Catalog (2449)

A delightful vintage Halloween bisque figure in the form of a broom-carrying witch and her black cat. Items such as this were used as table decorations, but it’s also possible that they were filled with small candies through the hole in the bottom, then sealed with paper and given as party favors. The witch, with her pasty complexion, gaping mouth, and crossed eyes really looks more like a space alien than a traditional witch. Only her broom and black cat betray her true nature!

• Origin: Japan, ca. 1930
• Condition: very good, about 5% paint loss, mostly to her dress near the broom
• Dimensions: 4” tall.

A very rare French first standard silver (950/1000 pure silver) tastevin, the bottom bearing the coat of arms of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. The arms depict St. Vincent, patron saint of winemakers. The body is further decorated with the traditional raised “perles” for highlighting the reflections in the wine and recessed “cupules” and elongated “godrons” intended to concentrate the color during the tasting process. The handle is worked in the snake motif traditional in Burgundian tastevins. The rim is stamped with the master silversmith’s mark for Emile Mémery & Henri Hours.

The Confrerie was established in 1934 to promote the wines of Burgundy. Modeled on Medieval guilds, membership in the Confrerie is strictly controlled and is open only to sponsored candidates. A tastevin bearing the arms of the Confrerie could only have belonged to a member. Tastevins used by the Confrerie come in a few different variations (not all the members are wealthy and must make do with a silverplate taster), with the being the rarest and most prized. Known for their service to the elite of Burgundy, Alsace and Lorraine, Mémery & Hours were the preferred silversmiths to the Confrerie’s elite.

• Origin: Lyon, France, ca 1935
• Condition: excellent; sharp detail on the coat of arms; a minor ding on each of two “cupules”
• Dimensions: 3-1/16” x 4” x 1”
• Weight: 96.8 grams

A delightful belly-laughing Santa, patriotically dressed in red, white and blue, stands atop a round box candy container enhanced with mica to represent snow. Santa is stamped "Japan" at the back.

• Origin: Japan, ca 1930
• Condition: excellent, no chips, cracks or paint loss
• Dimensions: 3-5/8" tall

Outstanding antique German snowman Christmas candy container. We've had many vintage Christmas candy containers, but never this design. The entire papier-mache container is covered with red and white chenille. The snowman straddles the container, making a sort of basket handle. His black eyes are glass and his nose is composition. The inside of the basket is marked "Germany."

• Origin: Germany ca. 1930
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: diameter, 4-1/2"; height, 5-1/2"

A classic figural sterling silver thimble jigger, the rim ornately engraved “Only A Thimble Full.” The workmanship is very good and the engraving among the nicest we’ve seen. Marked only “Sterling,” it was likely made by either Thomae or Webster.

• Origin: America, 1935
• Condition: excellent, no dings or monograms
• Dimensions: 1-7/8” tall
• Weight: 37.1 grams

A fine Art Deco 800 silver graduated jigger in an exaggerated flaring design. The sections measure 1, 1 1/2, and 2 1/2 ounces. The bottom is stamped for 800 silver and has an Italian mark used 1935-38 that was applied to finished silver goods already in the inventories of Italian jewelers and silversmiths.

• Origin: Italy, ca 1930
• Condition: excellent, no dings or monograms
• Dimensions: 2 1/8” tall; 2 1/2” wide at rim
• Weight: 36.0 grams

A delightful bisque figure of a skiing Santa Claus carrying a cloth sack on his back. The paperboard skis are enhanced with glittery mica snow. The bottom is stamped "Made in Japan."

• Origin: Japan, ca 1925
• Condition: all excellent, except one ski has an old break that was reglued
• Height: 2-3/4"

A colorful antique iron Christmas feather tree stand decorated with three gnomes dancing under a mushroom. In German folklore the mushroom was considered a good luck omen and it frequently pops up as a motif in antique German Christmas decorations. The stand is heavy enough to hold a very large feather tree. It would also make a great centerpiece for a Holiday table.

• Origin: Germany, ca 1900-30
• Condition: good; some paint loss and rust (see photos)
• Dimensions: top diameter, 7-1/2"; base diameter, 10-3/4"; opening diameter, 1"; height, 8-3/4"

A 1930's Santa Clause figurine with a composition face and boots, a cotton batting beard, a felt jacket, and a cotton toy bag and pants. He stands on a mica-covered paperboard base. Unmarked, but definitely pre-war Japanese. Some of the Japanese Santas have rather fearsome faces, but this one is quite jolly. At 7" tall, he's also a bit larger than most.

Origin: Japan, ca 1930
• Condition: excellent, bright colors
• Height: 7"

A colorful vintage Germany Santa Claus squeeker toy. He has a composition face and cotton batting beard. His suite is red and blue wool felt with white trim. The boots are pressed paperboard. The body conceals the bellows for the squeeker. The bellows still moves, but no longer makes noise. The original “Made In Germany” sticker is still inside one foot.

