver. In modern history, Mexican silver work has been largely focused in Taxco. To understand Mexican silver from Taxco, you should familiarize yourself with Spratling. Though he was an American, he launched a fledgling silver production industry that continues today. He was an interesting character, a visionary and an adventurer. His pieces are among the most valuable of Mexican silver now. And most museums with a silver collection have Spratling in their collections. The pieces with stones and meso-American themes (his seem to command higher prices and size is also an important factor. I am of the opinion that Spratling pieces should not be polished. There is a lot of fake Spratling better discussed elsewhere. Needless to say, patina helps to authenticate these pieces. From Spratling, there are a handful of other significant smiths from Taxco that are worth collecting and looking for. Antonio Pineda, Hector Aguilar, Los Castillos, MATL, and Margot de Taxco are all good makers.

Queen Anne Style Hammered Bowl

Once you get into post-1948 silver, you will see the Eagle marks on pieces up until the 1970s. There are good pieces in this time period and pieces with an eagle mark are worth a look. Once you start getting into the Taxco marks that begin with T (like TE-12 or whatever), these pieces are modern and I basically ignore them. Quality is usually low, mass produced silver for tourists.

Vigueras Queen Anne Bowl

Mexico City Mark on 8 Reales
Coin Bowl

It's also worth noting that you may see the same European influences on Mexican silver that I described above in the Chinese example above. Mexican smiths were fond of the Queen Anne Style. Frequently these pieces are hand hammered with traditional Mexican embellishments and I think some of the really fine pieces of Mexican silver are like this.
You can see it in this bowl by Plateria Vigueras made in Mexico City (with a very non-traditional hallmark). I show another example of this hand hammered fluted work here in a bowl with an 18th century doubloon (8 reales). The coin is marked FM for the assayer at the Mexico City mint. So, it is interesting to note that these are two really lovely pieces of Mexico City where the marks do not explicitly state that in a simple way. With the Doubloon bowl, it is the assay mark that tells the story. But with the Vigueras bowl, you have to rely on a book of hallmarks to make that jump.

I may expand this article in the future to include marks from some other places. If you have questions, additions, or corrections, get in touch. And hey, check out my little shop. You may enjoy it! Happy Hunting from Crescent City Connection

Fakes in the Silver and Gold Trade - A Few Examples

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 18:48:00 +0000

I wanted to write today about something that happens from time to time to dealers-- even with pretty sharp eyes. Fakes. The fact is that almost all dealers have bought fakes. You won't see that many articles, because it's embarrassing and dealers think telling people about screw ups might hurt the reputation. The fact is, publishing these images may help others who are about to get burned or who will remember these examples in the future. Have a good image of a fake? Send it along and I will add it to this post.

Fake 1736 Spanish 8 Escudo

Sometimes you get burned by a counterfeit-- or other times just valueless items that lend an appearance of being a good score. Sometimes these fakes are intentionally fake and sometimes they are not. But either way, if you have integrity you should never pass them along even as "replicas" and it would be better if you spotted them before you plunked down your cash and didn't buy them at all. No one's perfect and I bet the most experienced dealer would regale you with the ingenious fakes they have bought through the years over a nice glass of something.

I keep fakes so that I can use them to remind myself of the mistakes and to motivate me to learn. Some of these are actually quite common while others may be new to even a moderately experienced dealer. I learn as I go, so I am not an expert and the items I will describe aren't exhaustive of fakes.

The first example comes from a church flea market sale in a bad neighborhood. I bought a jumble of a keychain from a lady that seemed to know very little about jewelry. I purchased a couple of sterling silver Taxco bracelets and this keychain in a $40 lot.

This is a strategy that I use at yard sales. Sometimes, I buy a handful of items together and usually throw in something horribly and obviously cheap in the mix. Then I say, "How much for this stuff?" Sometimes this works wonders because by casually putting a bunch of items together you devalue the individuals by association. Anyhow, back to the keychain. It's got a bunch of gaudy nonsense on it and then there's a little pendant. I'm just learning coins, so at first glance, it looks pretty good to be a Spanish coin to an amateur like me. The item feels very heavy and it has elements of Spanish silver. It has the cross, pillars, crowns, and some numbers which make it appear to be a 1736 Spanish 8 Escudo coin. There's not much time to Google or hyper analyze when you are in this situations. Sometimes you pull the trigger and you know you'll sort it out later. This one is a fake. And a common one probably originating from a tourist area in South America. Any coin collector knows the 1736 was a tourist item meant to deceive. I'm out about $13 on this piece (probably make up for it with the other items in the lot). It's important to remember that sometimes you get burned. Know that this is the price of getting into the business-- you pay your dues. When you get burned, try to make it a $13 yard sale buy and not a $2.5M Renoir.

