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Artisan Carved Contemporary Nephrite Jade Pendant

Photo Credit: alifballangrud

Artisan Carved Contemporary Nephrite Jade Pendant

Asking Price: $425 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Here is a magnificent, artisan hand-carved, contemporary nephrite jade pendant that sensuously portrays ginkgo biloba leaves and fruit. It also comes with a smaller, celadon-colored jadeite jade bead as an accent piece.

-This contemporary nephrite jade pendant measures 6.1 cm (2.4 inches) tall by 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) wide by 1.35 cm (0.53 inches) thick. It weighs 2.9 ounces, or approximately 82 grams.

-This contemporary nephrite jade pendant was carved from a marvelous slab of high quality green nephrite jade mined from the Mount Ogden region in British Columbia, Canada. British Columbia is the world’s most important source of gem quality nephrite jade, with perhaps 75% of global production.

-Nephrite jade originating from North America is almost always untreated, which is very positive.

-The quality of the nephrite jade used in this piece is excellent, with a pleasing, even color and good translucency. It is approaching the quality of the very finest British Columbian nephrite jade available in the market today, which is referred to as Polar Jade.

-The workmanship of this contemporary nephrite jade pendant is absolutely phenomenal. Jade is notorious for the great skill and tremendous patience necessary to successfully create a fine piece. This piece of jade has been superlatively carved, as evidenced by the delicate veining on the gingko leaves and the subtle undercutting of the forms in relief.

-A lot of jade available in the Western market today is carved in Chinese workshops and exported. Most of these modern Chinese jades are stiff and uninspired pieces of poor to mediocre quality that use recycled traditional motifs. Of course, there are some truly exquisite Chinese jade carvings being produced today, but their prices are astronomically high and they are almost always reserved for the East Asian market.

-The artist who created this masterpiece is a self-taught jade carver and lapidarist from Oregon named Alif Ballangrud. I find that some of the finest contemporary art available today, like this piece, is created by non-traditionally trained artists who work in a variety of unusual mediums.

-Carved jade and rough jade are both interesting investment plays on the future growth of the Chinese economy. The Chinese have a tremendous cultural affinity for jade because it represents virtue, loyalty and perfection in traditional Chinese culture. As the Chinese economy has expanded, pricing for high quality jade has reached dizzying heights there. In fact, I am certain that if this contemporary nephrite jade pendant was for sale in a jewelry shop in Hong Kong, Shanghai or Beijing, the price probably wouldn’t be a penny less than $1,000.

-This is one of those slam-dunk, no-brainer investments. The artist is pricing this contemporary nephrite jade pendant to cover the cost of his materials and labor, but this masterpiece is worth much, much more. I don’t care whether you choose to throw it in a safety deposit box, wear it, give it to your spouse as a gift or display it in a curio cabinet. Just pay the nice man his $425 and take this treasure home! I am almost certain that you will double, triple or quadruple your money within a decade.

Cons:

-Nephrite jade is one of the two types of true jade, the other being jadeite jade. All else being equal, the very best quality jadeite jade, known as Imperial jade, is considerably more valuable than the finest nephrite jade. However, Imperial jadeite jade is so expensive that it is invariably purchased, carved and sold exclusively in the Chinese market at this point.

-A critic could argue that the sunken fields of this contemporary nephrite jade pendant have been left “unfinished” by the artist. I disagree, as I believe that the rough background was intentionally left in place in order to provide visual contrast with the exquisitely refined gingko leaves and berry. In any case, it highlights the massive amount of effort that went into this artwork; each square millimeter of that background had to be tediously, yet carefully, excavated using a small drill bit repeatedly bored into the surface of the stone.

1950s Sheaffer Snorkel Statesman Fountain Pen & Mechanical Pencil Set

Photo Credit: PalsterPro

1950s Sheaffer Snorkel Statesman Fountain Pen & Mechanical Pencil Set

Asking Price: $90 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Mid Century elegance is on full display with this vintage Sheaffer Snorkel Statesman fountain pen and mechanical pencil set, produced sometime between 1952 and 1959.

-The Sheaffer Snorkel line of fountain pens took their named from the pen’s long, thin ink refill tube. Vintage Sheaffer Snorkels are considered to be very robust pens and work wonderfully as daily writers if you are so inclined.

