Leaf Hortulus Animae Woodcut Wolfgang from Regensburg Border Nuremberg – 1519

Leaf Hortulus animae Woodcut Wolfgang from Regensburg Border Nuremberg - 1519
Photo Credit: odetowhitman

Leaf Hortulus Animae Woodcut Wolfgang from Regensburg Border Nuremberg – 1519

Buy It Now Price: $65 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a 500 year old post-incunable woodcut print from the late medieval period.  It comes from a religious text titled “Hortulus Animae cum Horis Beate Virginis” which roughly translates from the Latin as “Garden of the Soul with the Hours of the Blessed Virgin”.

-The book was published in the German city of Nuremberg in 1519 by Federici Peypus and Joannis Koberger.  The leaf measures 17 cm (6.7 inches) tall by 10.5 cm (4.1 inches) wide and is printed in Latin, the lingua franca of the elites in medieval Europe.

-Incunable (or incunabula) is the period from the inception of European printing, when the Gutenberg Bible was published in 1454 AD, to an arbitrary end date of 1500 AD.  The post-incunable era ran from 1500 to either 1520 or 1540, another arbitrary end date.

-This work was published in 1519, right at the end of the medieval period in Europe.  The famous theologian, Martin Luther, had just nailed his anti-papacy Ninety-five Theses to the doors of Wittenberg Cathedral two years earlier, in 1517.  This radical event precipitated the Protestant Reformation, one of the most transformative incidents in European history.

-The highlight of this late medieval woodcut print is a gothic-style image of Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg.  He was a German saint from the 10th century who converted the Hungarians to Christianity and was then appointed bishop of Regensburg.  This leaf also has a magnificent floral and grape vine border running around the entire page, which really adds to the work’s striking appearance.

-The black printing is very bold.  The leaf also has separately printed reddish-orange text, a detail that gives the page some added color and eye appeal.  These are both desirable attributes in early printed works.

-This woodcut leaf is in a wonderful state of preservation.  There is no obvious foxing (brown spots), water stains or other damage visible.  Also, the margins appear to be fully intact, with no signs of trimming.

-Incunable and post-incunable works are rare.  Print runs typically varied from a couple thousand copies to no more than a few tens of thousands of copies at most.  And attrition over the centuries means only a fraction of those original copies has survived.  In light of this, as well as the leaf’s excellent condition, a $65 price tag is justified.

 

Cons:

-This woodcut print is a post-incunable impression from 1519.  All else being equal, earlier incunable prints from before 1500 are more desirable and generally more valuable.

-This leaf is on the smaller side at 17 cm (6.7 inches) tall by 10.5 cm (4.1 inches) wide.  Within reason, bigger is better with early woodcut prints and a size closer to that of a standard sheet of office paper (8.5 inches by 11 inches) would be more desirable.

-The woodcut illustration of Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg only occupies about 1/3 of the page.  In some early prints, woodcut illustrations fill 1/2, 2/3 or even the entirety of the page.  A larger illustration is more appealing than a smaller one.

The Best Investments Are Often Those Nobody Thinks Are an Investment

The Best Investments Are Often Those Nobody Thinks Are an Investment

The best investments are often those that nobody thinks of as investments at the time.  For example, if, circa 1960, you suddenly announced to your family, friends and coworkers that you were going to sink every last penny you had into California beachfront real estate, the news would most likely have been poorly received.  The skeptics would clamor around you saying things like, “What’s wrong with good old fashioned bank CDs?” or “Why don’t you consider a safe treasury bond, instead?”

Someone may even suggest that, if gambling is your game, you could always take a chance in the high risk stock market.  After all, the leading newspapers and respected periodicals of the day didn’t have any articles about the investment merits of California beachfront real estate, so almost anything else would have to be a better investment!  Right?

But of course the traditional wisdom was wrong.  And not just a little wrong either, but utterly, laughably wrong.  A well chosen parcel of unimproved California beachfront property that could have been purchased for a few thousand dollars in the 1950s and 1960s would today be highly desirable prime real estate that would easily sell for a few million dollars.

That is a nominal increase in price by a factor of approximately 100 over the last five or six decades.  This gives our hypothetical California beachfront property a return of over 13% per annum versus around 10% for U.S. stocks and 6.5% for U.S. treasury bonds during the same time period.

In today’s investment landscape all the traditional asset classes have been bid up.  Neither stocks, nor bonds, nor cash are going to have very impressive returns over the next couple of decades.  But many investment grade artworks and antiques still trade for eminently reasonable prices.

So that vintage 1962 solid 14 karat gold Hamilton Thinline mechanical wristwatch for sale on Etsy for $525?  It has a very good chance of outperforming most of the stocks and bonds that are currently stuffed into your various retirement accounts right now.  And if you are smart enough to defy traditional wisdom and buy the handsome timepiece in question, an obvious question will haunt you 20 or 30 years down the road:  “Why didn’t I buy a few more vintage wristwatches (or other investment grade antiques) for next to nothing when I had the chance?”

Rehabilitating the Reputation of the Wall Safe

Rehabilitating the Reputation of the Wall Safe

There is something undeniably impressive about a private residence with a wall safe.  It elicits images of an eccentric billionaire in a luxury penthouse cackling maniacally as he opens a hidden wall safe to carefully remove his secret plans for world domination.  However, wall safes aren’t often recommended these days.

This is due, in part, to the proliferation of cheap, cordless reciprocating saws (Sawzalls) at home improvement stores.  A smart burglar who knows the location of your wall safe could, theoretically, break into your house with a reciprocating saw and cut your wall safe from its 2×4 studs in only two or three minutes before disappearing into the night with your safe (and all the valuables inside).

Of course the truth is a little more complicated than the simplistic scenario laid out above.  For one thing, it ignores the greatest asset of a wall safe – concealment.  A burglar cannot take what he cannot find.  And wall safes excel at not being found.