Fake Chinese Medallion with Dragon and Phoenix

Fake 14K Hallmark

The second piece I will show you is one I bought online. I have reason to believe the seller had not noticed the hallmark. And this happens a lot. People get busy. They miss stuff. It even happens to me and I think of myself as careful. Most of the time, when something is hallmarked, this is accurate. But when you are buying online, spotting fakes can be tough. I think I paid about $20 for this piece. It appears to be a Chinese medallion (big at about 3" across). Highly detailed of a phoenix and a dragon. The detail really lends to the believability It's a typical Chinese feng shui marriage harmony motif. It also happens to be hallmarked 14K and the mark actually looks pretty old and Chinese. It would have been a pretty good find. Unfortunately, a 2 minute test in the shop showed this to be a fake-- and you could tell it was from plating wear under 10X magnification anyhow. It probably was made in China-- just not of gold and definitely made to deceive.

The Chinese and Peruvians aren't the only ones to fake things for tourists on vacation (in fact there are scammers around the globe). Fakes show up in particular genres very frequently. Sports memorabilia, purses, shoes, and sunglasses have the highest number of counterfeits of any. Jewelry is actually not that commonly faked. Mostly because in person, it's easy to detect counterfeit gold and why bother with silver. There are easier ways to make a living. This piece is probably from Mexico. Yes, it looks a bit thuggish, but you'd be amazed at some of the items I've found in gold that you would think-- woah, who would make this stupid item out of gold? But they frequently do. It pays to buy tacky garbage sometimes. I bought this piece for $12 online. The seller clearly stated they believed it was a fake. Look, sometimes people make mistakes and I thought it was worth the gamble. This piece is heavy (like 15 grams+). And, an acid test was not conclusive. I took it to my jeweler and he puzzled over it, believing it was real. But after a few tests, he came to the same conclusion as me saying, "I think this is not real". I took it to a second jeweler just to be on the safe side and yes, confirmed it was fake.

Autobahngold

I have managed to collect another fake item in the course of my business, and this one has an interesting history in Europe. While less frequently encountered in the United States, this particular line of fakes is well known across the pond, especially in Germany where they describe it as 'Autobahngold'. According to the website I've linked to, this gold is frequently exchanged by a purportedly stranded motorist on the side of the highway as a deposit for repayment of some bail out cash provided by an unsuspecting fellow traveler. There are numerous examples of marks and these have been located both in the original scams and now in secondary markets, EBay being one with numerous examples. The mark 0,750 appears to be particularly spurious and is described here in quite a few photographs. I can't say I feel fortunate to have one of my own, but so goes the trade in antique and vintage jewelry. You live and learn, and hopefully my mistakes will save you from one.

One more thing. Salvador Dali etchings that are sometimes real may have no real value. Some, such as the Don Quixote print here were printed in the tens of thousands in so-called "open editions". The frame may be more valuable than the paper and I would recommend against buying Salvador Dali prints unless you really know what you're doing. The market is simply flooded with these items. There are also many many Dali prints with forged signatures. If a print says "AP" on it or "EA", the signature is almost always faked and added later by an unscrupulous dealer. So be very wary of these supposed artist proofs.

Fake Chinese Brooch Hallmarked 'China Silver'.
Note the base metal showing through in the left hand image.

You will occasionally encounter fake marks in Chinese silver although more common are modern pieces that are billed as antique that are being made right now. More and more frequently we see this with Chinese enamels and as they enter the marketplace in greater numbers, at least they become easier to recognize.

Spurious 'Russian' Marks

Speaking of enamels, perhaps it is Russia that is known more for its enamel and silver work than any other country in the world. Unfortunately, much or even most of the silver in the secondary market that purports to be Russian silver is faked and is usually from another Eastern European country like Bulgaria. The marks are often crude representations of the official government marks of Russia. That said, there is sometimes aesthetic value in these pieces and as long as you aren't paying Faberge prices, it can be worth picking up these items. They are frequently made of solid silver just with spurious marks and lower quality craftsmanship. Seen here is such an example in a silver and enamel . It is solid silver and it is fairly well executed-- though not nearly so well as the ones it purports to be. A piece like this can best be characterized as a forgery.

Happy hunting and may all that glitters for you be gold. Want to see some stuff that didn't turn out to be fake? Check out the shop here for beautiful gold and silver jewelry.

Too Good to Sell

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 00:52:00 +0000

This is a topic that is not often enough discussed by dealers. When is something too good to sell? For me personally, there are three factors which should be met that tip the balance in favor of not selling an item:

1. The item has great form;
2. great age; and
3. has some personal meaning or importance

Here's a bracelet that fits the criteria for me. What you have here is a Navajo made 1940s bracelet in the cornstalk pattern. The corn plant or maize is associated by the Navajo as a sacred plant and is designated with the cardinal point of North. It is considered a male symbol. While this isn't probably the very best sandcast bracelet out there, it's very good in its form and finish. The lines of the corn plant are nice and each branch peaks in a vee. This vee is desirable in this types of pieces as it shows the sophistication of the carver imparting the shape into the sandstone mold (tufa). There are older pieces, but this one has nice age. Note the unpolished patina here as discussed in the earlier post on polishing up antiques. Pieces of this era, typically unmarked, were not made for the tourist trade. They were made by Navajo for Navajo. This is apparent by the heavy weight and overall weighty appearance.

