Spotlight Archives - Page 35 of 48

Early 20th Century Silver Tazza from Germany

Photo Credit: sterlingmasters

Early 20th Century Silver Tazza from Germany

Buy It Now Price: $595 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This lovely solid silver tazza or compote – a footed bowl – has a gilt interior and was made in Nuremburg, Germany in the early 20th century.

-The silver tazza measures 8.625 inches (21.9 cm) tall by 7.25 inches (18.4 cm) wide at the top by 4.125 inches (10.5 cm) wide at the foot. It would look great as the centerpiece on a formal dining table.

-This lovely piece weighs a very substantial 12 troy ounces (373 grams) of solid 800 fine silver. With spot silver trading at $17.95 per troy ounce, the melt value of this silver tazza is approximately $172.

-The item’s affixed crescent moon and crown hallmarks became mandatory on German silver in 1888. They are completely consistent with German silver from the first few decades of the 20th century.

-This silver tazza is a beautiful mix of sensuous late 19th century Art Nouveau style and sleek 1920s Art Deco influence. It is really a marvelous piece.

-The silverwork on this piece is absolutely splendid. High quality antique German silver is often characterized by exacting precision and attention to detail.

-In light of this silver tazza’s excellent composition and balanced aesthetics, I feel that the asking price of $595 is fair.

Cons:

-The intrinsic value of $172 mentioned above means that the piece is selling for a hefty 246% premium over its silver melt value. This is not cheap. But it isn’t expensive either, given the exquisite silverwork of the item.

–Continental European silver, like most silver flatware and hollowware, is currently out of favor. The potential for future price increases will remain suppressed as long as this is the case. If you are buying for investment purposes, be prepared to hold for a long period of time.

Contemporary 18 Karat Gold and Bezel Set Merelani Mint Garnet Ring

Photo Credit: Wilson-Brothers-Jewelry

Contemporary 18 Karat Gold and Bezel Set Merelani Mint Garnet Ring

Buy It Now Price: $649.99 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This splendid Merelani mint garnet ring is made from solid 18 karat yellow and white gold. It features good quality goldwork rendered in the Modernist style.

-This chunky ring weighs in at a substantial 10.6 grams or just over 1/3 of a troy ounce. It is set with a square-cut, 0.65 carat Merelani mint garnet, an unusual type of fancy green garnet.

-Merelani mint garnet is a green variety of Grossular garnet. It is closely related to Tsavorite garnet, which has a more intense, emerald-green color.

-Tsavorite and Merelani mint garnets have been rising in both popularity and price in recent years. This is because garnets have very desirable physical characteristics, like excellent hardness, luster and durability. Also, unlike many other gemstones, garnets are never subjected to artificial enhancements.

-The Merelani mint garnet mounted in this ring is of exceptional quality, with great color and few flaws. As of early 2017, I would estimate the wholesale value of the gemstone alone to be $200 per carat, or about $130 for the stone.

-The stunning contrast between the polished yellow gold band, the white gold bezel and the grass-green Merelani mint garnet is typical of high quality Modernist jewelry.

-The estimated intrinsic value of the ring is approximately $444. This includes $314 for the value of the gold with a spot price of $1,240 and $130 for the Merelani mint garnet.

-With a price of only $650, I believe this Merelani mint garnet ring is a good value. The seller is only asking $200 over the intrinsic value of the ring, which is a modest premium for such a well designed and executed piece of investment grade jewelry.

Cons:

-The Merelani mint garnet, although very nice, would be much more desirable if it were larger in size. 0.65 carats is a modest size for a fancy garnet. The stone would also be more valuable if its color were more intense, pushing it into the Tsavorite garnet classification.

-This ring isn’t very old. It is an estate, or pre-owned, piece, and may be anywhere from just a few years old to perhaps 25 years old. You’ll be waiting a while for this ring to age into the “antique” category.

–Investment grade jewelry has become universally more expensive over the past decade. It used to be that I could find good pieces for $200 or $300 each. Now I am lucky to find anything worthwhile below $500. This ring, at $650, is a natural consequence of those rising prices and increased scarcity.

