My Disney Donald Duck Handkerchief 1950s

This is a wonderful vintage cotton hanky with Donald Duck and his three nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie on a nautical adventure. This little piece of Disney history would look wonderful framed in a vintage frame. It is signed C.Walt Disney Productions in the lower left, and measures about 8.5″ square. Aside from a single [...]

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My WMF bon-bon dish – 1910

This delightful silver-plated bon-bon dish featuring a simple and elegant design was manufactured by WMF (1) in Germany in the early 1910’s. Being a Biedermeier style piece, it is decorated with garlands of laurel leaves and flowers. Behind it, there is an oil on canvas painting by Carlos Miranda.
(1) WMF (Wurttembergische Metalwaren Fabrik) was by [...]

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My Nippon porcelain vases – c.1900

Here is a pair of beautiful Nippon vases in a lovely celestial blue and pink pattern. The hand painted landscape scene depicts a lake, trees, a little house and a pretty sky. Both have the same image and both are painted this same way front and back. The moriage work is used to frame the [...]

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My Armand Marseille Doll – 390 A11M

Here’s an excellent large example of the German bisque 390 by the Armand Marseille Porcelain Factory, Thuringia, Germany. She has a perfect face and blonde curly wig. Bisque (*) socket head is marked “Made in Germany 390 A11M” and she is 30″ tall.
The wood and composition body (**) is in nice condition, fingers and toes [...]

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My Italian opera postcards

Postcards represent a major category in the world of old paper collectibles.
What to collect can be divided roughly into two categories. There are view-cards representing scenes of various locations, which form the bulk of cards produced. And then there are topicals that represent everything else. Topicals can be distinguished by their physical appearance, the method [...]

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My Rosenthal porcelain trinket box – c.1920

This is a very decorative and highly collectible Rosenthal porcelain trinket box, beautiful decorated with wonderful roses on the top and sides, and gold adornment around the rim of the lid. The box is marked on the bottom with green printed marks “Rosenthal, Bavaria E” (1919-1935).

Some Examples of Rosenthal Boxes

Rosenthal, Design for Creative Consumers
Founded [...]

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My problematical artifact – The Hookah

This problematical artifact may just be main body of a pipe water. Carefully hand crafted in copper, embellished with multi-colored gemstones (aquamarine, peridot and garnet), it is authentic down to the final detail. Send me your ideas and suggestions on this piece!

What is water pipe?
It is an ancient tradition enjoyed by the people of the [...]

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My Victorian hat box – 19th

It is a wonderful Victorian hat-box with a hinged lid that fastens the box,with a lockable clasp and a strap and buckle which acts as a handle. The hat-box is intended to secure the safekeeping of finest hats, in the days when people traveled by ship, carriage or train.

Different types of hat boxes

Rita Preuss Paintings
Born [...]

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My italian straw hat – c.1900

This is an genuine spring straw hat, made in Italy, and beautifully adorned with flowers of that period. Circa 1900

Straw Hats Examples

 

The Straw Industry in Italy

The demand for straw plait was driven by fashion. By the 1800s, the Italians had the largest European straw industry employing 80,000 people. The industry was centred in villages around [...]

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My Mercury bronze bust sculpture – 1900

Exceptional bronze sculpture, bust of the god Mercury (1) on wooden base. Unsigned, c.1900.

(1) In Roman religion, Mercury is the god of merchants, commonly identified with the Greek Hermes son of Zeus and Maia. A popular deity, Hermes was the messenger of the gods who often led men astray. He was god of travelers and [...]

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