In addition, it is the uncommon criminal that brings power tools to a burglary.  Even cordless reciprocating saws start feeling heavy after a while.

And assuming you haven’t told the entire neighborhood you have a wall safe – and, by extension, something worth stealing – it is highly unlikely that a burglar randomly targeting your house would bring power tools.  Having said this, it would still be wise to limit the value of the contents you put into a wall safe to perhaps $10,000 to $15,000 for the very highest security models.

A far more likely attack against a wall safe would be a pry attack using a crowbar or large screwdriver.  Luckily there are burglary resistant wall safes that excel against this type of attack.  Two examples are the Hayman WS-7 and Gardall SL6000-F.

Both of these wall safes have 1/8 inch steel walls and 1/4 inch solid steel, recessed doors.  They are made to fit into walls constructed with 2×6 lumber and would offer excellent burglary-resistance against the average smash and grab thief.  Gardall also manufactures another model – the Gardall SL4000-F – that is identical to its big brother except it is made to fit thinner walls constructed with 2×4 lumber.  All three models currently sell for between $350 and $450.

If you really want to feel like a James Bond villain though, the finest wall safe available by far is the Amsec WS1214E5.  This unit weighs a hefty 86 pounds and requires 10 inches of dead space behind a wall for proper installation.  It has a 3/16 inch steel body and a massive, recessed 3/4 inch solid steel door for maximum burglary protection.  In addition, this stylish, all-black model comes standard with a digital lock with an illuminated keypad.

The AMSEC WS1214E5 is the Cadillac of wall safes and will easily resist the most violent pry bar or sledgehammer attacks (assuming your wall studs survive).  Of course, buying the best comes at a price, in this case about $700.

 

Gardall, AMSEC & Hayman Wall Safes for Sale on eBay

(This is an affiliate link for which I may be compensated)

 

Keep in mind that all the wall safes I’ve talked about so far have been burglary-resistant models that provide no protection against fire whatsoever.  However, AMSEC also produces an Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certified wall safe with a one hour fire rating, the AMSEC WFS149.  This unit weighs 106 pounds and needs a full 16 inches of wall depth for installation.

Because of this space requirement, the WFS149 may not be an option for every homeowner.  It is important to note that while the AMSEC WFS149 is the gold standard of fire protection for wall safes, it provides only modest burglary protection.  Prices run from about $350 to $450 depending on whether you choose a digital lock or dial combination lock.

Wall safes have been unfairly maligned and don’t deserve the poor reputation they have acquired in the security industry.  Of course, like all safes, they do have their limitations.  Wall safes provide relatively little storage space, typically between 0.25 to 0.75 cubic feet.  They should also not be used to store extremely high value items due to their inherent design limitations.  In addition, there aren’t any wall safes that perform well in both burglary and fire protection, so you will also have to choose which kind of protection is most important to you.

On the other hand, wall safes combine the very best aspects of concealment and ease of accessibility.  If a wall safe’s placement is well-chosen, it will almost always be overlooked in a burglary.  And if it does happen to be discovered by a thief, the higher security units furnish substantial burglary protection, provided power tools aren’t involved.  Prices for wall safes are usually lower than for freestanding chest safes too.  And really, what other type of safe can make you feel like an evil genius conspiring to take over the world?


Mughal, Akbar (963-1014 AH), Square Rupee, 11.38 Grams, 19 X 19 mm, VF+

Mughal, Akbar (963-1014 AH), Square Rupee, 11.38 Grams, 19 X 19 mm, VF+
Photo Credit: Sphinx Numismatics

Mughal, Akbar (963-1014 AH), Square Rupee, 11.38 Grams, 19 X 19 mm, VF+

Buy It Now Price: $89.25 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a square rupee made from silver in the Mughal Empire.  The Mughal Empire was a fabulously wealthy Islamic dynasty that dominated the Indian subcontinent from the mid 16th century until the 18th century, when it was supplanted by the British.  The Mughal Empire was so politically important at its apogee that it spawned the English word “mogul”, meaning a person of great wealth or power.

-The coin is 11.38 grams (0.3659 troy ounces) of almost pure silver and measures 0.75 inches (19mm) by 0.75 inches (19mm).  It grades a strong Very Fine (VF), an appropriate investment grade condition for this series.

-This coin was struck in Ahmadabad (a city in western India) in the year 1582 during the reign of Akbar the Great.  It circulated contemporaneously with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England.

-Rupees were a high denomination coin in the Mughal period and represented substantial buying power.  The average laborer’s wages would have amounted to just a few rupees a month.  A single rupee would have been the equivalent of perhaps a $500 bill today.

-Mughal silver rupees are often struck on thick flans with wonderfully flowing Arabic calligraphy.  This example is no exception, possessing excellent eye appeal and bold calligraphy.

–Mughal silver rupees are one of the most undervalued pre-modern coin series.  They are impressively large coins and earlier issues were hand struck using ancient methods – both desirable attributes.  Better yet, prices are still unbelievably low.  In spite of their large size, many fine examples – like this one – can be acquired for less than $100.

 

Cons:

-This specimen has a couple small test marks on one side.  A test mark is the result of a Mughal merchant using a punch on the coin to verify that it wasn’t a silver plated forgery.  This beautiful piece passed the test.  Small numbers of unobtrusive test marks are common on Mughal rupees and usually do not significantly impact the value of a coin.

-Mughal silver rupees were struck in very large quantities (for a 16th/17th century issue) to facilitate the Mughal Empire’s robust trade.  Consequently, many Mughal rupees – like this one – are not particularly rare.  But, given this specimen’s great eye appeal and 400+ year old age, I do not believe this lack of rarity is a significant drawback.