But what else? There are other sandcast bracelets like this with the age, the symbolism, and the form. It's the stone. The original stone in this piece was a turquoise that had been completely ruined by exposure to oil. So, a replacement was needed. New turquoise is a very different animal than old turquoise and you have to be very careful in your selection by choosing a piece of stone that is old enough not to be cheap plastic. This piece was pulled from a Colorado creek by my father in the 1950s. At some point in my childhood, I was an avid rock collector and my father gave it to me. I had the piece cut by a very close and old friend to fit the bezel. It's actually not a turquoise. It's chrysocolla meandering through a matrix of quartz and metamorphic scree. All the elements combine and you have a masterwork-- too good to sell.

I do have other things that I will sell. Check out the shop!
Crescent City Connection

A Yachting Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Yachting is perhaps the grandest of American pasttimes. So, inevitably, antiques related to yachting are both rare and coveted. To be honest, I rarely stumble across any yachting or even nautical antiques worthy of a purchase. That said, my luck changed on this last weekend. I was in a coastal town on the mid-atlantic in one of my favorite antique stores which I visit probably once a month. A young couple runs the place and they make a living "doing house clean outs". While I have never had a major find in his shop, I have a good rapport with the owners. Last Saturday, I went in with my parents.

My father was immediately struck by a watercolor behind the counter of sailboats. It was a lovely..Boats at anchor in the pale peach of sunset. The painting was signed E. Bienvenuti. So, the shop owner knocked a few bucks off the price and my Dad pulled the trigger. Good for him. Meanwhile, during the transaction, the shopkeeper mentioned some old nautical prints out in his van that he hadn't had the chance to bring inside yet. My parents disappeared down the street. I hung back waiting to check out the prints. Once the shop cleared out, we headed out and he opened up the back of his white van, something of a rolling antique shop, stuffed full of interesting tidbits. Anf there it was.

Frederic Cozzens' American Yachts

Laid in the back was a portfolio of Frederic Cozzens chromolithographs. And this was easy to discern because the title page was there stating, "AMERICAN YACHTS A SERIES OF WATERCOLOUR SKETCHES", and in somewhat smaller yet still giant text, "BY FREDERIC S. COZZENS". It wasn't clear to me the shopkeeper knew what he had.. I had just brokered the purchase of an original Cozzens watercolor at an estate sale about three months earlier, so I was intimately familiar with his auction record for originals and prints. This stack included five chromolithographs from the 1884 series by Scribners. I asked my friend how much, and there was some discussion of price until a deal was struck. I paid and headed jubilently to catch up with my parents.

One problem I immediately faced was that I really wasn't positive that this particular edition was a good one. Prints are funny animals. Most of them are garbage and occasionally you find something worth your time. So, arriving home, I started the process of identifying them which was simple since I had the title page and the labels to lead the way. I immediately found the print "Ice Boating on the Hudson" in a clip from Antiques Roadshow. Their estimate was that these prints are worth about $1,800 each. Suffice it to say, a minor profit will be made once the prints are fully restored and framed.

"Signal Chart" by Frederic S. Cozzens

A second problem: the prints were in awful condition. They were very very dirty as if they had been in an old attic for half a century or more.. The original backing boards and labels were mostly all there and the paper itself was in good condition.. They were just extremely dirty. So, off to the conservator. A herculean effort later, the first print emerged and the difference was clear. What at first seemed irreparable now was not only viewable, but was a result that I personally would be proud to display in my home. The first one finished was the "Signal Chart", one of the rarer images from the set. The "Signal Chart" is a beautiful image that shows the flags from 60 American yacht clubs. Any of these clubs or sailors belinging to them would treasure such a beautiful print. On the left above, you can see the dirty image, and at right is the conserved image. The difference is stark.

The project is ongoing, but once complete, these massive and important chromolithographs will be for sale in my shop. I haven't decided whether to sell these as individuals or as a single lot, but either way, in about a month or perhaps a bit less, they will be in the section "Paper Ephemera".

Should I Polish Up My Antique Furniture, Silver, Oil Painting, War Relic?

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:53:00 +0000

This is a question that is extremely pertinent to new collectors and dealers alike. When we find a dusty old treasure, our first inclination is to polish it up. Sometimes, this may be a fine thing to do, sometimes it ruins a perfectly good antique. Here's a helpful list of what should be polished by an amateur and what should not. Remember, use a good quality polish and a soft cloth. Never use power tools (dremel) etc.. on old antiques.

Furniture: No. If it's a good quality piece of furniture, having the original finish can be as valuable as the piece itself. Do not refinish good antique wood furniture. If you've got an old 1970's bookcase and you want to faux paint it, fine. If you have a colonial era chair, do not polish it up.

