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Post by shangas on Dec 15, 2015 2:56:59 GMT
The pestle is 7in long, the mortar is 5in across at the mouth.
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Post by shangas on Dec 15, 2015 12:44:53 GMT
Latest find:  Managed to buy this for a small discount at the local antiques shop - call it customer loyalty  I go there so often, they know me by sight.  Beautiful black, leather opera glasses in their original, purple silk lined leather case. Retailed by Cooke & Kelvey of Calcutta, India. *** Cooke & Kelvey was (and is) a luxury retailer based in Calcutta, India. They were established in 1858, and made and sold watches, clocks, silverware, jewelry and other luxury items...including...apparently...opera glasses!! *** Also, you may remember this pair of racing binoculars that I bought:  For $5, I bought another pair of binoculars. Broken, useless, beyond repair...but which came with their original case! I found out by happy coincidence that the broken pair of binoculars, and my French racing binoculars, are *exactly* the same size...which means that the parts are all interchangeable! The broken binoculars were missing a major component, so they were irreparable. But the lenses were in great condition (because they've been kept in their case for so long). So I unscrewed the lenses from the broken binoculars and used them to replace the scuffed lenses in my racing binoculars! They fit *perfectly*, and now my racing binoculars have nice, clear, scratchless vision!...AND they have a new case to go with them! Huzzah! Not bad for $5!!  Et voila!  A perfect fit! |
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Post by shangas on Feb 8, 2016 12:19:04 GMT
My beautiful solid brass field-glasses/binoculars. Made by Mohrson of France. For something that is well over 100 years old, by my reckoning, these are in STUNNING condition. They are solid brass - no black enamel paint ever graced these beauties, except for on the insides of the glare-shields (to reduce reflection), and on the rims of the lenses - which is normal for such binoculars. They are in excellent antique condition, with only one or two minor, tiny dents. I disassembled them and cleaned the lenses. I also removed the glare-shields and tore off the old felt linings inside. They were badly deteriorated, and their presence is important to the smooth functioning of the binoculars (the felt rings stop the glare shields from rattling, and the friction they provide hold the shields in place when they're extended). Replacing the felt was a very easy process. The lenses themselves were without scratches or major blemishes. Just dusty and grimy. Easily cleaned. The only thing missing is the original shoulder-strap, which probably broke off from dry-rot and old age. As yet, I"m uncertain whether I'll bother replacing that. I don't think that I will; it's not really necessary.       They're quite big as far as binoculars go. About 6.5in long, fully extended (as in last picture). |
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Post by shangas on Feb 13, 2016 21:07:16 GMT
Me being artistic. I took these shots for a magazine cover...  In the end, I used the full-sized version of this photograph:  |
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Post by shangas on Mar 20, 2016 12:50:18 GMT
Here's something you definitely don't see every day of the week!   What've got here is a 17th century (ca. 1680-1700) solid brass apothecary's mortar and pestle, manufactured in the Netherlands, or more precisely, the Dutch Republic, as it was back then. I bought this earlier this week and it arrived on Friday afternoon. I've done extensive research over the past couple of days and asked a few collectors who know more about this than I do. The general consensus is that this is, a real and genuine piece of Dutch brassware from the late 17th century. I've researched other examples online, which date to the same era, and there are many striking similarities, which all lead me to believe that this is indeed, 300 years old! How this piece is constructed is absolutely amazing. The entire thing is made out of three pieces of brass. The pestle is made of a single piece of brass. It was drilled onto a treadle-lathe and then spun at high speed while the brazier shaped the shaft with a chisel, to create the double-ended pestle-heads and the ridge in the middle. The ball-handles were made the same way, and then split in half to each form one handle on each side of the mortar, which I believe, was also spun and turned on a lathe. You can still see the holes drilled or hammered into the brass where they were fixed onto the lathe for turning. The underside of the mortar is marked with a '5' (indicating size), and the pestle is marked with a badly-struck '6' (again, to indicate size). From what I've seen online in antiques websites and dealerships, these things sell anywhere from a couple of hundred bucks to over $5-600; one guy told me sometimes nearly up to $1,000 (approx $800). I was in shock. I think I still am. I paid $64 including the postage. AND I almost didn't buy this...it took me months to make up my mind before I purchased it online. |
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Post by bookworm1225 on Mar 20, 2016 16:00:10 GMT