• Origin: Germany, ca. 1930
• Condition: excellent painted details, a 1/4" hole to one side of the felt hood, no noise
• Height: 7”

A very rare cobalt blue version of the Santa Claus or Belsnickel bottle created around 1900 by Monroe Gandy Husted of the Husted-Hall Mold Works in Bridgeton, NJ. The bottle was blown into a three-part mold. This example retains the original quatrefoil-shaped front label showing a snow-covered mountain cabin surrounded by a holly leaf border. The clear bottles have an embossed “M.G. Husted” signature, but the cobalt bottles do not, leading some to suspect the blue versions were reproductions. The original label and the wear marks on the basal rim clearly indicate an early date. Husted died in 1923, so it’s likely that these bottles were made in the years following his death, up to the 1930s.

• Origin: America, 1923-38
• Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks, original paper label intact
• Height: 12-1/4”

A terrific pair of 14K yellow gold cufflinks, each fashioned as a pair of ridged spheres topped with round sapphires. The gemstones have a nice medium-light violet-blue color that contrasts nicely with the gold. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1940. Condition: excellent. Size: 3/4" x 7/16". Weight: 6.4 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: .392 carat.

A classic figural sterling silver thimble jigger by Thomae & Co. The rim is engraved “Only A Thimble Full.” The interior retains a softly gilt surface. Several companies made variations of thimble jiggers, but those by Thomae are among the best because of their superior weight and workmanship.

• Origin: America, ca. 1935
• Condition: excellent, no dings or monograms
• Dimensions: 2” tall
• Weight: 35.6 grams

A French Art Deco arched chrome cocktail pick holder with a dozen picks with colorful bakelite finials. The holder is French, but the picks (probably early replacements) are marked “Made in England.” This simple design is somewhat easier to use than some of the other figural pick holders. Cocktail pick holders (“porte-piques”) was once a fixture of every French bar or café. Today, they can be used to spear cocktail olives or cherries, or to serve small hors d’oeuvres.

• Origin: France and England, ca 1930
• Dimensions: 5-1/4” long x 1-1/2” deep x 3” high.

A very fine pair of 14K gold cufflinks set with rubies by Carrington for Tiffany & Co. The square faces feature rounded gold ridges typical of “tank” jewelry from around 1935, flanked by rows of square cut rubies. The rubies are unheated and have inclusions typical of stones from the Mogok region of Burma. The rubies are beautifully matched and have strong red coloring with slight purplish overtones. The faces are joined by bar connectors. Each face is stamped with Carrington’s 14K gold mark, and each of the connectors is stamped Tiffany & Co. Much of Tiffany’s better-quality jewelry was manufactured by the great Newark jewelers such as Carrington. Sometimes, pieces are marked only by Tiffany, and other times they are marked by Tiffany and the manufacturer.

• Origin: America, ca 1935
• Condition: excellent, all original
• Dimensions: faces, 1/2” x 1/2"
• Weight: 17.2 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 2.32 carats

An elegant boxed set of gilt sterling silver demitasse spoons with fox head finials. Each spoon is stamped with the hallmark for William Suckling. Each is also stamped “Swaine & Adeney,” one of London’s most exclusive luxury goods shops for more than 270 years. The spoons are presented in their original velvet- and silk-lined fitted case. An extra spoon, apparently from a second box, is included.

• Origin: Birmingham, England, 1938
• Condition: excellent, gilding intact; box shows typical wear
• Dimensions: spoons, 3-13/16” long
• Weight: 84.3 grams.

One of the nicest Retro buckle bracelets we’ve seen, this 18K gold and platinum example comprises a strap of honeycomb-shaped links set off with a large buckle pave-set with rose cut and single cut diamonds in platinum. The buckle’s tongue, frame and loop are set with calibre cut synthetic rubies. This bracelet has a particularly sculptural appearance. Rubies from the Retro period are nearly always synthetics because the usual shipping lanes from the gem mines of southeast Asia were cut off because of World War II. The bracelet bears French marks for 18K and platinum.

• Circa 1940
• Condition: excellent, all original
• Dimensions 7” circumference; strap, 1” wide; buckle, 1-1/2” wide
• Weight: 90.7 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: ruby, 4.5 carats; diamond, 1.0 carat

A handsome pair of 18K yellow gold cufflinks by Tiffany & Co. set with square cut sapphires. The cufflinks are fashioned in a sort of modified belt buckle motif. The sapphires have very good uniform color and show no indication of heat treatment. The backs are stamped Tiffany & Co. and also have the manufacturing jeweler’s mark for Larter.

• Origin: America, ca. 1940
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 9/16” x 11/16”
• Weight: 13.2 grams
• Approximate Total Sapphire Weight: 1.0 carat