Don't do this!

Civil War Relics: No. Absolutely never polish up your old civil war buttons, bullets, rosettes etc.. You will destroy the value of these types of relics if they are polished up. Collectors want to see the age of these kinds of items. Included here is an over-polished 1800's rosette from Sgt. Rikers Civil War Trading Post.

Conserved Oil Painting

Oil Paintings: Yes, but not by you. Oil paintings sometimes require conservation. Smoke, old varnish, dirt, and dust can greatly impact the beauty and value of a painting. Fortunately, oil paintings are pretty hearty. Professional conservators can remove these layers of time to renew the colors and content of an oil painting. It can be remarkable to see the final product of a good conservation effort as in the painting on this early California Plein Air Landscape on the right. They may also apply a thin layer of varnish. Look around for a high end conservator with a lot of experience or get recommendations from a high end auction house. If you are talking about an A list artist, you want to give the selection of your conservator extra consideration.

Water Colors: Yes, but not by you. Paper conservators specialize in the restoration of water colors. you should not even think about doing this yourself. Additionally, remember to keep your valuable water colors out of direct sunlight. Water colors should be framed beneath acid free mattes to prevent discoloration of the paper. Humidity should also be limited with all paper objects.

Coins: No. Coins should never be polished. The exception might be coins that have been removed from the ocean. If you are diving wrecks, special consideration for these types of coins may be warranted. However, many of these coins are left in clumps as well..Do your research if this applies. In general, DO NOT POLISH COINS EVER.

Glass: Glass can be washed in warm soapy water and dried assuming it isn't painted glass. Be very careful washing old silvered mirrors. Water can leach beneath the silver and can permanently damage this old glass.

Rugs: Please never attempt to wash an antique rug yourself. The dyes in antique rugs can bleed, making a wreck of a priceless antique. Take it to a professional.

Oxidized Native American Bracelet

Sterling Silver Jewelry: It depends. For most jewelry, this is ok. However, more and more, collectors want to do this themselves or would prefer that the patina remain intact. This is especially true with Native American silver. My personal opinion is this. Some Native American silver has elements that are purposefully oxidized to be black. These areas should never be polished. However, if it was the intent of the jeweler to let it shine, let it shine.

Oxidized Taxco Cufflinks

Certain pieces of Taxco jewelry also commonly utilize this intentionally oxidized effect and the same rule applies as with Navajo jewelry. In the case of these pieces, the jeweler intended for some parts to never be polished. Removing the black on a piece like this or weakening the contrast decreases the value. Makers like Spratling, Pineda and others utilized this effect.

A Nicely Polished Navajo Ring

I personally don't see the purpose of having dull jewelry. This is one of those things that is trending toward not polishing among some collectors though. In the case of the bracelet at left, I agree with the seller to leave the bracelet as found. At right is an example of native jewelry I would polish.

As a rule of thumb, if you think you may have something very old or valuable, consult a professional or expert. It is not worth the risk. Feel free to get in touch with specific questions about specific pieces. Also, feel free to weigh in about other items that should definitely not be polished up. I would love to publish your feedback.

Sterling Silver: Although this is frequently misunderstood, the simple answer is that (usually) tarnish can be removed and patina should stay. But what does that mean? Basically, over time when silver is exposed to hydrogen and oxygen in the air, it reacts and a thin film (hydrogen sulfide) forms on the surface of the metal. This film should be removed in most cases. Patina as a term is sort of misused as used to describe silver, but what silver people generally mean by it is nicely described by EBay user mr.salas in his article that states,

"Patina is a rich, warm color which forms over time as a result of use and handling. Flatware straight from the factory has a "factory shine" whether it's sterling silver, silverplate or stainless steel. After only minimal use, you will begin to notice fine surface scratches. It is impossible to avoid but this is nothing to worry about; it's part of the patination process. Over time, these fine scratches will blend together to form a soft finish."

A hand polishing with a polish such as Haggerty's Silversmith Wash and a soft cotton cloth (for example, t-shirt fabric like a jersey cotton) is widely viewed by experts as an acceptable way to remove tarnish, but leave patina.

Gilded Items. If silver is gilded, you must use great care in polishing it. Pieces like this (if you aren't displaying them) should be kept in a low oxygen to limit exposure to air if possible. Each time you polish a gilded item, you will remove a little more of the layer of gold and eventually it can be destroyed. You can pay to have an item regilded, but it is quite expensive and the techniques have changed, and so a historically accurate regilding can be nearly impossible. Consult an expert if this is your problem.

Kutch Repousse Cup

Repousse. With really intricate repousse, you may wish to "polish the high spots". The tarnish can actually really improve the appearance and creates an incredible contrast. Don't use a toothbrush to get in all the nooks and crannies. This is unwanted and unnecessary. So, polish the high spots, and leave the low spots black and unpolished. You should use a small amount of polish to accomplish this and polish it slowly and gently. Sometimes a cotton swab can help you to polish very precisely if this is desired.

