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Georgian Sterling Silver Madeira Grape Leaf Decanter Label 1833

Georgian Sterling Silver Madeira Grape Leaf Decanter Label 1833
Photo Credit: Bateman-Silver

Georgian Sterling Silver Madeira Grape Leaf Decanter Label 1833

Buy It Now Price: $116.91 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a lovely example of an antique British sterling silver wine or decanter label from the Georgian period.  It depicts a magnificently sculpted grape leaf with the word “Madeira” pierced through it.

-This Madeira wine label measures 5.1 cm (2 inches) across and weighs 14.4 grams (0.46 troy ounces).  It is made of heavy gauge silver and features good workmanship.

-Wine labels – also known as bottle tickets, decanter labels or liquor labels – were hung on liquor bottles in the 18th and 19th centuries to identify the type of alcohol they contained.  This was necessary because the paper liquor labels we are familiar with today only became legal in Great Britain in 1860.

-There was a dizzying variety of sterling silver liquor labels produced throughout the 18th, 19th and even into the 20th centuries, including port, Sherry, Madeira, whiskey, gin, rum, brandy and scotch labels, among others.

-Madeira was a type of fortified wine produced in the Portuguese Madeira Islands that was very popular in Great Britain and its American Colonies.  No wealthy British gentleman’s wine cellar in the late 18th or early 19th centuries would have been considered well stocked without at least a few cases of Madeira wine.

-This Madeira wine label was created in 1833 by Charles Rawlings and William Summers, silversmiths who worked in London from 1829 to about 1860.

-The piece possesses the appropriate hallmarks for the period: the sovereign’s head duty mark, the famous lion passant hallmark guaranteeing sterling fineness and the date letter signifying 1833.  This well-made specimen is well worth the $117 asking price.

 

Cons:

-While the Madeira wine label is in good condition considering it is over 180 years old, the back has been reinforced with a small silver strip on the left side.  It is uncertain when this very minor repair was made.  It is even possible it is original to the piece.  In any case, it is almost unnoticeable and does not impact the value of the item significantly.

-Madeira wine labels with grape leaf motifs are fairly common and therefore less desirable than liquor labels with unusual shapes, rare liquor types or odd spellings.

Hamilton Brock Solid 14k Gold Gents Vintage 1940’s Wristwatch

Hamilton Brock Solid 14k Gold Gents Vintage 1940's Wristwatch
Photo Credit: clint16

Hamilton Brock Solid 14k Gold Gents Vintage 1940’s Wristwatch

Buy It Now Price: $595 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a very nice vintage men’s Hamilton Brock wristwatch from the 1940s.  The Brock series was one of Hamilton’s longest lasting and most popular models, produced from 1939 to 1952.

-The rectangular solid 14 karat yellow gold case measures 38 mm (1.50 inches) tall (lug to lug) by 20 mm (0.79 inches) wide, excluding the crown.

-The sleek, rectangular case and white enamel dial with 18 karat gold Arabic numerals are the epitome of World War II era retro style.

-This vintage Hamilton wristwatch uses the iconic 19 jewel 982M movement.  The “M” stood for “medallion” and represented Hamilton’s finest movement at the time.  The company only used the 982M in wristwatches with solid gold or platinum cases.  This particular movement (serial number: M130204) was most likely produced in 1949.

-The high end Brock wristwatch retailed for $80 at its introduction, equivalent to $1,383 in 2016 – a staggeringly high price for a watch in an economy still reeling from the Great Depression.

-The dial, crystal and movement all appear to be in excellent condition.  The seller claims the watch still runs and keeps time well.  The offer price of $595 seems fair for a beautiful vintage Hamilton wristwatch in such nice condition.

 

Cons:

-Wristwatches from the 1940s were generally smaller than today.  That means this particular watch – even though it is a men’s model – might seem more like a contemporary women’s wristwatch in terms of scale.

-It is wise to have any vintage wristwatch acquired from eBay professionally serviced, provided the seller hasn’t already performed this service.  This will usually add $100 to $200 to the purchase price of a watch.

-The seller claims the watch dial is original, but it may have been refinished.  However, a refinished dial does not negatively impact the value of vintage American wristwatches like it does with vintage European wristwatches.

-The Hamilton Brock wristwatch, while a desirable model, is not particularly rare today due to its long production run.

Seleucid Kingdom Antiochus VII 138-129 BC AR Tetradrachm NGC XF40

Seleucid Kingdom Antiochus VII 138-129 BC AR Tetradrachm NGC XF40
Photo Credit: Sarasota-Rare-Coin-Gallery

Seleucid Kingdom Antiochus VII 138-129 BC AR Tetradrachm NGC XF40

Buy It Now Price: $327 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a silver tetradrachm from the Seleucid Empire – a Hellenistic state founded in 312 BC after the death of Alexander the Great by one of his generals, Seleucus I Nicator.  While the kingdom originally stretched from Asia Minor in the west to India in the east, by the time this coin was struck it had shrunk to a core area composed mostly of present day Syria, Lebanon and Israel.  It was finally conquered by Rome in 64 BC.

