Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Welcome to Old Town Antiques

Guilloche enamel sterling ring compact

enamel ring compact 1 2 Guilloche enamel sterling ring compact

Guilloche enamel sterling ring compact

Lovely old silver compact, guilloche enameling featuring a pink rose. Attached to a silver chain and ring for the lady to keep a good, but not too obvious, grip on it. Marked STERLING on the back with three small marks inside hearts. Sterling with vermeil inside and the mirror inside is in good condition.

$125.00

Fine silver filigree tongs

filigree tongs 2 Fine silver filigree tongs

Fine silver filigree tongs

Nicely made old tongs, probably for sugar cubes, no marks.

$85.00

Mini silver mate cup & bombilla cufflinks

gaucho mate bombilla cufflinks 2 2 Mini silver mate cup & bombilla cufflinks

Mini silver mate cup & bombilla cufflinks

Finely detailed Gaucho themed cufflinks, mate cups with bombillas (silver straining straws) attached by the silver chains.

$85.00

Enameled Viking dish by O F Hjortdahl, Denmark

Hjortdahl enamel dish 2 2 Enameled Viking dish by O F Hjortdahl, DenmarkHjortdahl enamel dish mark Enameled Viking dish by O F Hjortdahl, Denmark

Enameled Viking dish by O F Hjortdahl, Denmark

Finely enameled small dish by Danish artist, O. F. Hjortdahl. Viking in theme, signed on the reverse, the dish measures 2 3/4″ across.

$45.00

Taxco pendant with green tigereye by Miguel Melendez

Taxco filigree tigereye pendant 1 Taxco pendant with green tigereye by Miguel Melendez

Taxco pendant with green tigereye by Miguel Melendez

Wrought silver curls set with the unusual green tigereye. Marked with his M in script by Miguel Melendez with his eagle mark on the pendant hook. Made as both brooch and pendant, this piece is 3 1/8 long x 3 3/8 wide.

$145.00

Vintage glass intaglio earrings with Saint Gonzaga

Mexican glass intaglio earrings 1 2 Vintage glass intaglio earrings with Saint GonzagaMexican intaglio earrings back Vintage glass intaglio earrings with Saint Gonzaga

Vintage glass intaglio earrings with Saint Gonzaga

I believe these are Mexican or perhaps Spanish. I think the image on the underside of the glass is Saint Gonzaga as his attributes are a human skull and books, as here. Each earring measures about 1 1/4 inches long without the pearl dangle. Assume the pearls are cultured. Marked on the back of each, STERLING, 925.

$175.00

Vintage Russian enameled silver Crucifix pendant

russian enamel cross 1 2 Vintage Russian enameled silver Crucifix pendant

Vintage Russian enameled silver Crucifix pendant

Champleve enamel on .800 silver. I believe this is Russian but the makers mark on the back is illegible. It measures 1 7/8 x just under 1 1/2 wide.

$65

Monday, September 12, 2011

Welcome to Old Town Antiques

Wooden bear paper mache mold

wood bear mold 1 Wooden bear paper mache moldwood bear mold 2 Wooden bear paper mache moldwood bear mold 3 Wooden bear paper mache mold

Wooden bear paper mache mold

One of the real, old, paper mache molds from the village of Paete in the Philippines. This is one of the real ones with obvious cut marks in the wood where the different pieces of the paper mache figure were cut from the mold. And, as a teddy bear, he has lots of personality.

$125

Old figural duck pitcher, Oaxaca Mexico

oaxaca duck pitcher Old figural duck pitcher, Oaxaca Mexico

Old figural ceramic duck pitcher from Oaxaca Mexico. This is the lovely dripware glaze that was a specialty for artists in the Oaxaca area. The duck is in very good old condition with only very light wear. No notable dings, chips or cracks.

$75

1930s old pawn or early Harvey silver & turquoise ring

pawn ring green turquoise 2 1930s old pawn or early Harvey silver & turquoise ring

Old pawn silver and turquoise ring

A simple, classic, 1930s old pawn, early Harvey era ring. As expected, the natural turquoise has darkened, leaving a few bright blue spots of harder turquoise. Lots of appropriate wear – the bezel is worn and the arrow stamps on the side of the split shank are nearly worn off.