Overall, silver should be polished, but if you have questions, consult an expert. The average person should not be polishing a Paul Revere teapot. The average person should definitely feel free to hand polish most pieces with care and respect.

Silverware: Yes. Silverware is meant to be shiny, and should be kept that way. Gently removing the tarnish from silverware should not impact its value. Care should be taken if silverware is gilded. Gilding is a thin layer of gold plating that can be easily damaged by polishing.

For a great selection of all sorts of antiques, see nateivey.com! And feel free to ask questions. I'm here to help.

What is a Sawfish Rostrum?

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 18:47:00 +0000

This item is SOLD.

A Sawfish rostrum is the protrusion at the business end of a Carpenter Shark or Sawfish. While hunting of these fish is mostly prohibited now, at one time, Sawfish were highly sought, in part for the trophy of their rostrums. The fish use these protrusion to dig through sand and silt searching out crustaceans. These days, antique specimens of the Sawfish rostrum are scarce and add an eyepopping touch to the interior design of any room.

Recently Found Rostrum

I recently found one at a Delaware auction. I've added the photo to the right so you get the idea. As with lot of things in life, size matters. The longer the specimen, the more valuable it is. Some rostrums can be purchased that range upwards of $6,500 as this 49 inch specimen from the Gentleman Collector is priced. A 41 inch specimen was sold at Christie's for $2,725 in 2009.

Like any other taxidermy, condition is important. Sawfish rostrums are prone to damage. They are basically made of bone, cartilage and skin with the paired rows of teeth that line the sides and tip. The teeth are frequently broken in two ways:

1.) Carelessness of the human owner.

2.) Fighting by the original owner.

These two types of damage have repurcussions to value differently. Human damage to rostrums seem to devalue the rostrum somewhat whereas battle scars in the sea don't seem to impact value at all. How do you tell the difference? It's difficult. If a Sawfish loses a tooth, it does not grow back, so you have to look for signs of wear that occured after the tooth loss.

Items like this are definitely an oddity, but they can be enormously beautiful mounted on a wall. Certainly anyone with a trophy room or an interest in natural and scientific items would find these very useful for decor and interior design. It's powerful to imagine that you own the snout to these graceful and powerful creatures that can grow up to 23 feet. Only antique specimens should be purchased, and if caught Sawfish should always be released.

I have decided to offer mine at a very reasonable $350. It is a 27.5" specimen putting it at a little larger than a medium specimen. You can check it out here.

Happy hunting and check out the shop!

The Ancient Tools of Chinese Teamaking

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 02:18:00 +0000

This item is SOLD.

Today I went to an estate sale. It was an absolute bust. On the way home, I spotted a sign that said “Attic in the Street”. The whole block was shut down and it was full of yard sales. I had to stop, because you never know. I found parking and began to make my way through the tables. A woman next to me started speaking with me and said she was an antiques dealer and there was a man with a jeweler’s loop studying cufflinks (which I later bought). The competition was pretty rough. A beautiful morning on a crowded street around 8:30.

I was making my second pass through on the way out and I spotted something. I’ve been reading about jade lately. So, I have the tone of jade in the forefront of my attention. Spectrum really, because jade has so much variation. Jade, or nephrite, can be nearly white to deep green and lots of other possibilities as well. Anyhow, I spotted a near translucent piece of pale jade on a very short teapot. It was interesting immediately. Normally, I don’t go for Asian antiques. Too much I don’t know. Too much fake stuff. It’s a challenge for me, not having grown up with any exposure to it. But, this was interesting. Not only did the teapot have a jade handle, but a jade spout and a jade knob on its little square top.

The Maker's Mark
of Fan Shuzeng

I picked it up. My immediate reaction was that it was sterling silver. It was covered in Chinese characters on one side engraved into the metal. On the other, was a graceful flower. It screamed old. I carefully lifted the lid and inside was a large and intricate hallmark. I had to buy it. But, I had no cash! I asked the man if he wouldn’t mind holding it for ten minutes while I hit the ATM. Sure, he said, no problem.

Got cash, bought the teapot, and headed home, eager to do some research. Chinese teapots are not my field of expertise. I began reading about Chinese silver and realized that actually the Chinese aren’t well known for their silver work. So, I thought, it’s pewter. After a bit of searching, I chanced upon a website that had exactly what I was looking for. A blog post:

http://theteagallery.blogspot.com/2008/10/ching-dynasty-pewter-teapot.html turned me on to the term “Yixing” which is the type of teapot I purchased. From there, I got to Christie’s and saw that Yixing teapot with jade handle at auction in 2005 went for $3,466.00 and though the style is a bit different, I was getting excited. Though it certainly seems costly, I spotted one nearly identical to mine selling out of Beijing on for about $10,000. I don’t speak Chinese, so I needed to get more information and I found a guy named Chris in London who is an expert at pewter encased Yixing teapots. Amazing!