Medieval Woodcut Print from Johannes Grüninger’s 1502 Edition of the Aeneid

Photo Credit: danielgoodantiquarianbooks

Medieval Woodcut Print from Johannes Grüninger’s 1502 Edition of the Aeneid

Buy It Now Price: $540 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This magnificently illustrated medieval woodcut leaf was created by the renowned German printer Johannes Grüninger in Strasbourg in 1502 AD. It is from the classic Latin epic poem, the Aeneid, and depicts a scene from Book 6 when the hero Aeneas journeys to the underworld.

-This leaf measures 11.7 inches (29.7 cm) long by 7.7 inches (19.6 cm) wide. This is large for a medieval manuscript leaf and adds to its desirability.

-The illustration is sizable, occupying about 3/4 of the leaf’s area. Many medieval woodcut illustrations only cover 1/2 or less of a printed page, rendering them less desirable.

-The illustration features a famous theme from Classical mythology, a hero being transported across the River Styx by the underworld ferryman Charon.

-While the specific artist who created this stunning woodcut illustration is unknown, scholars have named him the “Late Master of the Grüninger Workshop”.

-This medieval woodcut illustration has a style that is both whimsical and disturbingly edgy at the same time. Aficionados of medieval art will immediately recognize the similarities between this woodcut print and works by the contemporary Northern Renaissance painter Hieronymus Bosch.

-Although over 500 years old, this weird and wonderful medieval woodcut print has a distinctly modern “vibe” to it. The buy it now price of $540 is fair considering the superb quality of the work.

Cons:

-The leaf has a couple minor spots of foxing and some slight discoloration. However, these are not severe and are restricted to the outer margins of the leaf, leaving the illustration itself unblemished.

-$540 is a “full” price for this medieval woodcut leaf. The seller knows how good the piece is and has priced it accordingly.

-Although printed over 500 years ago, this 1502 edition of the Aeneid is considered post-incunable by book collectors. Earlier, incunable works from before the year 1500 are generally more desirable. This only has a very minor impact on the leaf’s value, though.

Vintage 10.03 Troy Ounce Hoffman & Hoffman Silver Bar

Photo Credit: Gold-Coins

Vintage 10.03 Troy Ounce Hoffman & Hoffman Silver Bar

Buy It Now Price: $299.99 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Here is a fine example of a vintage, hand poured Hoffman & Hoffman silver bar. Silver bars were a favorite way for small investors to invest in precious metals during the turbulent 1970s, a time when commodities experienced a decade-long bull market.

-Boldly stamped with the ingot’s weight, fineness and the Hoffman & Hoffman refiner’s logo, this old silver bar is very attractive.

-While it is difficult to find much historical information on the Hoffman & Hoffman refining company, they were certainly active in the silver market in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It is probable that this Hoffman & Hoffman silver bar originates from that time, or possibly slightly earlier.

-Weighing in at 10.03 troy ounces, this is an odd weight silver bar. Odd weight bullion bars are almost always vintage items. Refiners generally discontinued striking them after the silver mania ended in the very early 1980s.

-Struck in 0.999+ fine silver, this collectible bullion bar has a current bullion value of about $171 with silver spot at $17.05 a troy ounce.

-Hoffman & Hoffman is a classic name in vintage silver bullion bars. As a result, there is always strong demand for their ingots in the collector’s market. Therefore, the asking price of $299.99 is fair.

Cons:

-With an asking price of $300 and a bullion value of $171, the premium for this silver bullion bar is 75%. While that isn’t a high premium by any means, vintage silver bars can sometimes be picked up for just a few dollars over spot at a bullion or coin dealer. Unfortunately, bargain pricing is becoming rarer and rarer as the positive attributes of these beautiful investment pieces become better known.

-There is almost no information available about the history of the Hoffman & Hoffman refining company. If more was known about the firm, this Hoffman & Hoffman silver bar would be more desirable and, hence, more valuable.

-While a 10 troy ounce silver bar is a good sized ingot, a slightly larger bar between 20 and 30 troy ounces would be even more desirable.

Older Posts

Newer Posts