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1929 Hungarian Proof Restrike Silver 5 Pengo Pattern from 1965

1929 Hungarian Proof Restrike Silver 5 Pengo Pattern from 1965
Photo Credit: Holgate-Numismatics

1929 Hungarian Proof Restrike Silver 5 Pengo Pattern from 1965

Buy It Now Price: $183.95 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Stunning is the best description for this ultra-rare 1929 Hungarian proof restrike silver 5 Pengo pattern coin.  The pattern shows the king of Hungary, Saint Ladislaus I, on the obverse.  He was the embodiment medieval Hungarian chivalry.  On the reverse are two angels holding the Hungarian crown above the national coat of arms.

-This Hungarian proof restrike pattern is quite large, with a diameter of 35 mm (1.38 inches) and a weight of 25.27 grams (0.8124 troy ounces).  It is struck from solid silver and is about the size of a U.S. silver dollar – factors that significantly enhance its value.

-A pattern is a coin that has been struck by a national mint for test purposes and is not intended for public circulation.  Pattern coins often have unusual or experimental designs that are never adopted for mass circulation issues.

-Pattern coins are usually ultra-rare, with mintages ranging from just a few specimens to perhaps a few thousand at the most.  This 1929 Hungarian proof restrike silver 5 Pengo pattern has a mintage of around 1,000 specimens – a small fraction of the million plus mintages of modern commemorative coins.

-This 1929 Hungarian proof restrike 5 Pengo pattern is not original, but is instead a restrike from 1965.  Artex, the state-owned trading subsidiary of the national Hungarian mint, restruck several classic late 19th and early 20th century Hungarian coins and patterns in the mid 1960s.  These Hungarian proof restrikes were sold in the West in order to raise hard currency for the Communist Hungarian regime.

-All of the Artex Hungarian proof restrike coins and patterns are of exceptional quality and command strong prices on the collector’s market.

-This 1929 Hungarian proof restrike silver 5 Pengo pattern has been third-party certified by NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation) as Ultra Cameo Proof 66 – an exceptionally high grade that is approaching perfection (70 is the top of the grading scale).

–Foreign pattern coins often have low mintages and reasonable prices, making them exceptional values in the rare coin market.  At only $184, this 1929 Hungarian proof restrike silver 5 Pengo pattern is a solid investment.

 

Cons:

-Under normal circumstances original coins are more desirable than restrikes.  However, in the case of Hungarian proof Artex restrikes from the 1960s there is usually little price differential.  In some instances, the restrikes are actually more valuable than the originals due to their superb quality!

British Silver Vintage Liquor Label from 1966

British Silver Vintage Liquor Label from 1966
Photo Credit: Quirky-Quollectables

British Silver Vintage Liquor Label from 1966

Buy It Now Price: $44.57 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Elegance is the watchword with this Mid-Century British vintage liquor label that is cast in the shape of a scallop from solid Britannia silver.

-The piece measures 1.75 inches (4.5 cm) wide and weighs a hefty 34 grams (1.09 troy ounces).  The average weight for a high quality silver liquor label is generally between 10 and 20 grams, so this is an exceptionally heavy specimen.

-This vintage liquor label is engraved with the word “Sherry”.  Sherry is a fortified white wine that traditionally comes from grapes grown in a specific area of the Andalusia region in the south of Spain.

-This vintage liquor label was fabricated from an unusual silver alloy called Britannia silver.  Britannia silver is 95.83% fine – purer than standard sterling silver which is 92.5% fine.

-Britannia silver was originally introduced in England in 1697 as a replacement for sterling silver.  The change was meant to deter silversmiths from melting down circulating sterling coinage as raw material.  The traditional sterling silver standard was restored in 1720, but Britannia silver remained a legal option for British silversmiths through to the present day.

-Although it employs a very traditional theme – a scallop shell – this vintage liquor label exudes the streamlined simplicity common to all good 1960s era, Mid-Century design.

-This British silver vintage liquor label is aesthetically compelling, and would be equally at home in a James Bond movie, the period TV drama Mad Men, or your private study hanging on a bottle of your favorite wine.

-The item’s hallmarks and style are completely consistent with a mid 1960s British attribution.

-It is very rare to come across an unambiguously investment grade antique that costs less than $50.  This British silver vintage liquor label, at an asking price of only $44.57, is definitely one of those pieces.  Honestly, the price is so low as to almost be ludicrous.

 

Cons:

-The piece was made in London in 1966 by an unknown firm that used the hallmark “BSC”.  The desirability of the item might be enhanced if we knew which silversmith “BSC” represented.

-At the current spot silver price of $16.75 a troy ounce, the melt value of this vintage liquor label is only $17.54.  The asking price is more than 2.5 times the melt value of the piece, which is neither a bad nor good ratio.  You are mostly buying this piece for style and looks, not for intrinsic value.

Victorian Hardstone Cameo Demi-Parure with Split Pearls in Gold

Victorian Hardstone Cameo Demi-Parure with Split Pearls in Gold
Photo Credit: johnnygpx

Victorian Hardstone Cameo Demi-Parure with Split Pearls in Gold

Buy It Now Price: $1,350 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Here is a magnificent Victorian hardstone cameo demi-parure, or mini jewelry set, consisting of a brooch and earrings.  The onyx cameos feature portraits of classically styled women and are surrounded by natural split pearls.  They are mounted in yellow gold settings.