I sent him the photos and he wrote back with the following incredibly scholarly email:

“Hi Nathan,

One Similar to Mine
Listed in Beijing
at 10K

Now that is very curious would you believe that earlier this week I saw another almost the same and inscribed by the same scholar. At first I thought it was the same one but the poem is different. I have attached the picture of the other one.

The scholar is Er Quan who was well known both for inscribing pewter pots and traditional style yixing wares. Your pot doesn't appear to be dated, some are marked with a cyclical date in the chinese style, but yours would probably dates between 1830-40. The inside would normally have a yixing inner lining with a seal stamped on the bottom of the inside of the pot. ON your pot if present it will on the raised section between the two feet. Most examples I have seen signed by Er Quan the pots were made by Fan Shuzheng who was possibly one of the most prolific makers of pewter encased pots.

Inscription by Scholar
Er Quan on my Teapot

The shape of your teapot is actually derived from an ancient Chinese bronze coin called a Spade coin. I am not sure I have ever seen this shape in other materials but this the seventh one I have seen in pewter so quite popular. If you are able to get a shot of the inside of the pot assuming there is anything inside to photograph I will try and confirm who the maker is.

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions feel free to ask."

I had hoped that Chris could translate the poem for me, and give me a value for the item and I called on his obviously deep knowledge base for a bit more. He responded with the following:

Flower Pattern
on the Teapot

"Thanks for the photographs. I was right, it is definitely Fan Shuzeng. Ah translate the poem, sigh I really wish I could but this is something only the very best Chinese scholars can do and sadly I am not even remotely close to being that. Though the calligraphic style is quite accessible he uses early nineteenth century characters, many of which have fallen out of use and not in current dictionaries but many have been simplified so most mainland Chinese would struggle with them. The old style traditional characters are only used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. To compound the problem the poems often use references that are very obscure to non Chinese scholars so even if you can crack the characters the results can seem very bizarre. On one of my pots the poem made reference to drinking sparrows tongue which was pretty odd until I discovered that this was a type of loose leaf green tea!"

It is simply astounding that you can contact a brilliant collector in London and have all the information you could possibly need, including a price to end an extremely successful day antiquing. Thank you, Chris. And, here is his blog, which if you are interested in these types of teapots, you will find extremely informative: www.huchitang.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/yixing2.htm

As an addendum, a very kind scholar in Hong Kong translated the teapot! It reads:

"Plum was adopted as a symbol of the literati.
They enjoy the wine under the moonlight."

What is weighted or loaded sterling?

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 20:00:00 +0000

A customer wrote in today with the following question which I have gotten a lot over the years. She asks, “Hi, just making sure about the content....you have .925 as a tag yet it says cement loaded. is this solid sterling or plated and what would the weight be of the sterling? thank you”

It’s a great question and there are lots of misconceptions about silver, so I am going to address the question of what does it mean when something is “weighted” or “loaded” and is marked sterling.

Here’s my response to the customer:

“Thank you for asking. That's a good question. This item is Sterling silver (92.5% Silver by content), not plated. It has the stamp STERLING on the bottom and the maker's mark for Fisher, a well known producer of Sterling silver items. Here's additional info should you want to know more:

This piece is pretty typical for sterling silver candlesticks and some other types of serving items like bonbon dishes, compotes and so on. What the makers did was to create these types of items from .925/1000 sterling silver, but they are hollow ware. The hollow space is filled (aka 'loaded', 'weighted' etc...) with concrete, wax, sand or anything else that would give the item added heft. There is no way to know the exact weight without cutting the item up.”

Fake Gold Medallion

So, yes, all items marked STERLING are made of metal that is 925 parts out of 1,000 silver. And no, if they are weighted or loaded, they are not solid STERLING. The STERLING standard was made law because governments (especially England initially) wanted a way to standardize the use of this precious metal and allow people to distinguish between silver and other alloys. At one time, these items were required to pass through the hands of a local assay office. It’s fairly rare in my experience to run into items marked STERLING that are fake, because of the relatively small value of silver (currently about $20/ounce) compared to more precious metals. Gold on the other hand, is frequently faked. I myself have purchased fake gold much to my disappointment as shown in the example of a fake medallion stamped 14K that is probably produced in Mexico shown at right. Yeah, yeah, I should have known better.

Electroplating or silver plate, by contrast, is a process by which a thin layer of silver is applied to a base metal like copper or brass using an electric current. By LAW, these items can NOT be stamped with the word STERLING. Frequently, they will be stamped with things like: 'EPNS' (electroplated nickel silver), 'quadruple plate' etc...” Unscrupulous sellers frequently mark these items with labels like “Sterling silver plate”, which strictly speaking is true, but is deceptive at best. Sellers also will represent silver plate as “silver tone” which makes it very difficult to determine the metal content. Generally, I recommend that buyers avoid such items if they are looking to make a good purchase of silver. These items have virtually no value on the antiques market unless they are very old, very interesting, or have very fine craftsmanship. The serving dish that grandma used that’s marked EPNS on the bottom and was used to serve the green beans at Christmas, sadly, is worth very little on the antiques market.

