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9.99 Troy Ounce Homestake Mining Company Vintage Poured Loaf Style Silver Bar Dated 1979

9.99 Troy Ounce Homestake Mining Company Vintage Poured Loaf Style Silver Bar Dated 1979
Photo Credit: Treasure-Island-Coins

9.99 Troy Ounce Homestake Mining Company Vintage Poured Loaf Style Silver Bar Dated 1979

Buy It Now Price: $950 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is an almost 10 troy ounce vintage silver bar produced by the Homestake Mining Company in 1979.  The bar is hand poured in the traditional way from silver that is 99.9% pure.

-The Homestake Mining Company took its name from its famous namesake mine located in South Dakota.

-The Homestake Mine was one of the world’s most prolific and longest operating gold mines.  It produced an estimated 39.8 million troy ounces of gold and 9 million troy ounces of silver during its 123 years of operation, from 1878 to 2001.

-The Homestake Mining Company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange longer than any other company.  Shares were traded on that exchange from 1879 until the company was delisted after being acquired by Canadian gold producer Barrick Gold Corporation in 2002.

-This vintage silver bar is unusual because it is dated.  Most bullion bars produced are not dated.

-This old silver bar was fabricated during the infamous Silver Bubble of 1979/1980.  Two Texas oil billionaire’s – the Hunt brothers – attempt to corner the silver market, coupled with fears of imminent U.S. dollar hyperinflation, catapulted the price of silver to almost $50 a troy ounce (about $146 in inflation-adjusted 2016 dollars).

-This vintage silver bar’s chunky “loaf” shape, substantial size and wonderful patina give it a lot of eye appeal.  This eye appeal, along with the fact that it was produced by one of the world’s most famous mining companies at the height of the Silver Bubble make it a very desirable piece.

 

Cons:

-With silver currently trading at $19.68 per troy ounce, this Homestake Mining Company silver bar contains $196.60 worth of silver.  That means the $950 ask price is over 4.8 times its bullion value.  This is a massive premium for an old silver bar, but may be justified given its excellent pedigree and historical interest to collectors.

Antique Japanese Edo Era Wooden Netsuke from the 18th or 19th Century

Antique Japanese Edo Era Wooden Netsuke from the 18th or 19th Century
Photo Credit: matsu-kaze.japan

Antique Japanese Edo Era Wooden Netsuke from the 18th or 19th Century

Buy It Now Price: $360 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is an antique Japanese Netsuke carving from the Edo era – the 18th or 19th century period when samurai under the command of the Tokugawa Shogunate still ruled Japan.

-This specimen measures 29 mm (1.14 inches) tall by 51 mm wide (2.01 inches).

-In Edo era Japan, everyone – even samurai – wore kimonos.  Netsuke were functional wardrobe accessories used to secure a traveler’s purse to his kimono sash.

-Although anachronistic for their original use, Netsuke are avidly collected today as some of the finest objets d’art ever created.  They are truly masterpieces of miniature sculpture.

-This particular netsuke exquisitely depicts a small cluster of mushrooms.  Edo era Japanese craftsmen often pursued naturalistic themes when carving netsuke.  This netsuke, with its organic lines and meticulous attention to detail, is a superb example.

-Netsuke were hand carved from a variety of interesting materials such as ivory, wood, boar tusk, horn, bone and metal.  This particular netsuke is crafted from wood – possibly boxwood, one of the finest carving woods known.

-The even, undisturbed dark patina on the wood is completely consistent with an object that is well over a century old.

-The $360 asking price is very reasonable considering that this netsuke is both well executed and obviously original.  It is sold by an experienced Japanese antique dealer and ships straight from Tokyo.

 

Cons:

-Although not visible in the photo, this netsuke has a small age crack on the back, caused by the wood shrinking with extreme age.  This minor defect is not unusual among wooden items more than 100 years old and does not impact pricing significantly.

-While not common, netsuke were sometimes signed by their creators.  This netsuke, although very desirable already, would be even more so if it had been signed.

