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Antique Silver

Silver Fuchi & Kashira Set from the Bakumatsu Era

Silver Fuchi & Kashira Set from the Bakumatsu Era
Photo Credit: Matsu-Kaze Japan

Silver Fuchi & Kashira Set from the Bakumatsu Era

Buy It Now Price: $285 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This solid silver fuchi & kashira set from the 19th century Japanese Bakumatsu era features gilt trim, exquisite decoration and a prominent kamon motif.

-The fuchi in this set measures 42.6 mm (1.68 inches) long by 22.3 mm (0.88 inches) wide.

-The Bakumatsu period was a turbulent time in Japanese history, extending from the arrival of U.S. Commodore Perry's "Black Ships" in Edo Bay in 1853 until the final collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1868.

-Antique Japanese samurai sword fittings, like this silver fuchi & kashira set, are incredibly popular with collectors today.  The fuchi was a metal collar that fit underneath a sword's tsuba, or hand guard.  The kashira was the butt-end of a sword handle, also known as a pommel in Western parlance.

-This silver fuchi & kashira set is being sold by Matsu-Kaze Japan, a respected antiques dealer located in Japan.  In addition, the set comes in a traditional Paulownia wood case for storage purposes.

-The kashira (pommel) in this set is engraved with a kamon, or family crest, consisting of two crossed feathers within a circle (not visible in the photo above).  Kamon were a visual way to advertize your family connections during the feudal Tokugawa shogunate, when status was often determined by lineage.

-It is rather unusual to find a set of antique Japanese samurai sword fittings constructed from solid silver.  It is more common to find them made from bronze, iron or specialty alloys like shakudo or shibuichi.

-I am of the opinion that antique samurai sword fittings are egregiously undervalued in today's antique market.  This is particularly puzzling given that Japanese culture is taking over the world via anime and manga.

-Although the seller does not mention its exact weight, this fuchi & kashira set contains a considerable amount of silver and would have been equivalent to at least 4 Bu worth of Japanese silver coins in the 1860s.

-It is shocking to me that you can buy genuine 150 year old samurai sword fittings that have been meticulously hand-crafted from solid silver for less than $300.  This fuchi & kashira set would make a superb investment for the discerning Japanese antique lover or samurai fan!

 

Antique Japanese Fuchi & Kashira For Sale

Cons:

-Are you kidding me?  There are no cons here, only upside.  The worst you could possibly argue is that the set would be more valuable if the kamon (family crest) could be identified.  But that seems more like a (future) pro to me, than a con.

 

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Set of 1960s Enameled Soviet Silver Teaspoons

Set of 1960s Enameled Soviet Silver Teaspoons
Photo Credit: Arezona.store

Set of 1960s Enameled Soviet Silver Teaspoons

Buy It Now Price: $195 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Bright cloisonné enamel and lustrous gilding highlight this set of half a dozen vintage Soviet silver teaspoons from the 1960s.

-Each silver-gilt teaspoon measures 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) long and weighs 14.6 grams (0.47 troy ounces).  The total weight of the set is 87.7 grams (2.82 troy ounces).

-These Soviet silver teaspoons feature cloisonné enamel, where individual enamel cells are built up using a wire frame.  Cloisonné is one of the classic types of enamel-work and was very popular in Russia from the time of the Czars straight down to the modern day.

-According to the seller, these teaspoons were made in the major port city of Leningrad (modern-day St. Petersburg) in 1966.  Unfortunately, the photos of the hallmarks are not clear enough to verify this attribution.  However, we can definitively state that these genuine Soviet era teaspoons were fashioned from solid 87.5% silver sometime in the 1960s.

-Use your newfound Marxist credentials to impress your left-wing friends by showing off these mementos from the height of the communist Soviet Empire!

-Although the communist government in Russia banned the production of gold and silver items immediately after the 1917 Revolution, Joseph Stalin soon resurrected silversmithing in 1927.  Rather than simply being reminders of indulgent bourgeois privilege, Stalin decided that silver luxury goods could best be used to reward loyal Party followers.  He established 15 silver workshops spread out over the USSR, creating a thriving Soviet silversmithing industry.

-Vintage Soviet luxury goods are currently substantially undervalued.  This is most likely because our first impression of the former Soviet Union is ugly concrete apartment blocks and long queues in barren stores.  However, not every part of their material culture was subpar - a fact that antique collectors and investors are beginning to wake up to.

-This set of Soviet silver teaspoons would almost certainly have resided in the house of a Communist Party official or someone else who was similarly advantaged.  I doubt the average Soviet citizen would have had access to something so luxurious.

-These Soviet silver teaspoons are still housed in their original fabric-lined box, complete with CCCP emblem!  In addition, the entire set is in perfect condition.  This is rather unusual for enamel work, which has a pronounced tendency to chip.

-Less than $200 for a magnificent set of enameled silver teaspoons from the 1960s glory days of the Soviet Empire?  And housed in its original box, no less?  This is simply a no-brainer in my opinion, especially given the fact that the seller is willing to entertain lower offers.

 

Vintage Soviet Silver Teaspoons For Sale

Cons:

-As noted above, the photos of the hallmarks are a bit on the blurry side.  I have absolutely no reason to believe this set of Soviet silver teaspoons is anything other than what it claims to be, but being able to verify it via the hallmarks would have been ideal.

 

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17th Century Silver Gilt Snuff Box

17th Century Silver Gilt Snuff Box
Photo Credit: CJ Antiques Ltd

17th Century Silver Gilt Snuff Box

Buy It Now Price: $865 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This 17th century silver gilt snuff box has been made from two large silver coins: an Austrian Taler of Ferdinand II and an English Crown of James I.