-The body of both pieces is made from jet black resin accented with gold-filled trim. This gives a streamlined, understated look that conveys the best aspects of Mid Century design.

-The Sheaffer Snorkel Statesman was a mid-range pen in the Snorkel line. Even so, it still sold for the not insubstantial sum of $15.50 in 1956, which is equivalent to about $139 in 2017 dollars. The Statesman pen and pencil set was even more expensive; it would have cost you $22.75 in 1956, or around $205 today.

-This Sheaffer Snorkel Statesman pen and pencil set has the classic White Dot of excellence near the top of the cap. After its introduction in the 1920s and through the 1930s, the Sheaffer White Dot meant that the pen had a lifetime warranty. However, in the 1940s, Sheaffer changed it to a marketing symbol that indicated a “symbol of satisfaction” or a “mark of luxury”.

-This Sheaffer Snorkel Statesman fountain pen has a palladium-silver (F4) nib. Most nibs on high quality vintage fountain pens are made from 14 or 18 karat gold. Palladium-silver alloy nibs were a reaction by the 1940s fountain pen industry to wartime rationing. By the 1950s, these special alloy nibs were used in some mid-range models to reduce costs. Of course, right now palladium is just as expensive as platinum! What a difference 60 years makes!

–Vintage fountain pens are eminently accessible to the antique collector or investor working on a tight budget. Many different excellent models can be found in the $100 range, or even a little bit lower.

-This vintage Sheaffer Snorkel Statesman fountain pen and mechanical pencil set comes with its original box, which is always a nice bonus. Considering its great condition and classic styling, I would say this set is well priced at $90.

Cons:

-The seller does not disclose if this fountain pen and mechanical pencil set has been serviced recently. I think the safe assumption is that is hasn’t. Therefore, a prudent buyer would set aside funds to replace the rubber ink sac and seals in the pen, which are prone to degrade over long periods of time. In addition, new leads should be sourced for the pencil. This would drive up the total cost of the set.

-The Sheaffer Snorkel Statesman was, ultimately, a mid range pen. The highest end model in the Snorkel line, the Masterpiece, had either a 9 or 14 karat solid gold cap and body, coupled with a solid 14 karat gold nib. The Snorkel Masterpiece is a much more desirable fountain pen than the Statesman, all else being equal. Of course, it also costs a lot more money as well, provided you can find one.

-If you purchase this beautiful pen and pencil set, you are left with the conundrum of whether to use it on a regular basis or stash it away to keep it pristine. If you choose to use it, you may end up reducing its value slightly over time due to wear and tear.

Vintage U.S. Naval Aviator Insignia

Photo Credit: iconrelicsaz

Vintage U.S. Naval Aviator Insignia

Buy It Now Price: $85 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Here is a spectacular example of a vintage U.S. Naval aviator insignia from the World War II era. Naval aviator insignia were awarded to pilots who had completed their training and were deemed qualified to fly a military aircraft.

-The Naval aviator pin has remained unchanged since it was first designed in 1917. It consists of a pair of wings spreading from a central shield superimposed on a fouled (tangled) anchor, all rendered in gilt metal. This same badge has been used to the present day to denote qualified pilots in the U.S. Navy, Marine Corp and Coast Guard.

-This vintage U.S. Naval aviator insignia is hallmarked “1/20 10K GonS”, which indicates it is made from solid sterling silver with a thick layer of 10 karat gold-filled material on top.

-This vintage U.S. Naval aviator insignia is marked “AMICO” on the reverse. Otherwise known as the American Insignia Company, AMICO was a well-known and highly regarded manufacturer of vintage U.S. military insignia.

-Although it isn’t readily visible in the photo above, the silver colored clutches on the pin appear to be sterling silver Ballou clutches. These clutches are scarce and rarely seen today. They were first patented in 1943 and were only made for a few years afterwards.

-This vintage U.S. Naval aviator insignia is incredibly high quality, even by the exacting standards of World War II American military paraphernalia. Vintage sterling silver AMICO pilot’s wings typically weigh a hefty 18 grams (0.578 troy ounces), compared to only 10 to 12 grams (0.322 to 0.386 troy ounces) for most wings from other contemporary manufacturers.

