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Superb Japanese Edo Era Signed Samurai Tsuba

Photo Credit: matsu-kaze-japan

Superb Japanese Edo Era Signed Samurai Tsuba

Buy It Now Price: $550 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a stunningly executed example of a Japanese tsuba, or samurai sword guard. It is from the Edo period, before 1868, when the Tokugawa shogunate, dominated by the samurai class, still ruled Japan.

-The piece is substantial, measuring 68 mm (2.68 inches) long by 60.5 mm (2.38 inches) wide by 7.5 mm (0.30 inches) thick.

-The tsuba, featuring an exquisitely crafted scene of a wild goose in nature, is made of brass, shakudo and silver. Shakudo is a uniquely Japanese alloy, typically composed of 93% to 97% copper and 3% to 7% gold. It results in a metal that has an alluring, satiny black finish.

-This Edo era tsuba is prominently signed by the artist, “Jiseitei Sadatsune”. The traditional craftsmen who produced these works of art did not hesitate to sign particularly fine examples of their craft. A signed tsuba is an indicator of quality, and will command a higher price than a similar, but unsigned, tsuba.

-This breathtaking tsuba is in excellent condition, especially considering it might be over 200 years old.

-The item is sold by an experienced Japanese antiques dealer, and ship straight from Tokyo, Japan.

-The quality of this tsuba is simply breathtaking. The level of naturalistic detail coupled with the skillful use of multi-colored alloys is consistent with the finest Japanese tsuba work from this period. Honestly, the asking price of only $550 seems a bit low to me.

Cons:

-Earlier in Japanese history, during the Warring States period, tsuba were fully functional battle gear. However, after the consolidation of all political power by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603, peace reigned. Therefore, tsuba became strictly ceremonial items. Daimyo (lords) and samurai then commissioned lavishly decorated tsuba to advertise their high social status. So this tsuba specimen would almost certainly not have been involved in any battles or duels.

-There is really very little negative to say about this antique samurai tsuba. The price is attractive, the design is magnificently executed and it is signed. I suppose you could argue that it wasn’t crafted by a renowned tsuba artist, but that is a fairly weak criticism.

Natural British Columbian Gold Nugget Weighing 12.75 Grams

Photo Credit: nuggetsbygrant

Natural British Columbian Gold Nugget Weighing 12.75 Grams

Buy It Now Price: $696.50 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Alluring and precious, this 12.75 gram (0.4099 troy ounce) natural gold nugget was found near the town of Atlin in British Columbia, Canada.

-Atlin, Canada is within the Alaska-Yukon-British Columbia gold corridor. Along with Australia, this area is one of the most prolific sources of gold nuggets today. This corridor is best known as the location of the famous Klondike Gold Rush from 1897 to 1899, when tens of thousands of often ill-prepared prospectors descended on the wilds of Alaska and the Yukon Territory looking to strike it rich in the remote gold fields.

-This British Columbian gold nugget has a very distinctive, water-worn appearance. This is due to the extensive hydraulic action gold nuggets undergo when deposited in the fast flowing rivers and streams of the region. This characteristic look helps confirm that the gold nugget’s British Columbian provenance is most likely correct.

-This natural gold nugget has an interesting, wonderfully organic shape and a deep, rich gold color. Both of these attributes are highly desirable when considering the investment merits of a gold nugget. Nuggets with pale, washed-out colors or boring or awkward shapes typically sell for substantially lower prices.

-Weighing in at a substantial 12.75 grams (0.4099 troy ounces), this British Columbian gold nugget is nearly the size of a U.S. quarter. Natural gold nuggets this large are rare, highly desirable and in strong demand from collectors and connoisseurs alike.

-With spot gold trading at $1,270 a troy ounce and assuming a purity of 90%, our British Columbian gold nugget has a melt value of approximately $468. Therefore, the nugget’s asking price represents a premium of 48.8% over bullion value. This is a reasonable premium to pay for a nugget of this size and obvious quality.

Cons:

-Although this British Columbian gold nugget is sizable, even larger, more desirable natural gold nuggets are available. However, prices escalate very quickly above about 0.5 troy ounces (15.5 grams). This nugget isn’t quite there size-wise, but it is knocking on the door of greatness.

-Natural gold nuggets that are still embedded in matrix (parent rock) typically trade at higher valuations than a “clean” nugget like this one.

