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Georgian Sterling Silver Vinaigrette from 1810

Photo Credit: Bs-Books-and-Curios

Georgian Sterling Silver Vinaigrette from 1810

Buy It Now Price: $265 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-British sensibility melds seamlessly with Regency style in this Georgian sterling silver vinaigrette made by the renowned silversmith Joseph Willmore in Birmingham in 1810.

-This Georgian sterling silver vinaigrette measures 1.625 inches (41 mm) long by 1.125 inches (29 mm) wide by 0.25 inches (6 mm) deep.

-Vinaigrettes were tiny accessory boxes, usually made from silver, that were used to hold aromatic laden sponges. The powerful scent these personal accessories gave off served two purposes. First, they were believed to protect the wearer from diseases spread by foul smelling miasmas. Second, they could be used as smelling salts to quickly revive a woman who had passed out unexpectedly.

-Vinaigrettes were popular from the 1770s until the middle of the 19th century.

-The exterior of this Georgian sterling silver vinaigrette has a very attractive, geometric floral design. It is obvious that the workmanship on this 200 year old piece is simply superb.

-The interior of this specimen has a beautifully engraved, pierced floral grille that is gilt. Gilding was commonly applied to the interiors of silver vinaigrettes to protect them from the acidic effects of the vinegar solution used in the sponge.

-The piece is in relatively good condition. It opens and closes easily and the grille is in good working order. It does, however, have a small dent that is discussed under the “Cons” section.

-This vinaigrette is fully hallmarked and these hallmarks are consistent with the claimed date. One reason that British antique silver is so popular with collectors is because hallmarking was rigorously enforced, making it easy to determine the maker, city and date of manufacture.

-Given this vinaigrette’s excellent craftsmanship, good condition and historical importance, I believe the buy it now price of $265 is fair.

Cons:

-There is a small dent in the bottom, left-hand corner of this vinaigrette. While it must be noted for the sake of completeness, this minor damage should not significantly impact the value of the piece.

-The seller does not disclose the weight of the piece. This is important because heavy gauge silver is often an indication of high quality. It also precludes the calculation of the intrinsic value of the piece. However, this second objection isn’t material because the difference in bullion value between a light and heavy silver vinaigrette is only $5 to $10.

-Silver vinaigrettes are surprisingly small, often no larger than the size of a postage stamp, and this example is no exception. If you are looking for impressive, monumental silver, vinaigrettes are not for you.

Vintage Japanese Shin Hanga Woodblock Print by Toshi Yoshida – Wisteria at Ushijima

Photo Credit: Edokura-Antiques-and-Arts

Vintage Japanese Shin Hanga Woodblock Print by Toshi Yoshida – Wisteria at Ushijima

Buy It Now Price: $269 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a vintage Japanese shin hanga woodblock print, titled “Wisteria at Ushijima” by renowned 20th century artist Toshi Yoshida.

-This woodblock print is in the larger “oban” print format and measures 16 inches (40.6 cm) wide by 11.1 inches (28.2 cm) tall.

-Shin hanga was an early to mid 20th century Japanese print movement that combined traditional Japanese themes with groundbreaking Western artistic understanding of light and perspective. It was an export-oriented artistic movement that was wildly popular in the West in the period between World War I and World War II. Even today, shin hanga prints possess an attractive, unmistakably modern quality.

-Toshi Yoshida, whose father, Hiroshi Yoshida, was also a noted Japanese artist, created the evocative Wisteria at Ushijima woodblock print in 1953.

-The seller includes a photo of the back of the work, which shows ink bleed-through from the front. This proves the work is a traditional woodblock print and not a reproduction using modern printing methods.

-The work appears to be in good condition, with its margins fully intact and no evidence of tears or stains.

-I feel that the dramatic color contrasts, subtle play of light and shadow and wonderfully organic forms put this woodblock print near the pinnacle of the shin hanga art style. Therefore, even though it is a reprint, I consider the asking price of $269 to be fair.

Cons:

-This example of Wisteria at Ushijima is not an original 1953 print. Instead, it is a later reprint by Shinikichi Numabe, a skilled, modern Japanese printer known for using high quality materials.

-Original Japanese woodblock prints are always worth more than later editions made during the life of the artist. And these “life of the artist” reprints are always worth more than more recent, posthumous, reprints. It should be assumed that this example falls into the “posthumous” reprint bucket.

