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Signed Antique Japanese Tsuka with Bat Theme

Signed Antique Japanese Tsuka with Bat Theme
Photo Credit: matsu-kaze-japan

Signed Antique Japanese Tsuka with Bat Theme

Buy It Now Price: $565 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This fantastic Edo era Japanese tsuka, or samurai sword handle, features a fabric-wrapped ray-skin handle, figural menuki fittings and bat-themed fuchi and kashira mountings.

-This antique Japanese tsuka measures a healthy 178 mm (7.0 inches) long, meaning that it once held a full-size katana blade.

-This piece undoubtedly dates to no later than the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, circa 1868.  And, in all probability, it was made well before then.

-Bats were generally regarded as a good luck symbol in pre-modern Japan.

-This samurai sword handle has a highly desirable full-wrap ray-skin with emperor nodes visible.  The ray-skin’s seam can be seen on the ura (back) side.

-This antique Japanese tsuka is signed “Naoharu” by its creator!  The best known samurai tsuba master by this name was the legendary Yanagawa Naoharu, who worked in the late 1700s and early 1800s.  However, I suspect the maker of this piece was a different Naoharu.  Nevertheless, a signed Japanese tsuka is much more desirable than an unsigned piece.

-The fittings on this antique tsuka are made from high quality metals: shibuichi, silver and gold.  Shibuichi, a traditional alloy of copper and silver, was very popular with Japanese metalsmiths in the 18th and 19th century.  You can read up more about antique samurai sword fittings in my well-researched article on the topic.

-I love the foreboding Gothic overtones of this Far Eastern treasure.  If Dracula were a samurai, this is definitely the kind of sword handle that he would use!

-The workmanship on this piece is absolutely superb, bordering on museum quality.  I’m amazed it is available for only $565.  Regardless of whether you are a samurai sword enthusiast, an antique investor, or just a collector of Japanese curiosities, this prize is easily worth every penny of the asking price.

 

Cons:

-This antique Japanese sword handle has a slight bump on the unadorned side of its fuchi (which is not visible in the photo above).  A fuchi is the narrow metal collar that sits between the top of the sword handle and the sword guard, or tsuba (which is not present in this piece).  However, this is a minor defect for such a magnificent specimen.

 

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Art Deco Conklin Endura Senior Fountain Pen in Verd Green

Art Deco Conklin Endura Senior Fountain Pen in Verd Green
Photo Credit: lifeloveslife

Art Deco Conklin Endura Senior Fountain Pen in Verd Green

Buy It Now Price: $325 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This 1920s Conklin Endura Senior fountain pen is an Art Deco Celluloid gem rendered in a strikingly attractive, malachite-like Verd Green color.

-The Conklin Endura Senior was the largest of the Endura pen family.  This specimen measures 12.6 cm (5.0 inches) long when capped and 16.2 cm (6.4 inches) long when posted.

-The origins of the Conklin Fountain Pen Company date back to 1897, when its founder, Roy Conklin, invented the first commercially successful self-filling pen.  The company reached its apogee in the 1920s to early 1930s with the release of its popular Duragraph, Endura, Endura Symetrik and Nozac lines.

-The Conklin Endura line was produced from 1924 to 1930 and is characterized by a bold, yet streamlined Art Deco aesthetic.

-The Great Depression hit the Conklin Fountain Pen Company hard, resulting in a fire-sale of the firm’s tooling, inventory and brand to a Chicago-based syndicate in 1938.  Conklin pens produced from this time until the company’s final liquidation in 1955 are generally of lower quality compared to earlier models.

-This lovely fountain pen has a semi-flexible, solid 14 karat gold nib that writes with a fine to medium line.  These kinds of vintage nibs are always a favorite of pen enthusiasts because they are so hard to get today.

-We can date this Conklin Endura Senior to the mid/late 1920s due to the presence of a single, wide gold band on the pen cap.  Starting in 1929, the Endura featured a cap with two thin gold bands.

-In the year 2000, the modern Conklin Pen Company was revived.  Although this successor firm has the legal right to use the Conklin name (and that of its former models), these modern Conklin pens share nothing else in common with their antique predecessors.

-The seller is an experienced vintage pen dealer who has meticulously restored this Art Deco fountain pen masterpiece.  In addition, this Conklin Endura is in phenomenal condition, with no visible chips, cracks, dents or brassing!

-Given this vintage fountain pen’s eye-catching styling and great condition, I believe the buy-it-now price of $325 is quite fair.  But you can always bid a lower price if $325 is too much for your wallet.

 

Cons:

-Because the no-reserve auction format for this listing ends on Thursday, June 27, 2019 at 11:48 PM EST, there isn’t much time to secure this treasure.  The listing has also attracted 22 watchers already, so if you want to own this gorgeous antique pen you need to act soon!

 

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90% Silver Proof Roosevelt Dime Rolls

90% Silver Proof Roosevelt Dime Rolls
Photo Credit: Sandspur Coins and Collectibles

90% Silver Proof Roosevelt Dime Rolls

Buy It Now Price: $76.90 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)

Pros:

-These gorgeous proof Roosevelt dime rolls feature 50 frosted coins struck from solid 90% silver, giving them a face value of $5 each.

-Each dime is exactly 2.5 grams of 90% fine silver, giving a total net silver content of 112.5 grams (3.617 troy ounces) per roll.

-Proof coins are special presentation issues struck from specially prepared dies under ideal conditions.  They are intended primarily for collectors and usually sell for significant premiums over non-proof versions.