-Militaria is a burgeoning niche within the antiques industry today. Demand is skyrocketing for high quality pieces like this insignia pin, so I believe that prices may go much higher in the future.

-The patina on this vintage U.S. Naval aviator insignia is even, undisturbed and original. I have no doubt that this is a genuine World War II era pin from a coveted maker in superb condition. I have seen similar insignia offered between $200 and $250. In light of this assessment, the $85 asking price seems laughably low.

Cons:

-Even though this piece is made out of sterling silver, it has a fairly modest intrinsic value. Although the seller did not explicitly state the weight of the piece, if we assume that the hallmarking is accurate it should weigh around 18 grams. In this case, our vintage U.S. Naval aviator insignia contains about $15 of gold (at a spot price $1,300 per troy ounce) and just short of $9 of silver (at a spot price $17.25 per troy ounce) for a combined scrap value of around $24. Therefore, the premium for this specimen is 254%, which is honesty not as high (expensive) as I thought it would be. Of course, no one would melt such a beautiful and historic piece, so this is really a rather academic exercise.

-I would have really loved it if the seller had included a close-up photo of the silver Ballou clutches. This could have helped confirm the World War II dating of this vintage U.S. Naval aviator insignia beyond any possible doubt. However, I honestly believe there is little question of the piece’s authenticity anyway.

2002 American Gold Eagle Proof Set with Original Box

Photo Credit: APMEX

2002 American Gold Eagle Proof Set with Original Box

Buy It Now Price: $2,882.46 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This magnificent, heirloom-quality 2002 American gold eagle proof set comes with its original, satin-lined, U.S. mint-issued packaging and certificate of authenticity.

-American gold eagle proof coins are a specially struck version of the bullion series and are intended exclusively for collectors. Carefully prepared coin blanks are hand-fed into a die-press where they are struck a minimum of two times at low speed. As a result, these proof coins possess a mirror-like background juxtaposed against frosted devices – a highly desirable phenomenon called “cameo proof” by coin collectors.

-This 2002 American gold eagle proof set consists of four pieces totaling 1.85 troy ounces of pure gold – a 1 troy ounce coin with a $50 face value, a 1/2 troy ounce coin with a $25 face value, a 1/4 troy ounce coin with a $10 face value and 1/10 troy ounce coin with a $5 face value. American gold eagle coins are all U.S. legal tender, although their bullion value far exceeds their face value.

-All American gold eagle coins are struck in solid 22 karat (91.67%) gold. The other alloying constituents are 5.33% copper and 3.00% silver. The small addition of silver to the alloy ensures a rich, deep golden color without any reddish overtones from the copper.

-Mintages for the individual coins in the 2002 American gold eagle proof set were very low, ranging from just under 27,000 to around 40,000 pieces. Although the U.S. mint does not publish the number of proof sets released, we know that it is limited to the lowest mintage coin of the series. In this case, it is the 2002 1/2 troy ounce American gold eagle proof coin with a population of only 26,464.

-This 2002 American gold eagle proof set comes in its original presentation case. Unfortunately, many of these proof sets have been removed from their mint-issued boxes and broken up for third-party certification by NGC or PCGS. Although it isn’t widely recognized yet in the coin collecting community, I feel that original mint packaging will be become increasing desirable in the future.

-All American gold eagle proof coins are eligible for purchase in your precious metal IRA! The precious metal IRA is one of the only ways for U.S. citizens to legally own tangible assets in their retirement accounts.

-With spot gold currently trading at $1,330.70 a troy ounce, this 2002 American gold eagle proof set contains $2,461.80 worth of gold. This translates into a premium over spot of about 17.1%, which is very reasonable considering the low mintage for this date in the series. Therefore, I believe the buy-it-now price of $2,882.46 leaves ample room for future price appreciation.

Cons:

-American gold eagle proof coins are significantly more expensive than their bullion counterparts. You can expect to pay a premium between 3% and 8% over spot for a 1 troy ounce bullion American gold eagle coin versus 17.1% for this 2002 American gold eagle proof set. However, these proof coins possess substantial numismatic investment potential while their bullion counterparts do not.

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