Vintage Wakmann Chronograph Wristwatch from the 1950s

Photo Credit: lukedequ

Vintage Wakmann Chronograph Wristwatch from the 1950s

Buy It Now Price: $1,350 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a sharp-looking, manual wind, two-register, vintage Wakmann Chronograph wristwatch from the 1950s. Chronograph is just a fancy way to say the wristwatch in question functions as a stopwatch.

-The wristwatch measures 35 mm (1.38 inches) wide, excluding the crown. The watch case is chrome-plated base metal and the back of the case is stainless steel. These are fairly typical materials for the time period.

-The Wakmann Watch Company, founded in New York City in 1946, was an importer and producer of high quality wristwatches, particularly chronographs. The company partnered with the well known European watch manufacturer Breitling for much of its existence. After several prosperous decades, the Wakmann watch brand finally succumbed to the flood of cheap quartz watches in the 1970s.

-This vintage Wakmann Chronograph wristwatch sports the legendary Swiss Landeron calibre 48 movement. Starting around World War II, the 17 jewel calibre 48 brought professional grade chronograph features within reach of the average individual for the first time.

-Between 1937 and 1970, over 3.5 million Landeron calibre 48 movements and related models were produced, making it one of the most successful chronograph watch movements ever developed.

-The movement appears to be in good condition, with no evidence of rust. Rust is the number one pitfall to avoid in a vintage mechanical wristwatch movement.

-The original dial has not been refinished and is in excellent condition. Both the style of the dial and the Landeron calibre 48 movement are consistent with a 1950s attribution for this watch.

-Based on the attractive appearance and relatively clean condition of this vintage Wakmann Chronograph wristwatch, I think the $1,350 asking price is fair.

Cons:

-Although Wakmann produced some very fine wristwatches, the brand does not have the same cachet associated with top tier vintage watch manufacturers like Rolex, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre or its longtime partner, Breitling. A vintage chronograph wristwatch from one of these luxury producers would be more desirable, as well as substantially more expensive.

-The chrome plating is pitted or worn through on several small areas of the watch body and crown. Assuming the movement is in good order, this is the most significant condition problem that the watch has. While it does lower the value of the piece somewhat, I think this defect is relatively minor.

-The seller states that this vintage Wakmann Chronograph wristwatch keeps good time. It would still be wise to have the watch professionally inspected and serviced, however. This could cost another $100 to $300 on top of the purchase price.

Medieval French Illuminated Manuscript Leaf, Circa 1300 AD

Photo Credit: Antik-Bendt

Medieval French Illuminated Manuscript Leaf, Circa 1300 AD

Buy It Now Price: $399 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a charming medieval illuminated manuscript leaf created in Northern France around 1300 AD. It was originally part of a Breviary – a prayer book used by monks to direct their daily worship.

-It measures 5.43 inches (13.8 cm) tall by 3.98 inches (10.1 cm) wide and is made from parchment, or dried animal skin.

-The dark brown text, interspersed with red text, is written in Latin, the lingua franca of medieval Europe. Medieval Latin was the spoken and written language of Europe’s elites during the period. Nobles, clergy, lawyers, architects and other intellectuals all communicated via Latin in medieval times.

-Four initials on each side of the page are richly illuminated in blue, red and gold. They also employ an illumination technique called “fleuronne” which is French for “floral”. This decoration consists of stylized plants, flowers or vines emanating from the illuminated initials. The subtle use of vine-themed fleuronne is particularly exquisite on this French illuminated manuscript.

-This piece is in good condition, with only a little light foxing (brown age spots) and a few pinholes. Medieval illuminated documents are often found in much worse shape.

-This medieval French illuminated manuscript leaf is over 700 years old! Most illuminated leaves on the market are much later, from the 15th or early 16th centuries. It is unusual to find a fine, early specimen, especially at the low price of only $399.

Cons:

-Although the text initials are superbly decorated, the illuminated leaf lacks any illustrations. Illustrations are the most desirable kind of decoration possible in a medieval illuminated manuscript. However, if the leaf did contain illustrations, the price would probably be an order of magnitude higher.

-This leaf, at less than 6 inches by 4 inches, is small by modern standards. However, this was a rather standard book size during the medieval period. Nevertheless, a larger illuminated manuscript leaf is more desirable than a smaller one, and there are larger examples out there.

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