Page 305 - Treasure, World & U.S. Coin Auction 17

1554. Lot of 3 glass bottles of three different (and popular
types): Dutch “onion” bottle, 1720s-1750s; British ale
bottle, 1820s-1840s; Dutch “case gin” bottle, mid-1800s.
1770 grams total, 7-1/2” to 9-1/4” tall, 3” to 5” in diameter. All intact,
with no chips or stars or cracks, the case gin a bit worn but the
other two still glossy and with deep pontils, great “type collection”
of colonial-period bottles. Estimate: $200-$300.

1555. Lot of 2 British colonial-era stoneware bowls (incomplete) from the 1600s, from the site of the World Trade Center
in New York City (found ca. 1968). 311 grams, the larger one 4” tall and 5-1/2” in diameter. Fragmented pots with glazing intact, tan in color,
interesting as evidence of colonial-era activity in the area of the World Trade Center. With certificates. Estimate: $125-$200.

1556. British ebony, brass and ivory octant by Brown
(Cardiff, Wales), late 1700s-early 1800s. 780 grams, roughly 11”
x 9” x 3”. This navigational device was used to measure astronomical
angles and therefore was most useful to sailors who needed to know
latitudes. After the astrolabe came the quadrant, which by definition
measured a quarter circle, but that device was cumbersome and came
to be replaced with the octant (or reflecting quadrant), which utilized
mirrors to get quarter-circle measurement from a device that was, in
effect, only one-eighth of a circle. Technical specifications aside, this
piece consists of an ebony frame with ivory inlays showing a measuring
scale and the maker’s name and city, with brass index arm, mounts
for the glass lens and main mirror and three swiveling windows, brass
legs and ivory inlay on back (the latter with numbers scratched in),
everything apparently intact and in working order, but of course more
of interest to us as just a naval antique. Estimate: $600-$900.

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