If you are interested in sterling silver, I might have the item you need. Check out the shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/neurorocker

The Antique Shops at Kensington

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 01:37:00 +0000

Gold Buddha

Today, I went for an adventure in Kensington, MD to check out antique row. Amazing. Very cool little area with more antiques than you can comfortably absorb in a day. The shopkeepers were amazing and kept recommending the next shop in the row, which I have to say shows very good manners and respect for one's colleagues. One shop was extremely enjoyable. A cheerful young woman was working there and began to tell me the history of the shop and its owner. As I was walking around, I had noticed the buddhas which were substantial and very attractive. The shopkeeper explained that the owner's father had owned an auction house and had been a great collector of Asian antiques. Although none of these beautiful relics were for sale, they were a real treat for the eye. There was also a nice navajo squashblossom necklace (well over a thousand dollars) and an amazing small ivory buddha ($500).

Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright

In a shop run by a pair of very sweet, humorous and interesting sisters, I was shown a gorgeous coin silver ladle made by a local Washington silversmith in the 1850's. Very nice, simple and elegant piece. And, as we noted, it's always great to see old antiques made by craftsmen still lovingly kept in the community where they were produced. Also in the store was a terrific plaster bust of Franklin Lloyd Wright. This piece, as they explained was made in a series of busts of persons who were thought to be the "light of the world" at the time. Since Wright brought us so many masterpieces of modern architecture, I have to agree with the sentiment. I certainly enjoyed this shop. And while I can't remember the names of each of the shops, if you go visit you really should see them all anyhow.

Orange Abstract

Fleur de Lis Pin

The last shop with items I coveted was large and had some fantastic turquoise and silver jewelry. I chatted with the friendly owner whose son had also gone to Tulane and now was in business in NY. She had a great store and upstairs I saw two items I loved. One was the dynamite fleur de lis pin and the second was the awesome giant orange abstract painting. All said, it was a wonderful few hours in the shops at Kensington. My last stop was the charity shop for the prevention of blindness which had two lovely volunteers. There, I bought several knives, cufflinks, and so on and have added those to my shop. To see those purchases, check out my shop at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/neurorocker

The Box Project

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 16:02:00 +0000

About ten years ago, on a weekend trip to Staunton, VA, I was browsing around in an antique shop called The Jolly Roger Haggle Shop. On a bottom shelf, way in the back, I thought I spotted something. It was a very old looking box and was in terrible condition. The entire box seemed to be covered in pine sap or some other sticky, grimy substance. Inside, the box was lined in blue silk and had an oval mirror in the lid. I licked my thumb and rubbed it across the lid. The lid was inlaid with small squares, and once I wiped away some grime, I immediately recognized that the inlay I had cleaned was tortoise shell. Although it was in terrible condition, I wanted it. No price, of course. So, I took it up to the front counter and inquired.

"Where did you find that?" The owner asked.

"It was over there on the shelf gathering dust. What do you want on it?" I replied.

The man said he would take $20. I felt it was a good deal, so much to the chagrin of my girlfriend, I bit. I got the box back to the hotel and began to clean it. Immediately, it was becoming clear that I had found something special. The box was not only inlaid with tortoise shell, but ebony, ivory, curled maple, and had sterling silver hinges and lock. A nice, very old box, I thought.

I continued to clean it up a bit, but knew that it would require more cleaning and work to bring it back. As I fiddled with the lid, the mirror busted through the old horse glue that affixed it to the top and it was now loose inside the lid...Great, just great I thought. I played with the mirror a bit and it rocked. I suddenly realized that there was something behind it. What could it be? Very carefully, I lifted apart the old nails of the lid and discovered that there was paper inside. And, with a pair of tweezers, I very slowly removed it, hoping it was full of gold certificates or confederate cash. But, it was just a newspaper. I decided to see where it was from and when. Would it help me to date the box? As I pulled it out, I was stunned. The newspaper was from Vallejo, CA and was dated from the 1850's. Remarkable. The owner of the box, some time after it was made, had wedged the newspaper into the lid to hold the mirror when the glue broke. This dated the box in my estimate to somewhere between 1800 and 1830. What a journey! This box must have made quite a journey before it found me. I put the newspaper back inside the lid.

Over the years, I have worked on the box on and off and replaced some of the missing inlays. For the ivory, which is difficult if not impossible to acquire, I used 1850's piano keys. Ebony veneer too, is impossible to find. I used a false ebony. It was also missing the escutcheon and the medallion on the top. Replacing these was difficult.

