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Limited Edition Landscape Woodblock Print Titled “Snow Day”

Limited Edition Landscape Woodblock Print Titled "Snow Day"
Photo Credit: starkeyart

Limited Edition Landscape Woodblock Print Titled “Snow Day”

Asking Price: $250 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This captivating limited edition winter landscape woodblock print was made in March 2015 by the artist Andrea Starkey and is titled “Snow Day”.

-This contemporary landscape woodblock print measures 21 inches (53.3 cm) wide by 10 inches (25.4 cm) tall, with an additional one inch (2.5 cm) wide border around the entire work.  By the time you frame it, this work will be impressively large, perfect for hanging over the living room couch or the fireplace mantle.

-Andrea Starkey is a self-taught artist from Dayton, Ohio who took up printmaking in 2008.  Since then she has become accomplished at Moku Hanga style reduction prints.

-Moku Hanga is the Japanese term for woodblock printmaking.  Most contemporary Moku Hanga style prints created by Western artists concentrate on traditional Japanese themes, such as landscapes, animals or nature scenes.

-A reduction print is made in several discrete steps using a single block of wood (or other printmaking material).  The artist carefully carves the wood with razor-sharp printmaking tools until the first pass is ready.  Then the woodblock is inked and impressed on the paper.  This process is repeated for each different color, shade or tint applied.  The “Snow Day” print pictured above involved at least 15 separate reduction steps.  A good visual representation of the reduction process can be found on this website.

-It is hard for a monochromatic or grayscale print to have that eye-popping “wow” factor.  Color inherently holds the human gaze more easily.  However, this contemporary winter landscape woodblock print by Andrea Starkey is a grayscale masterpiece that up-ends that logic.

-“Snow Day” is an award winning artwork, having won 1st prize at Kettering, Ohio’s 2016 landscape art competition, The View.

-This winter landscape woodblock print was limited to a very small edition of only 28 total copies: 20 examples with a margin and 8 without a margin.  This small original print run increases the chances that this work will appreciate in value in the future.

-Because it is a destructive process by its nature, reduction prints are always limited edition.  Unlike most types of prints, once a reduction print has been finished, it is impossible to go back and make more.  There will never be anymore “Snow Day” prints made.

-I love the flowing composition of this work.  It draws the viewer’s eyes through the forest and along the wooden footbridge.  In addition, the adept use of light and dark, combined with the exquisite level of detail, make this a compelling landscape woodblock print.  And, apparently, other people agree with me.  The artist only has a single copy of this print left for sale (out of 28 originally) in her Etsy shop.  At only $250, it is a steal.

 

Moku Hanga Style Prints By Andrea Starkey for Sale on Etsy

(These are affiliate links for which I may be compensated)

 

Cons:

-Buying contemporary art for investment purposes is always a gamble.  I love this work and think it has a lot of investment potential, but I would only advise you to purchase it if you are aesthetically drawn to it.

-If you intend to hang this stunning winter landscape on your wall, prepare to pay anywhere from $100 to $250 for framing costs.  This would raise the total cost of the piece to $350 to $500, which is still a bargain, in my opinion.

 

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Vintage 5 Troy Ounce Jackson Precious Metals Silver Bar

Vintage 5 Troy Ounce Jackson Precious Metals Silver Bar
Photo Credit: GoodKarma-Collectibles

Vintage 5 Troy Ounce Jackson Precious Metals Silver Bar

Buy It Now Price: $147.42 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This vintage 5 troy ounce Jackson Precious Metals silver bar is a classic poured silver bullion bar from a recognized refinery that operated during the heyday of the mid 1970s to early 1980s precious metal boom.

-The bar weighs 5 troy ounces (155.5 grams) and is composed of .999 fine pure silver.  5 troy ounce silver bars are an ideal size for casual silver bar collectors.  They are weighty in the hand, but not so large as to be prohibitively expensive.

-This vintage poured silver bar was made by Jackson Precious Metals, otherwise known as JPM.  Jackson Precious Metals was a gold and silver refining company that was founded in 1974 by Walter Luhrman.

-In addition to employing the Jackson Precious Metals nameplate on its silver bars, the company also used Bajack, Bache and Prudential as alternative brands on some silver bars.  Bothe the JPM and Bache brand names are frequently encountered in the marketplace and are very popular with vintage silver bar collectors.

-Jackson Precious Metals was named after Jackson County, Ohio, where the firm operated between 1974 and 1985.  According to its founder Walter Luhrman, JPM was the predecessor company to Ohio Precious Metals, or OPM.  In 2012, OPM merged with NTR metals to create Elemetal LLC.  OPM still refines gold and silver bullion today as a subsidiary of Elemetal LLC.

-I really enjoy the classic loaf shape and beautifully frosted finish of this Jackson Precious Metals silver bar.  I actually own an example of this type of silver bar and it is one of my favorite vintage pieces.

-This Jackson Precious Metals silver bar has been hand-poured.  This process gives JPM silver bars a unique, individualistic appearance that can’t be replicated by newer struck or extruded silver bars.  No two poured silver bars are exactly alike – a fact that vintage silver bar collectors love.

-Because of their rugged good looks, high intrinsic value and rich history, vintage silver bullion bars are an intriguing choice for the hard asset investor.  Although prices have already risen strongly over the past decade for old poured silver bars, I strongly suspect that they will continue to appreciate in the future.

 

Cons:

-The price per troy ounce for this Jackson Precious Metals silver bar is a bit high at $29.48.  With spot silver trading at $17.00, this translates into a hefty 73.4% premium over bullion value.  Relatively high premiums are one of the downsides of buying smaller (10 troy ounces and under) vintage silver bars.  These 1 to 10 troy ounce sizes are in high demand among collectors, so the premiums usually end up being significantly more than on comparable vintage bar in larger sizes.