Here's something you definitely don't see every day of the week! What've got here is a 17th century (ca. 1680-1700) solid brass apothecary's mortar and pestle, manufactured in the Netherlands, or more precisely, the Dutch Republic, as it was back then. I bought this earlier this week and it arrived on Friday afternoon. I've done extensive research over the past couple of days and asked a few collectors who know more about this than I do. The general consensus is that this is, a real and genuine piece of Dutch brassware from the late 17th century. I've researched other examples online, which date to the same era, and there are many striking similarities, which all lead me to believe that this is indeed, 300 years old! How this piece is constructed is absolutely amazing. The entire thing is made out of three pieces of brass. The pestle is made of a single piece of brass. It was drilled onto a treadle-lathe and then spun at high speed while the brazier shaped the shaft with a chisel, to create the double-ended pestle-heads and the ridge in the middle. The ball-handles were made the same way, and then split in half to each form one handle on each side of the mortar, which I believe, was also spun and turned on a lathe. You can still see the holes drilled or hammered into the brass where they were fixed onto the lathe for turning. The underside of the mortar is marked with a '5' (indicating size), and the pestle is marked with a badly-struck '6' (again, to indicate size). From what I've seen online in antiques websites and dealerships, these things sell anywhere from a couple of hundred bucks to over $5-600; one guy told me sometimes nearly up to $1,000 (approx $800). I was in shock. I think I still am. I paid $64 including the postage. AND I almost didn't buy this...it took me months to make up my mind before I purchased it online. Wow - very cool! |
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Post by shangas on Jun 1, 2016 8:30:24 GMT
After nearly a year of searching, I finally got my hands on a sterling silver pocket watch:   It come with a traditional "Gaelic Belt and cartouche" caseback design, which was very common in the 1800s up to the early 1900s.  17-jewel manual mechanical movement with swan-neck regulator. For the kind of money that these watches cost, I was only going to spend money on a watch with a quality movement. They're expensive to service and I want it to keep great time once it has been serviced.  The hallmarks indicate a sterling silver watch-case for 1925, hallmarked in Birmingham. It's currently at the watchmaker. For the quote he gave me, I'm expecting a first-class five-star job. This guy has a very good reputation as a watchmaker so I'm hoping it'll come back looking (and working) perfectly. In the meantime, selling antiques remains my way to fund the cost of the servicing. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2016 21:53:21 GMT
Very nice watch Shangas. I hope it lives up to your expectations!
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Post by shangas on Nov 4, 2016 22:20:12 GMT
Here's something new from my collection...   |
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Post by shangas on Sept 12, 2017 23:42:47 GMT
Been a while since I posted here... Here's some other pretty things...  Sterling silver chopsticks with silver rest and chain. I keep these as my personal set of chopsticks now  And this, which is now the oldest dateable antique in my collection! Georgian sterling silver pap boat from about 1790. |
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Post by shangas on Sept 12, 2017 23:44:54 GMT
I also have this: A mid-Victorian mahogany and brass apothecary's pill-making machine...  The pill-drawer at the bottom is a modern replacement I made, but everything else is original |
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Post by lizmc on Sept 13, 2017 3:55:46 GMT
Great stuff, Shangas....glad to see you posting your collection again.....
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Post by shangas on Sept 13, 2017 23:02:42 GMT
Here's something I could imagine Murdoch having on his desk...  I picked this up at my local flea-market for $30.00. It's a Victorian-era brass string-caddy:  Very Art Nouveau, so I imagined about 1885-1915-ish. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2017 0:18:48 GMT
Here's something I could imagine Murdoch having on his desk... I picked this up at my local flea-market for $30.00. It's a Victorian-era brass string-caddy: Very Art Nouveau, so I imagined about 1885-1915-ish. Very cool. Of all the stuff you have shown us, the string caddy has to be one of my favourites: beautiful yet so useful. Well done. |
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Post by shangas on Sept 14, 2017 10:31:47 GMT
I love it because to me, it's the ultimate example of Victorian-era excess, and their obsession with cute little trinkets and dust-collectors.
It's so elaborate and ornate and pretty and cute and decorated...and ALL IT DOES is hold a ball of string!
That said, it does stop the string from rolling off the desk when I need it, so I guess it IS handy, in that respect. I use it everytime I tie up a parcel for delivery.
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I go there so often, they know me by sight. 
Jan 30, 2013 21:44:55 GMT
Jan 30, 2013 21:44:55 GMT