Medieval Ceylon Kahavanu Gold Coin

Medieval Ceylon Kahavanu Gold Coin
Photo Credit: Julian-Coin

Medieval Ceylon Kahavanu Gold Coin

Buy It Now Price: $495 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a medieval Kahavanu gold coin from Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka), a large island off the southern tip of India.

-The coin weighs 4.32 grams and is third party certified as EF-45 (Extra Fine) condition by ANACS (American Numismatic Association Certification Service).  The ANACS certification is an important guarantee of authenticity.

-This coin type was first struck by the South Indian Chola Empire during the 11th century AD to fund the invasion and occupation of Ceylon by the great king Raja Raja Chola I.

-The Kahavanu gold coin shows the king standing on the obverse while the reverse portrays the king sitting on a low throne holding various ceremonial objects.

-Kahavanu gold coins are sometimes called “Octopus Man” coins because the figure on the coins vaguely resembles the many tentacled sea creature.  However, the king is actually just wearing loose-fitting, MC Hammer-style parachute pants, giving the illusion that he has many “tentacles”.

-These gold coins are often crudely struck, but this example is well executed and very attractive.  It is certainly among the finest examples of this coin type I have ever seen.

-This exotic, 1000 year old Kahavanu gold coin is a superb specimen of naïve or ethnographic art from a native South Indian Hindu dynasty.

–Medieval Indian gold coins have become much scarcer over the last 10 years and prices have risen accordingly.  I feel $495 is a fair price for this piece.

 

Cons:

-This gold Kahavanu is one of the most expensive examples I have seen on the market.  That is because the seller knows it is an outstanding specimen.  In the art world, it is often necessary to pay premium prices to secure premium pieces.

-Medieval gold coins from another South Indian dynasty, the Vijayanagara Empire, are not only available at somewhat lower prices but also tend to be struck in finer styles.

-Although it was one of the great kingdoms of medieval India, the Chola Empire is relatively unknown today, especially in the West.

Marraccini Designer Contemporary Stackable Rings with Diamonds and Precious Gems

Marraccini Designer Contemporary Stackable Rings with Diamonds and Precious Gems
Photo Credit: Brilliance-Jewels

Marraccini Designer Contemporary Stackable Rings with Diamonds and Precious Gems

Buy It Now Price: $2,500 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is an amazing set of 14 karat yellow gold and gemstone contemporary stackable rings.  They are set with amethyst, pink tourmaline, diamonds and an unidentified opaque white stone that may be jade or milky quartz.

-Although the photo shows the rings as a single unit, they are actually four separate rings meant to be stacked on top of each other in varying configurations.

-Each ring is hallmarked “14K” and individually signed “Marraccini ©”.  Marraccini Designs is a jewelry studio located in Charlottesville, Virginia run by Lee Angelo Marraccini.

-Mr. Marraccini began designing and selling jewelry in 1974.  In fact, he still offers similar stackable rings although the rings featured here are definitely vintage designs with a distinctly more cubist feel.

-These contemporary stackable rings were obviously designed and crafted with great care.  The gems are also of good quality and were carefully chosen for maximum aesthetic effect.  These are absolutely top quality pieces of contemporary jewelry.

-These rings share a highly linear design language coupled with boldly colored accent stones.  This makes them prime examples of contemporary “neo-cubist” style – otherwise known as 1980s style.

 

Cons:

-The stones mounted in the rings are not expensive and are probably worth no more than $100 altogether.  Likewise, I would be surprised if the total weight of the rings exceeds 16 grams (0.51 troy ounces), giving a maximum gold value of about $403 with gold spot prices hovering around $1,339 a troy ounce.  This results in a total possible intrinsic value for the rings of about $500, well below the $2,500 asking price.

-At $2,500, this set of contemporary stackable rings is definitely a little pricey.  But exceptional designer jewelry is always expensive and these rings are among the best.  Another way to think of it is that each individual ring is only $625 – still not cheap, but definitely more palatable.