-While it is possible to find vintage silver bars with lower premiums, if you want a nice, classic 5 troy ounce Jackson Precious Metals silver bar, you will not be able to easily acquire one at a better price than $147.

 

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14K Gold Retro Lord Elgin Wristwatch with 559 Movement

14K Gold Retro Lord Elgin Wristwatch with 559 Movement
Photo Credit: Continental-Coin-and-Jewelry

14K Gold Retro Lord Elgin Wristwatch with 559 Movement

Buy It Now Price: $719.99 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Here is a marvelous example of a retro Lord Elgin wristwatch featuring a solid 14 karat gold case and a 21-jewel, adjusted 559 movement.

-This retro Lord Elgin wristwatch measures 26 mm (1.02 inches) wide (including the crown) and 31 mm (1.22 inches) long (including the lugs).  Many older wristwatches are smaller than modern watches, so first time buyers should take note.

-The Elgin National Watch Company only branded their best men’s watches with the Lord Elgin nameplate.  Similarly high quality women’s wristwatches were sold under the Lady Elgin name.

-The Elgin grade 559 was a high quality, manual-wind movement that was produced from 1941 to 1947.  It was adjusted in 4 different positions to reduce timing errors.  According to the Pocket Watch Database website, this particular Elgin 559 movement was probably made in 1947.

-The Mid-Century styling of this retro Lord Elgin wristwatch, with its sleek tonneau (barrel-shaped) case, curved crystal and champagne-colored enamel dial, is truly exceptional.  This late 1940s wristwatch has phenomenal zeitgeist, an important factor when choosing to invest in a high value antique.

-Vintage mechanical wristwatches from the major American manufacturers of the 20th century – Elgin, Waltham, Hamilton, Gruen and Bulova – are significantly undervalued in the market due to today’s irrational obsession with European watch companies.  I feel that this mispricing will eventually be corrected – most likely via increased prices for vintage American watches.

-Shockingly, this retro Lord Elgin wristwatch comes with its original red plastic case and accompanying documentation!  It is always a pleasure to be able to find a vintage item from the 1940s with its original case.  This modestly increases the desirability and investment potential of the watch.

-The seller, Continental Coin and Jewelry, is giving the buyer of this choice retro Lord Elgin wristwatch a one year warranty.  In light of this fact, and the wonderful quality of this timepiece, I think the $720 asking price is fair.

 

Cons:

-This retro Lord Elgin wristwatch could be cheaper.  It is possible to purchase other vintage Lord Elgin watches with solid karat gold cases in the $400 to $600 range.  However, almost all of these lower-priced watches will need to be serviced at a minimum, if not fully restored.  This will generally drive the total price up by somewhere between $100 and $300.  Fully serviced Lord Elgin wristwatches in good condition – like this example – realistically start at around $600.

 

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Handcrafted Contemporary Bog Oak Dice Set

Handcrafted Contemporary Bog Oak Dice Set
Photo Credit: koenigwood

Handcrafted Contemporary Bog Oak Dice Set

Buy It Now Price: $176 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This expertly handcrafted contemporary bog oak dice set was made by the Russian artist Karl Koenig and comes in its own custom-fitted, American walnut box with an affixed bog oak skull decoration.  In addition, the bog oak dice and skull are individually inlayed with a thin stainless steel strip that contrasts beautifully with the dark bog oak wood.

-The measurements of this bog oak dice set are not given by the seller.  But if the dice are the standard 16 mm (0.63 inch) dimension, it implies that the custom-fitted walnut box would be a bit over 6 inches (15.2 cm) in length and perhaps around 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) wide.

–Bog oak is ancient wood that has begun the initial stage of fossilization.  It originates from oak trees that fell into an acidic bog, marsh or swamp anywhere from 1,000 to 8,000 years ago.  The acids in the water gradually leached out some organic matter, replacing it with iron and other minerals.  This dramatically darkens the color of the wood.

-The materials used in this bog oak dice set are simply superb.  The way the richly patinaed American walnut box complements the contrasting stainless steel and bog oak dice elevates this set to investment grade art, in my opinion.

-Most bog oak comes from Ireland, England or the Baltic region.  This particular material is most likely Russian in origin and approximately 3,500 years old.  Bog oak’s rarity makes it an exceedingly expensive wood.

-Sometimes a work of art just comes together perfectly – much better than even the artist hoped.  I suspect this is one of those times.

-Bog oak is much harder than normal oak, which is already a very hard wood.  Consequently, bog oak requires special tools and a lot of experience to work properly.  Only a master woodcrafter can successfully work with bog oak.

-I love the RPG and table-top gaming connotations of this bog oak dice set.  These standard 6-sided cube dice would be a stunning addition to the arsenal of any hardcore Dungeons & Dragons, Elder Sign or Risk enthusiast.  Of course, these dice would also be equally at home with more traditional gambling games such as craps, chō-han or backgammon.

-This bog oak dice set is a prime example of what I call “future antiques” – one-of-a-kind luxury items of impeccable quality that are destined to be highly desirable antiques once they’ve seasoned for 40 or 50 years.

-Given the superb craftsmanship and high end materials employed in this bog oak dice set, I think the $176 buy-it-now price is absurdly low.  But if that sum is still too rich for you, you can always make the seller a lower offer.

 

Cons:

-This bog oak dice set is a contemporary piece, meaning it was made recently.  Buying contemporary art for investment purposes is risky because it doesn’t have any kind of an established track record yet.  Off-setting this risk somewhat is the fact that this dice set is utterly unique.  You can scour the globe, but I am certain you will never find a set of gaming dice quite like this one!

 

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