-Cameos have been used in jewelry for over 2,000 years.  They were popular during the Roman Empire, the Renaissance and again in the 18th and 19th centuries.  After the end of the Victorian period, around 1900, cameo jewelry gradually fell out of favor, although it has recently experienced renewed interest.

-This Victorian hardstone cameo demi-parure dates to the early to mid 1860s.  Not only are the cameos’ subject matter and jewelry settings quintessentially mid-Victorian, but the brooch is engraved on the back with the original owner’s name, “L. W. Cavender” and a date, “Oct 10, 1866”.  This is a treat, as we are rarely able to date jewelry so precisely.

-Cameos were carved out of a variety of different materials, including quartz, shell, lavastone and coral.  Hardstone cameos specifically refer to those carved from quartz and its derivatives – agate, onyx, chalcedony, etc.  The quartz family is considered very durable, registering a 7 on Mohs hardness scale.  This compares favorably with steel, which only scores a hardness of 5 to 6.5, depending on the alloy.

-Hardstone cameos are more valuable and desirable than lava, coral or shell cameos of similar artistic merit.  This is because it takes more skill to carve harder materials like agate or onyx.  In addition, raw hardstone was more expensive than alternative materials and, therefore, more likely to be used in very high end cameo jewelry.

-Shockingly, this Victorian hardstone cameo jewelry set comes in its original, fitted box!  It was sold by Bigelow Brothers & Kennard of Boston, Massachusetts, a well known luxury retailer that operated from its founding in 1824 until it closed around 1972.

-The artistic merit displayed by this Victorian hardstone cameo jewelry is excellent, bordering on superb.  This is refreshing, as it is all too common to come across poor quality antique cameos that were hastily (and sloppily) carved for the 19th century Italian tourist trade.

-Cameos, particularly hardstone cameos, are somewhat overlooked in today’s jewelry market because they are (incorrectly in my opinion) considered vaguely old-fashioned or out of style.  But this situation provides the savvy antiques investor with the rare opportunity to snatch up this stunning Victorian hardstone cameo demi-parure for an almost impossibly cheap $1,350.

 

Cons:

-The seller claims the gold settings are 18 karat, which I assume was acid tested.  Unfortunately, the settings are not hallmarked.  However, this is completely normal for 19th century American jewelry and should not detract from the value of the set.

-The original, fitted box for this Victorian hardstone cameo demi-parure is in poor condition, with the top of the box completely separated from the bottom.  Unfortunately, this should be expected considering the cameo set is over 150 years old.  Quite frankly, it is amazing the box has survived this long; I consider its inclusion a bonus.

-While the Victorian hardstone cameo jewelry is, overall, in very good condition, a single link is missing from the gold safety chain attached to the brooch.  I believe this could be repaired by a competent jeweler for a modest sum.

Vintage Sheaffer Imperial 826 Fountain Pen in Sterling Silver

Vintage Sheaffer Imperial 826 Fountain Pen in Sterling Silver
Photo Credit: Peyton Street Pens

Vintage Sheaffer Imperial 826 Fountain Pen in Sterling Silver

Buy It Now Price: $239.95 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a vintage Sheaffer Imperial 826 fountain pen that was made in the U.S. in 1972.  The barrel of the pen is made out of solid sterling silver while the inlaid nib is solid 14 karat gold.  The pen’s clip is gold plated.

-The Sheaffer Pen Corporation, founded in 1912 in Fort Madison, Iowa, was one of the major U.S. pen manufacturers of the mid 20th century along with competitors Waterman, Parker and Wahl/Eversharp.

-The Sheaffer Imperial line of fountain pens was produced from the early 1960s until 1976.  There were a lot of variations in Imperial models over this time period.  The Sheaffer Imperial 826 was a higher-end dress model from the early 1970s that was intended as a direct competitor to the wildly successful sterling silver Parker 75 fountain pen.

-The sterling silver barrel of this vintage Sheaffer Imperial 826 fountain pen has an attractive, cross-hatched “barleycorn” design.  Textured gold or silver surfaces were very popular in jewelry, wristwatches and other luxury goods in the 1970s and are a great representation of the stylistic zeitgeist of the era.

-The solid karat gold nibs of high quality vintage fountain pens are perennially in high demand.  The flexibility of these vintage solid gold nibs allows writing to flow beautifully and effortlessly, in contrast to modern ballpoint pens.

-This vintage Sheaffer Imperial 826 is in perfect condition with no dents, scratches, or dings.  This is undoubtedly because the pen is new-old-stock.  New-old-stock fountain pens were shipped to retailers but never sold.  As a result, they have usually been in storage for many decades, but are nearly always pristine.  New-old-stock is a very desirable attribute for a vintage fountain pen.

–Vintage fountain pens are one of those inexplicably overlooked areas of the antique market.  They not only look great, but are also usable if you so desire!  In my opinion, higher-end, mid 20th century examples with solid gold, gold-filled or sterling silver trim are particularly desirable.

-This particular vintage Sheaffer Imperial 826 fountain pen is a great alternative investment at only $240.  The seller currently has 9 examples in stock, but once they are sold you will have little chance of finding similar new-old-stock specimens for the same price.

 

Cons:

-While Sheaffer is a respected name in vintage fountain pens, Waterman and Montblanc are widely considered to have produced the best of the best.  However, vintage Waterman and Montblanc fountain pens are priced significantly higher to match their perceived status.

-There are really almost no negatives to this vintage Sheaffer Imperial 826 fountain pen.  Vintage luxury goods from the 1970s and 1980s are becoming increasingly desirable as they approach the half-century mark and vintage fountain pens are a great way to ride the trend.