These had to be hand made. I purchased a 1 oz .999 silver coin to make them. I melted down the coin and hammered it out into a large oval blank. Then, I traced the shape of the medallion and cut a piece of paper to an exact fit. I applied the piece of paper to the silver blank I had made and etched the shape into it. Now I began the process of hand filling it into shape. It took many hours of hammering and filing, but ultimately, I had a piece that was a fairly close fit. This, I polished and applied to the box lid. The escutcheon was made similarly and was a very difficult piece to make. Getting an antique key was simply a matter of going to a locksmith. They completed it in less than 24 hours and for under ten bucks.

The box is not complete. There are still a number of small ivory pieces, ebony pieces and the seemingly impossible to fabricate and match pieces of trim on the lid yet to be made to complete it. And, of course, there is the small matter of making sure that mirror stays put. It may be that I shove a piece of newspaper in there. That should hold it!

After some searching, I hooked up with David at http:\\www.darbynwoods.com to manufacture the trim pieces for the box. It was a difficult project because he is in Ohio and I'm in MD. I sent David the specs as best as I could from the sole remaining piece of trim on the lid. To the right you can see the piece that David fabricated next to the original. The color, shape and size are close to the original. The new trim is a bit redder and a bit larger than the original, but with some minor modifications, it should be perfect. David also kindly tucked some slivers of ebony into the package to complete the missing ebony veneer.

I finally had a chance to add the missing rails and ivory on the top. I had to alter the color and finish to mimic the finish of an early 1800's wood. So, now this decade long project is truly almost done. Only four pieces of ebony remain to be replaced.

Criteria for Purchasing Antique Sterling

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:05:00 +0000

All polished up.

To someone who knows a great deal about sterling silver, this process will seem simple and routine, but for the novice, it can be nothing short of mystifying. I want to lead you through the process of what sterling silver antiques you should be buying and why. To do that, I want to show you the process of purchasing a pair of sterling candlesticks from the find to the listing on my shop.

I was in a small disorganized (my favorite) antique store on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. After going through the whole shop, I spotted a pair of candlesticks. Nearly black with patina, I picked them up for a closer look. I could make out the stamp STERLING on the bottom. This is crucial for modern American silver. I see many candlesticks and seldom buy them for one of two reasons:
1.) They are too common
2.) They are overpriced.
These were unique in that they were 10" tall. That's fairly tall in the realm of affordable sterling candlesticks that I run into. They were also a well-matched pair. Although in sore need of polishing, they had no apparent damage and were strong. By strong, I mean that they did not seem weak at the joints which is a common problem with poor quality sterling. They also weren't cheap.
So, I went home and I didn't buy them. Why? Because I research every purchase I make to examine profit margin, competitors and the product itself. After a quick look on Google Shopping, it became apparent that you couldn't buy a pair of 10" candlesticks in this condition and style for less then $250.
A week later, I went back and pulled the trigger. I don't have a warehouse, so I have to enjoy living with something in my home until it sells. These were elegant, so they met the last criteria..Can I live with them?
But, who made them? I had identified "comparables", but could I identify the date and maker of these particular ones? Of course, it's easy. After polishing, the maker's mark became clear. It looked something like this: <M>. My guess was that these were American, so that's the first assumption you have to make. Then, it's a quick trip to a fantastic online reference source: http://925-1000.com/. This is a fantastic web site to learn about sterling from. you click on American makers and then look for the mark. Mine is an M, so I look through the M's looking for the mark. There under M, I find that this mark is for the Mueck-Carey Co. of New York and dates between 1940 and 1950. Done, you now know exactly what you have.
Armed with that information, you can return to Google Shopping and do a comparative analysis with the following search string: Mueck Carey 10 Candlestick Sterling. This brings up 2 listings for the exact same candlesticks. One is $400 for 4 matched candlesticks and the other is for two. The set of two is on sale for $282 dollars on EBay and the set of four is $400 on Ruby Lane, a common antiques web site. So where to price them? Assuming I can afford to, I want to beat out the single competitor selling a pair. I price at $185, a savings of $100 from one competitor and substantially cheaper than the other as well. And voila, you have the listing:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/51868046/mueck-carey-sterling-candlesticks-10
All said, I have now purchased great antiques from a shop owner who could not move them, have something in the house I will enjoy, and will provide a very inexpensive high quality product to the potential buyer. And that, is business that makes me smile. I want to have the cheapest, best antiques that a small budget can afford.
Check out the shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/neurorocker

Antique Hunter

noreply@blogger.com (neurorocker) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:36:00 +0000

Many of you know and some of you won't, that I am a rabid antiques hunter. Stymied by a limited budget, I scour yard sales, thrift shops and junk stores, as well as online auctions to find unique items that I enjoy and then resell for a modest profit. I have an online shop on Etsy (Crescent City Connection by neurorocker) and am working to learn internet sales, SEO and branding to make my shop as successful as possible. In these blogs I hope to describe the methods I have learned to find my "treasures" and hope that you'll share yours. I may also produce some of the challenging objects and hope that you'll chime in with your theories. When I don't fully understand what something is, but I like it, I buy! In the meantime, check out the shop and see if there's something you like!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/neurorocker

E4K69ACN9UAT