-This unusual round antique box measures 45 mm (1.77 inches) wide by 17 mm (0.67 inches) deep and contains 85.3 grams (2.74 troy ounces) of solid silver alloy.

-Inhaling very fine tobacco dust was popular among European nobility from the early 17th century to the mid 19th century.  As a result, lavish snuff boxes were the iPhones of their day - a must for any well-to-do gentleman or lady of high class.  These small silver boxes were typically gold-gilt in order to resist the corrosive effects of tobacco.  Antique snuff boxes are often similar in construction to vinaigrettes, which were intended to carry perfume soaked sponges instead of tobacco.

-A modern buyer could use this extravagant antique snuff box to as a pill box, jewelry box or trinket box today.

-The top of this silver gilt snuff box features a silver Taler coin of Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria and the Tyrol.  Ferdinand II, a scion of the Hapsburgs, ruled from 1564 to 1595.  He was also the younger brother of the sitting Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian II.

-The bottom of this 17th century silver box is made from a silver Crown of James I, the King of England from 1603 to 1625.  James was originally the king of Scotland and it was during his reign that the monarchies of England and Scotland were first combined in what would later become the United Kingdom.

-Crowns and Talers were massive silver coins that weighed in at a hefty 30 grams (0.96 troy ounces) each.  These large silver coins had considerable buying power during the 16th and 17th centuries.

-This snuff box would have contained about 14 shillings worth of silver when measured in 17th century English currency.  To put this substantial sum of money in context, it would have been enough to buy 175 stout oak boards or 168 pounds (76 kilos) of prime grade beef, or rent a room at an inn for 42 days straight.

-17th century antique silver is very rare today.  There were never very large amounts of it made and nearly all of that has been melted down over the intervening centuries.  The buyer of this fine silver gilt snuff box will be in very exclusive company.

-This beautiful old silver box was fire gilt both inside and out.  Fire gilding, also known as mercury gilding, was the original and best way to gold-plate metal.  Unfortunately, fire gilding died out in the mid 19th century with the rise of cheaper, but inferior electroplating methods.

-At only $865, this 17th century silver gilt snuff box is an investment-grade piece of early antique silver available to the connoisseur at a modest price.

 

17th & 18th Century Vinaigrettes & Snuff Boxes For Sale

Cons:

-While this antique silver box is in exceptional condition for being over 300 years old, there is one old, inconspicuous file mark on the side.  This was undoubtedly done centuries ago by someone who wanted to test whether the box was solid silver (which it is).

-Although the form is unmistakably old, I am unable to determine where this interesting silver gilt snuff box was made.  Because it has a coin from both England and Austria, it is natural to conclude that it was made in one of those two locations (although Southern Germany, which was also part of the Hapsburg domain, is another logical choice).  In any case, I feel confident that it was fabricated in Europe sometime between about 1660 and 1720.

-This 17th century silver gilt snuff box is not hallmarked.  It wasn't unusual for small, personal items made from precious metals to lack hallmarks during this period.  However, hallmarks would have helped us determine its country of origin and age more precisely.

 

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English Regency Sterling Silver Sugar Bowl

English Regency Sterling Silver Sugar Bowl
Photo Credit: robertcharlessilver

English Regency Sterling Silver Sugar Bowl

Buy It Now Price: $400 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This charming English Regency sterling silver sugar bowl from 1819 features a gilt interior and twin handles decorated with acanthus leaves, shells and flowers.

-It measures 4.25 inches (10.8 cm) tall by 9 inches (22.9 cm) long by 4 inches (10.2 cm) wide and weighs a generous 358.8 grams (11.54 troy ounces).

-This piece was made during the late Georgian era in a time known as the Regency.  The British Regency is generally regarded as encompassing the period from 1795 to 1837.  This is in spite of the fact that the formal Regency only ran from 1811 to 1820, when King George III's son ruled in the elderly king's place after he had been declared mentally incompetent.

-This Regency sterling silver sugar bowl has all the period correct hallmarks for an early 19th century English silver item.  These include the lion passant (indicating sterling silver purity), the crowned leopard's head (establishing that the item was created in London), the head of King George III (verifying that the duty tax of 6 pence per troy ounce had been paid) and the "d" letter date stamp (recording the year of manufacture - 1819).  It also has a maker's mark, but this is worn to the point of being indecipherable.

-The Regency era was renowned for its cultural achievements.  It was during this period that Jane Austin's timeless romance novel Pride and Prejudice was published (1813), as well as Mary Shelley's horror masterpiece Frankenstein (1818).  The British Regency was also noted for its ostentatious high society, with the wealthy aristocracy constantly attending lavish balls, operas and fêtes.

-I must admit that I am a sucker for a having a nice piece of antique sterling silver at the breakfast table.  There is nothing quite like spooning sugar into your morning cereal from a 200 year old Regency sterling silver sugar bowl!

-With a net silver content of 10.67 troy ounces, this Regency sterling silver sugar bowl is quite robustly constructed.  The piece has a melt value of $156 with spot at $14.69 an ounce, resulting in a premium of only 156%.  Such a low premium is practically criminal for such a beautiful and functional antique piece.

-Classic 18th and early 19th century antique silver has suffered a brutal bear market over the past decade.  That leaves this piece and others like it substantially undervalued today - perfect timing for a savvy antique investor to swoop in and take advantage of the situation.

-I find the $400 asking price to be exceedingly fair considering the excellent condition and tremendous aesthetic qualities of this antique Georgian silver.

 

British Regency Sterling Silver Antiques For Sale

Cons:

-This Regency sterling silver sugar bowl is in absolutely perfect condition - except for a small dent to one side near the handle.  Given the age of the piece, I find this minor flaw to be acceptable.

-In an ideal world, the maker's mark wouldn't have been worn smooth, allowing us to determine who made it.  Alas, not all wishes are granted.

 

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