-Some shin hanga dealers and collectors do not believe that reprints are investible. I disagree, although I believe that original editions will always be (substantially) more valuable. In any case, a woodblock print is only good for an estimated 2,000 to 10,000 impressions before it wears out. This places a hard upper limit on the number of possible reprints, provided the woodblocks are not re-carved.

Vintage 14 Karat Gold Cartier Cigarette Holder

Photo Credit: nyjewel

Vintage 14 Karat Gold Cartier Cigarette Holder

Buy It Now Price: $649.99 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This vintage, 14 karat yellow gold Cartier cigarette holder absolutely exudes high class Art Deco style. It is marked with its fineness, “14KT.”, maker, “Cartier”, and a control number, “1429”.

-Cigarette holders were a smoking accessory that was popular from about 1900 to the 1970s. They served two main purposes – keeping smoke out of the user’s face and preventing nicotine staining of the fingers.

-The piece weighs 6.1 grams (0.1961 troy ounces) and has a butterscotch colored mouthpiece made from either amber or celluloid. My guess would be amber, given the Cartier attribution, but this is impossible to determine without personally inspecting the item.

-The seller does not disclose the length of this specimen, but we can guess that it is probably a “dinner length” cigarette holder – about 4 inches (10 cm) long.

-This vintage Cartier cigarette holder was most likely produced by the famous French luxury house in the 1920s, although there is the possibility it is from the 1930s or even 1940s.

-The flared trumpet shape of the cigarette holder, combined with a mouthpiece of a different material, is typical of Cartier construction during this period.

-Tobacciana is largely overlooked in the world of investment grade antiques today. This is probably because smoking has declined in popularity in the West over the last few decades – especially in the U.S. However, this just increases the investment potential of these wonderful objets d’art, as few people are currently interested in them.

-Given its high quality construction, famous maker and fabulous zeitgeist, this gold Cartier cigarette holder is fairly valued at $650.

Cons:

-If you don’t smoke, this cigarette holder is purely an objet d’art with no practical application.

-The auction house Christie’s sold a similar example in 2013 for $375. However, this figure was substantially below the pre-sale estimate of $800 to $1,200.

-This Cartier cigarette holder would be more desirable and valuable if it had a more elaborate design or decoration. The fact that the piece is so simple, while stylistically accurate, does restrain its potential value a bit.

-This piece has a relatively low intrinsic value. If we assume that gold constitutes about 5 grams of the item’s weight, this cigarette holder has a bullion value of about $191 with spot gold currently trading at $1,190. That means you are paying a fairly hefty 240% premium over melt value. However, you don’t buy Cartier antiques based on their melt value, but instead on their value as investment grade art.

Austrian Silver Art Deco Box with Rose Gold Inlay

Photo Credit: Leonce-Antiques-and-Antique-Silver

Austrian Silver Art Deco Box with Rose Gold Inlay

Buy It Now Price: $730 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Silver and rose gold combine seamlessly in this chic, silver Art Deco Box that was made in Austria, most likely during the 1920s or 1930s.

-The box is relatively large, measuring 7.125 inches (18.1 cm) long by 3.375 inches (8.6 cm) wide by 1.375 inches (3.5 cm) deep.

-This silver Art Deco box is very heavy, weighing about 15 troy ounces (467 grams). Heavy gauge construction, as found in this box, is often associated with antique silver items of high quality.

-The silver box is stamped “Made in Austria”, indicating that it was almost certainly produced specifically for export to either the U.S. or U.K. market.

-The capital of Austria, Vienna, was a global artistic Mecca from the late 19th century until World War II. Famous Austrian artists such as Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Richard Gerstl were active during this period.

-This silver box’s crisp, linear lines and streamlined look absolutely exude Art Deco style. The rose gold inlay also provides a bold contrast to the dominant silver metal.

-This is a superlative example of a silver Art Deco box. It is a very desirable piece, which justifies the $730 asking price.

Cons:

-The silver box does not appear to be hallmarked, other than the “Made in Austria” mark. Instead, you are relying on the seller’s claim that the box tested as high grade silver. However, I see nothing in the item’s photos that would contradict that conclusion.

-The highest purity silver that Austria used between the World Wars was 93.5% fine. Assuming this grade of silver was used, the box has an intrinsic value of about $238 with spot silver trading at $17 a troy ounce. This means the box is selling for a hefty 207% premium over its bullion value. I feel that this relatively high premium is justified, given the outstanding quality of the silver Art Deco Box.

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