$95

Classic tramp art box

tramp art box front Classic tramp art box

Classic tramp art box

Just a great tramp art box. About the size of the cigar box that the pieces came from, the folk artist layered pieces to create additional designs on all sides and the top of the box. Probably made as a jewelry box, it is lined with purple satin. Other than the expected wear, mostly to the satin, the box has no problems, just the irregularities of handmade things. The lid is decorated with four squares – the top two set as diamonds, the bottom two as squares. You can see that the bottom right square sat at the wrong angle for awhile so the patina reflects it’s change of position – there’s a diamond-shaped shadow.

$175

Large old Navajo pitched water jar

navajo pitched water tusch 3 Large old Navajo pitched water jarnavajo pitch water tusch 1 Large old Navajo pitched water jar

Large old Navajo pitched water jar

Hard to find in the larger, utilitarian sizes, this jar measures about 12″ tall by about 9″ wide. The basket was made with braided horsehair handles woven in and then the basket was coated and sealed with pine pitch. An old piece, I think it has gotten hot various times over the years and the pitch is a bit gloppy and puddling around the base. Normal enough for this area – our adobe walls get thicker at the base over time as the adobe settles. Speaking of which, see another great southwestern item that we have for sale, an original New Mexican adobe brick mold.

$425

Miniature Jemez Pueblo house by Lupe Romero

Lupe pueblo 1 Miniature Jemez Pueblo house by Lupe RomeroLupe pueblo 2 Miniature Jemez Pueblo house by Lupe RomeroLupe pueblo porch 2 2 Miniature Jemez Pueblo house by Lupe Romero

Miniature Jemez Pueblo house by Lupe Romero

This is a great piece by a Native American potter from Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico. In the 1970s, Lupe would recreate an existing house at Jemez Pueblo, in miniature. This is approximately 7″ x 8″ x 8″. The detail is terrific – you can see the little corner fireplace inside on the second floor, the staircase from the front porch comes out on the lower roof, the horno has its bread paddle and Lupe even put little footprints into the dark brown “dirt” in front of the horno.

$425

1960s Swan mosaic table

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1960s Swan mosaic table

A wonderful little table, with two mosaic swans made of small pieces of glass (tesserae) set into grout. Beautiful and in very good vintage condition. No missing glass pieces, just expected dings and wear to the wood. The screw on legs are a bit skittywhompus at present but it stands sturdily. 17″ tall x 19″ x 22″ across the top.

$125.00

Victorian brooch, silver & paste

vict 1 Victorian brooch, silver & paste

Victorian silver & paste brooch

A dainty, detailed little brooch, .800 silver set with 5 small paste or glass stones. As there is only one stone that is a domed cabochon (the turquoise color), assume that one is replaced. But, the turquoise color works well overall. The brooch measures approximately 1 3/8″ wide. The simple C clasp and pin works well.

$85.00

Banded agate turtle brooch

turtle 1 Banded agate turtle brooch

Banded agate turtle brooch

A simply designed elegant turtle brooch, a banded agate cabochon set on sterling silver. Head to tail, he measures 1 7/8″ long and his rolling clasp works well.

$85.00

Inlaid jet cuff bracelet by Mary Morgan

Mary Morgan bracelet black 1 Inlaid jet cuff bracelet by Mary Morganmary morgan bracelet black 2 Inlaid jet cuff bracelet by Mary Morgan

Inlaid jet cuff bracelet by Navajo artist Mary Morgan

A clean, geometrically patterned heavy sterling silver cuff set with Acoma jet by Navajo artist Mary Morgan. This is typical of Mary’s earlier pieces from the 1960s or 1970s. Her later work is more traditional Navajo in design but her older pieces are substantial silver work that that highlight the stones and inlay. This is signed with her simple M mark.

$625

Zootropion, Whirligig of life, Praxinoscope

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Victorian Zootropion, Praxinoscope or Whirligig of Life

Labeled as a Whirligig of Life, this is a praxinoscope or zootropion. Functional, even with 9 strips. Sitting on a surface, it looks just slightly off kilter but it spins well and views wonderfully. Note that the strips are worn with tattered edges and some tape repair but all are basically intact and view well. Rare!

$1650