-All Roosevelt dimes were struck in 90% silver from the inception of the series in 1946 until 1964, when silver was removed from most circulating U.S. coinage.  No silver dimes were struck for the next 28-years.  Then, in 1992 the U.S. government began issuing annual proof sets that contained regular-circulating coin denominations (including dimes) minted in silver.

-Although the seller is not specific about the dates you might receive, the photos seem to indicate that most of these silver proof Roosevelt dime rolls will be modern (i.e. 1992 and later) in nature.  Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that you might receive early 1960s, or even late 1950s, silver proof Roosevelt dimes.

-Modern silver proof dimes struck since 1992 are much rarer than their circulating counterparts, with mintages usually less than 1/1000th of the latter.  They are also rarer than non-silver proof dimes, having been minted at only 1/2 to 1/3 their rate.

-With spot silver trading for around $14.85 a troy ounce, these silver proof Roosevelt dime rolls contain just under $54 worth of silver each.  This means you are only paying around $23 over melt per roll – a premium of about 43%.  This is quite a low premium for proof coins, which will always have at least some numismatic potential.

-I’m normally not a fan of most modern coinage from a collector’s perspective.  They are often staggeringly over-issued base-metal abominations, with little hope of future numismatic demand.  However, I am willing to make exceptions for extraordinary situations.  And these silver proof Roosevelt dime rolls certainly qualify as extraordinary, with their blazing gem cameo specimens minted in precious metal.

-I believe these 90% silver proof Roosevelt dime rolls are well worth the $77 asking price.  They would be a great addition to any silver bullion stack, adding the diversification of collector’s value to what is otherwise a straightforward bullion purchase.

 

Cons:

-If you are just looking to stockpile junk silver, you can buy a roll of circulated 90% silver Roosevelt dimes for maybe $60 to $65.  So each silver proof Roosevelt dime roll will cost you an extra $15 over an equivalent junk roll.  But this hardly seems like a con to me, given the added investment potential of proof issues.

 

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Old Mine Cut Edwardian Diamond Ring, Circa 1905

Old Mine Cut Edwardian Diamond Ring, Circa 1905
Photo Credit: Authentic Jewelry and Coin

Old Mine Cut Edwardian Diamond Ring, Circa 1905

Buy It Now Price: $1,079.99 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This Edwardian diamond ring exudes Gilded era elegance with 9 sparkling old mine cut diamonds mounted in an 18 karat gold checkerboard setting.

-The face of this luscious antique ring measures 12.4 mm (0.49 inches) tall by 11.7 mm (0.46 inches) wide.  The entire ring weighs a substantial 4.22 grams (0.1356 troy ounces), which is quite a lot for a ring this size.

–Old mine cut diamonds were a cushion-shaped diamond cut popular from the early 19th century until around 1910.  They were defined by high crowns, deep pavilions, and large culets.  These unique proportions endowed old mine cut diamonds with a dazzling fire and charming warmth that simply can’t be found in modern brilliant cut diamonds.

-The seller estimates the average weight of each H-I color, VVS2-VS1 clarity diamond in the ring to be around 0.18 carats, for a grand total carat weight of 1.62.  From the measurements of the ring given, I have conservatively calculated that the diamonds weigh between 0.10 and 0.20 carats each, for a total guesstimated weight of 1.35 carats.  This discrepancy (1.35 carats versus 1.62 carats) is minor, but underscores the fact that the stated carat weight of a mounted stone is always an approximation.

–The Edwardian period was wedged in-between the death of Queen Victoria around the year 1900 and the start of World War I in 1914.  Although it didn’t persist for very long, the Edwardian era was famous for its glorification of wealth, luxury and the aristocracy – think Downton Abbey.

-I estimate the melt value of the gold in this Edwardian diamond ring to be around $170 (with the spot price of gold at $1,335 an ounce.)  While the old mine cut diamonds are harder to value, I think they should be worth at least $500 a carat (on a bad day) for a total value of $675.

-This Edwardian diamond ring is in great condition, with no excessive wear, damage or obvious repairs.  In addition, it features superb goldwork with no messy solder or other distractions – an incredibly unusual situation for a ring that is over a century old.

-Totaling the value of the ring’s gold and diamonds gives an aggregate intrinsic value of nearly $850.  This is only $230 off the asking price, which is a pleasant surprise.  It is rare to find quality antique jewelry selling for anywhere close to its intrinsic value these days.

-The ring’s gold grid pattern conveys a sense of solidity while the old mine cut diamonds allow it to retain that characteristic Edwardian feeling of etherealness.  This might seem like a contradiction, but this antique ring manages to pull it off brilliantly nonetheless.

–Edwardian jewelry is becoming increasingly scarce and desirable as the years pass, setting the stage for an inevitable upward readjustment in value.

-At an asking price of less than $1,100, this Edwardian diamond ring would be a great choice for the antique collector, investor or jewelry buff.  I cannot stress how rare it is to find such a superb piece of antique jewelry for such a low price.

 

Cons:

-This Edwardian diamond ring is set exclusively with melee stones.  These are defined as faceted diamonds weighing less than 0.20 carats (or 20 points) each.  Melee diamonds are primarily used as accent pieces in modern jewelry because they cost less per carat than larger diamonds.  I don’t think the primary motivation for using melee diamonds in this wonderful old ring was monetary, but aesthetic.  However, the fact remains that melee diamonds (even old mine cut melee diamonds) are worth less per carat than their larger, non-melee equivalents.

 

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