-The coin weighs in at a hefty 16.78 grams (0.54 troy ounces) and measures approximately 28 mm (1.10 inches) in diameter.  This is a large, impressive coin that represented a huge amount of buying power in the ancient Greek world – equal to a skilled laborer’s wages for four days.

-It was struck during the reign of Antiochus VII between 138 BC and 129 BC.  Antiochus VII was given the epithet Euergetes – the Benefactor – in celebration of his accommodation of the Jewish religion during his reign.  Religious tolerance was a very rare commodity at the time as evidenced by one of his predecessors – Antiochus IV – who ruled from 175 BC to 164 BC.  That tyrant was the first ruler in history to be given the label of “Antichrist”.

-The tetradrachm features an outstanding diademed portrait of Antiochus VII rendered in the finest Hellenistic style on the obverse.  The reverse shows the Greek goddess Athena holding a miniature version of the goddess Nike (Victory) in her outstretched hand.  The goddesses are surrounded by a wreath and Greek legends.

-This coin has been third party certified (slabbed) as XF-40 (Extra Fine) by NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation), an independent coin grading company that is widely respected.  I think the certification is important not for the grade, but because it is an implicit guarantee of the coin’s authenticity.  Ancient Greek and Roman coins are a favorite target for Eastern European forgers.

-Greek coins have a reputation for being incomparable works of art from the Classical world and this example illustrates that point beautifully.  The portrait of Antiochus VII is particularly compelling, exhibiting a level of artistic achievement that would not be rivaled again in the Western world until the Italian Renaissance.  The coin’s fine style and large size, coupled with the fact that it is over 2100 years old, easily justifies its $327 price tag.

 

Cons:

-This silver tetradrachm is from the latter portion of the Hellenistic period.  By this time in the late 2nd century BC, Hellenistic style was generally beginning to degrade in the Eastern Mediterranean.  Consequently, connoisseurs are generally more willing to pay higher prices for coins from the beginning of the Hellenistic period, all else being equal.

-While the coin’s obverse portrait is superb, the reverse rendering of the goddesses Athena and Nike is rather mediocre by Hellenistic standards.  Of course, if both the obverse and reverse had been struck in the best style, one could expect the price of the specimen to be far higher than it is.

-As noted on the NGC holder, this particular coin may have been a posthumous issue of Cappadocia – a small independent kingdom that bordered the Seleucid Empire in what is now eastern Turkey.  A posthumous coin issue is one minted after the death of the ruler it depicts.  This does not impact the coin’s value much, but might be of importance to some collectors.

Antique Georgian Period 14K Gold Solid Agate Intaglio Seal Fob ‘Adriana Maria’

Antique Georgian Period 14K Gold Solid Agate Intaglio Seal Fob 'Adriana Maria'
Photo Credit: CJ Antiques Ltd

Antique Georgian Period 14K Gold Solid Agate Intaglio Seal Fob ‘Adriana Maria’

Buy It Now Price: $284.75 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a very early 19th century Georgian era British agate intaglio sealstone mounted in a fine 14 karat gold setting.

-It measures 1.34 inches (34 mm) tall and is 0.71 inches (18 mm) by 0.55 inches (14 mm) at the base.  The piece weighs 7.0 grams.

-The mottled beige to peach colored agate intaglio sealstone is carved in a characteristically neo-classical, flared octagonal shape.  It is engraved on the bottom with a woman’s name “Adriana Maria”, surrounded by stars and grass.

-Sealstones were both fashionable and practical accessories for refined British men and women from the 18th century until the beginning of the 20th century.  Sealstones were expensive luxury items in their day, but no self-respecting British person of means would be found without one.

-Sealstones were used to impress an engraved design, name or coat of arms into the surface of wax seals on letters, thus insuring a message’s integrity.  Any tampering in an attempt to read the letter before it had reached its intended recipient would break the fragile wax seal and be instantly obvious to even a casual observer.

-The Georgian Period, which extended from 1714 to 1830, was a golden age for the British aristocracy.  Increasing land values and land rents meant that the upper classes became as rich and powerful as they had ever been in British society.  For the wealthy, it was a time of palatial Georgian estates, Grand Tours of Continental Europe and ever expanding empire (with the sole exception of the break-away American colony).

-The solid gold mounting of this sealstone is rendered in a particularly fine, late neo-classical style.  The elegant scrollwork and delicate bright-cut engraving is typical of goldwork of this period.  Given the item’s superb style and solid gold setting, I think the $284.75 asking price is a bargain.

-The seller dates the piece to around 1820 or “maybe a little older”.  I tend to think this example is slightly older, perhaps from the first decade of the 19th century.

 

Cons:

-While the gold setting is in a good state of preservation overall, the bail at the top of the piece is showing some wear.  This is to be expected on a piece of jewelry that is two hundred years old and isn’t a major issue.

-This specimen is fairly light weight at 7.0 grams, but that is typical of the period in which it was produced.  Later settings for sealstones from the very late Georgian Period into the Victorian Age are often much heavier and more massive.

-According to the seller, the sealstone setting is marked “585” – the European notation for 14 karat gold.  But this is obviously a later addition to the piece, possibly indicating a repair or alteration.  Sealstone settings were rarely hallmarked before the 1860s.  While the situation is curious, I believe the piece is inexpensive enough that any monetary risk is strictly limited.