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November, 2019 The Antique Shoppe Page 27
17 c. Antique Hallmarked Silver Parcel Gilt Tankard Stein, Polish Royal
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What’s Selling on eBay? Measuring 7 7/8 inches in diameter at the base, the overall height to the top
Wedding. $9,960 (60 bids, 25 bidders):

by Deborah Abernethy and Mike McLeod of the thumb latch is 10 5/8 inches. On the cover and the edge of the foot are
two hallmarks. I have tried, but I have not been able to identify them. There
is a 7-centimeter diameter medallion set into the cover commemorating the
Automaton Turkish Tea Drinker Leopold Lambert Smoker. $4,450 1637 marriage between the King of Poland Wladyshaw IV and the Archduchess
(20 bids, 5 bidders): Cecilia Renata of Austria.
The body of this 17 century tankard depicts the king on horseback. He is
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This is an extremely rare and exquisite leading his army into the castle where soldiers are waiting, and several women
piece! Never have I seen another hit the are playing drums and tambourines.
market. Antique French Leopold Lambert Tea This early tankard was given as a trophy by the New York Yacht Club in 1924.
Drinker Automaton. Never do you see these The Sloop Iroquois II won the Vice Commodores Cup, and this 17 century
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come to market. The unfortunate part is this tankard was given as a trophy since the cup stays at the Yacht Club. Using
automaton was in excellent condition prior to antique silver for presentations was not uncommon.
shipping. There is some wear to the parcel gilt surface, but the tankard itself is in
He was shipped and arrived in this excellent, original condition, and there are no restorations. (Photos courtesy of
condition. I’ve had several people tell me he eBay seller wwolst12.)
is very much repairable; however, I do not
have the knowledge or skill or time to do so. DBA: These marks are very
So I am selling him as is. I have taken very hard to identify. Most silver
detailed photos of this beautiful piece for your books will identify marks of
viewing. Please take this into consideration countries, but this particular
parcel of land has been several
when bidding as he will be your responsibility
to repair the damages and get him back in different countries over the
working order. years. I believe that the mark is
I will have him professionally packaged. He Matthaus Bock of Loenigsberg.
is a lovely piece and I hope he goes to a home that will restore him properly. Not because I had access to
books on the marks of this type
(Photos courtesy of eBay seller pariscoutureantiques.) of early silver, but because
DBA: Leopold Lambert (French, 1854-1935) began his career in a clockmaker/ I poured through auction
jeweler’s shop in Paris. He became interested in automata and opened his catalogs of this type of silver
own shop in 1886. Eugenie Maria Bourgeois, a seamstress and his wife, made being auctioned (and the marks
the clothing for his works. were not shown).
Lambert’s objects are among the finest made for automata. The golden age Matthaus Bock also did
for automata was the period from 1860-1910, and the Paris workshops were another tankard for this
the best. wedding, and it was engraved
This is a low price for such a piece and must be due to the damage showing as such. However, the photos
on this object. The seated smoker, rather than the tea drinker, comes to did not show the wording at
market more often. Skinner sold one of these for $17,650 in 2005. the base of the tankard to see if this was also engraved to the wedding. The
I have no idea of the cost of restoring this object or the exact extent of the top engraving did show the New York Yacht Club, and I cannot believe it had
damage. the audacity to deface such as object.
Most silver of this period and of this quality would sell for similar amounts
N. B. Jacob’s San Francisco, California, Antique Western Bitters Bottle. of money.
$3,800 (34 bids, 18 bidders):
Rare! Super condition. Applied, tapered collar. Clear, clean and shiny. Very 1879 W G McComas Antique Wood Beam Hay Barn Carrier Trolley,
rare and desirable. This is similar to Jacob’s Rosenbaum’s bitters without the Rare. $5,100 (40 bids, 12 bidders):
“Rosenbaum’s Bitters” embossing. Couple of minor scratches on shoulder of Condition is used. (Photos courtesy of eBay seller countrygal70.)
one blank side. That’s about it. No other notable DBA: This device made the work of getting hay into the barn much easier, and
marks, dings, abrasions, case wear or other damage it changed the total scope of work for the farmer. The hay trolley was invented
of any kind. Amazing near-mint condition. Color in 1867, and this model is one of
would best be described as medium yellow/green. the early ones. The way you can
No olive tones. (Photos courtesy of eBay seller tell that is the top is wide so it
2010sgreenberger.) fits on a center wooden beam in
DBA: Of all types of bottles collected, bitters tend the barn for the trolley to travel
to be of the highest value. You would have to be along. The “newer” ones were
a serious collector to recognize all of the different smaller at the top and made to fit
names of the bitters companies. There are a few on a steel rod.
points to consider: this bottle is made of glass with This model has sold for far
lots of imperfections and has an applied rim. Given more than the retail sites show,
the impressed writing, it was mold form and not but also, those offered for sale
mouth-blown. (This bottle would not have had a were not as early as this one.
pontil mark.) All of this point to this bottle being a Most of these sell in the under
period bottle, not a reproduction. $500 category. This one is just
Western bottles are rare and do bring rare.
higher prices when sold. This bottle
is so rare that I have not been able to Deborah Abernethy is a certified appraiser with the International Association of Appraisers. She can be
find another one that has sold in recent contacted at 404-262-2131 or Deborah@expert-appraisers.com. Her website is www.expert-appraisers.com.
times.