DC Silver

I wanted to write today about something that happens from time to time to dealers-- even with pretty sharp eyes.  Fakes.  The fact is that almost all dealers have bought fakes.  You won't see that many articles, because it's embarrassing and dealers think telling people about screw ups might hurt the reputation.  The fact is, publishing these images may help others who are about to get burned or who will remember these examples in the future.  Have a good image of a fake?  Send it along and I will add it to this post. Fake 1736 Spanish 8 Escudo Sometimes you get burned by a counterfeit-- or other times just valueless items that lend an appearance of being a good score.  Sometimes these fakes are intentionally fake and sometimes they are not.  But either way, if you have integrity you should never pass them along even as "replicas" and it would be better if you spotted them before you plunked down your cash and didn't buy them at all.  N...

This is a topic that is not often enough discussed by dealers.  When is something too good to sell?  For me personally, there are three factors which should be met that tip the balance in favor of not selling an item: 1. The item has great form; 2. great age; and 3. has some personal meaning or importance Here's a bracelet that fits the criteria for me.  What you have here is a Navajo made 1940s bracelet in the cornstalk pattern.  The corn plant or maize is associated by the Navajo as a sacred plant and is designated with the cardinal point of North.  It is considered a male symbol.  While this isn't probably the very best sandcast bracelet out there, it's very good in its form and finish.  The lines of the corn plant are nice and each branch peaks in a vee.  This vee is desirable in this types of pieces as it shows the sophistication of the carver imparting the shape into the sandstone mold (tufa).  There are older pieces, but this ...

Yachting is perhaps the grandest of American pasttimes.  So, inevitably, antiques related to yachting are both rare and coveted.  To be honest, I rarely stumble across any yachting or even nautical antiques worthy of a purchase.  That said, my luck changed on this last weekend.  I was in a coastal town on the mid-atlantic in one of my favorite antique stores which I visit probably once a month.  A young couple runs the place and they make a living "doing house clean outs".  While I have never had a major find in his shop, I have a good rapport with the owners.  Last Saturday, I went in with my parents.  My father was immediately struck by a watercolor behind the counter of sailboats.  It was a lovely..Boats at anchor in the pale peach of sunset.  The painting was signed E. Bienvenuti.  So, the shop owner knocked a few bucks off the price and my Dad pulled the trigger.  Good for him.  Meanwhile, during the transactio...

This is a question that is extremely pertinent to new collectors and dealers alike.  When we find a dusty old treasure, our first inclination is to polish it up.  Sometimes, this may be a fine thing to do, sometimes it ruins a perfectly good antique.  Here's a helpful list of what should be polished by an amateur and what should not.  Remember, use a good quality polish and a soft cloth.  Never use power tools (dremel) etc.. on old antiques. Furniture:   No.  If it's a good quality piece of furniture, having the original finish can be as valuable as the piece itself.  Do not refinish good antique wood furniture.  If you've got an old 1970's bookcase and you want to faux paint it, fine.  If you have a colonial era chair, do not polish it up. Don't do this! Civil War Relics: No.  Absolutely never polish up your old civil war buttons, bullets, rosettes etc..  You will destroy the value of these types of relics if ...

This item is SOLD. A Sawfish rostrum is the protrusion at the business end of a Carpenter Shark or Sawfish.  While hunting of these fish is mostly prohibited now, at one time, Sawfish were highly sought, in part for the trophy of their rostrums.  The fish use these protrusion to dig through sand and silt searching out crustaceans.  These days, antique specimens of the Sawfish rostrum are scarce and add an eyepopping touch to the interior design of any room. Recently Found Rostrum I recently found one at a Delaware auction.  I've added the photo to the right so you get the idea.  As with lot of things in life, size matters.  The longer the specimen, the more valuable it is.  Some rostrums can be purchased that range upwards of $6,500 as this 49 inch specimen from the Gentleman Collector is priced.  A 41 inch specimen was sold at Christie's for $2,725 in 2009.  Like any other taxidermy, condition is important.  Sawfi...

This item is SOLD. Today I went to an estate sale.   It was an absolute bust.   On the way home, I spotted a sign that said “Attic in the Street”.   The whole block was shut down and it was full of yard sales.   I had to stop, because you never know.   I found parking and began to make my way through the tables.   A woman next to me started speaking with me and said she was an antiques dealer and there was a man with a jeweler’s loop studying cufflinks (which I later bought).   The competition was pretty rough.   A beautiful morning on a crowded street around 8:30. I was making my second pass through on the way out and I spotted something.   I’ve been reading about jade lately.   So, I have the tone of jade in the forefront of my attention.   Spectrum really, because jade has so much variation.   Jade, or nephrite, can be nearly white to deep green and lots of other possibilities as well.   Anyhow, I spott...

A customer wrote in today with the following question which I have gotten a lot over the years.   She asks, “Hi, just making sure about the content....you have .925 as a tag yet it says cement loaded. is this solid sterling or plated and what would the weight be of the sterling? thank you” It’s a great question and there are lots of misconceptions about silver, so I am going to address the question of what does it mean when something is “weighted” or “loaded” and is marked sterling.   Here’s my response to the customer: “Thank you for asking.   That's a good question.   This item is Sterling silver (92.5% Silver by content), not plated.   It has the stamp STERLING on the bottom and the maker's mark for Fisher, a well known producer of Sterling silver items.   Here's additional info should you want to know more: This piece is pretty typical for sterling silver candlesticks and some other types of serving items like bonbon dishes, compotes and so o...