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Collectibles and Curiosities For Sale
Period: Early 20th Century
Period: 1940s
Antique Billiard Table snooker Pool Table Magnificent FREE SHIPPING
Located in Radstock, GB
Free shipping UK, Europe and NYC (Standard front door)
This exceptional exhibition-quality English billiard or snooker table, crafted by Orme and Sons o...
Category
Early 1900s British Edwardian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Oak
English mahogany wood decorative airplane propeller from the 1940s.
Located in Milan, IT
English-made mahogany wood decorative airplane propeller from the 1940s. Very Good Condition. Length 200x18x10 cm - inches 78.7x7.1x3.85.
Curiosity
The first airplane proper saw the ...
Category
1940s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
Large Antique Catholic Crucifix Pendant Brass Ormolu & Nickel, Antique Austria
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This antique Cross Pendant is hand made of metal. It looks very beautiful and will be a nice item on your wall or just do place it in your collection of relics and christianity items...
Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Antique Group of 6 Skookum Dolls, 1913s
Located in Norton, MA
A Skookum doll was a Native American-themed doll, sold as a souvenir item in the early 20th century.
They are all in different sizes. The last photo shows the dimensions (inch) of each doll, W (width) x H (height) x D (depth).
The original labels (SKOOKUM (BULLY GOOD) INDIAN )are attached to the bottoms of the leather shoes.
One method of determining the production date of the dolls is by studying the footwear. For example, the earliest dolls from around 1913 had moccasins made of leather. By 1918, the mocassins were simulated with suede applied to wood and painted designs. By 1924, they were molded of composition material, and by the 1950s, the dolls had plastic feet. Production of the dolls ended in the early 1960s.
History:
Mary Dwyer McAboy (1876-1961), who was from Missoula, Montana. In 1909, Mary McAboy began to market apple head...
Category
1910s German Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Composition
Antique Religious Carved Polychrome Painted Devotional Icon Triptych Folk Art
Located in Forney, TX
A stunning rustic antique Christian carved wood devotional painting triptych, early 20th century or most likely much older, handmade religious folk art in Medieval / Middle Ages tast...
Category
Early 20th Century Folk Art Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Antique/Vintage Austrian watch chain fob of a pistol circa 1900
Located in Central England, GB
This rare pocket watch fob is intended as an eye catching and interesting decoration for a watch chain.
It is beautifully made in polished steel with silver mounts in the form of a m...
Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Edwardian Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Steel
Large Antique Silver Hand Arm Ex Voto, Antique European, 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A cute petite religious Ex Voto. I do not know what it is made of, thin and light filigree silver or silver plated metal. It is handmade, embossed an...
Category
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver Plate, Sheet Metal
Antique Fish Taxidermy Glass Showcase with Bream, ca. 1900
Located in Berghuelen, DE
A large early 20th century taxidermy of a bream. It is mounted in a setting of reeds and grasses in a wooden vitrified case. Made in Germany circa 1900.
Measures: Width: 22.24" (56....
Category
Early 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass, Wood
Fuji Meibo 15 x 80 Marine Binoculars
By Fuji Meibo
Located in Aspen, CO
Fuji Meibo 15 x 80 marine binoculars on an Original Wild GST20 Heerbrug tripod .15 x magnification with 80 mm objective lens. Stamped Fuji Meibo and Serial numbered 2564. These optic...
Category
1940s Japanese Other Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Aluminum
DUPONT 1945 Tall Roller Petrol Pocket Lighter In Plated Sterling
By S.T. Dupont
Located in Miami, FL
A Dupont roller petrol lighter made in France.
This is a very rare pocket petrol lighter created in Paris France during the post war period, back in the 1945. The lighter has been p...
Category
1940s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver Plate
Pair of Wrought Iron Gold Spanish Church Altar Gates
Located in Hastings, GB
A glorious pair of large, hand forged wrought iron Church Altar Gates, Spain circa 1900. These gates would have stood at the entrance to the altar in a chu...
Category
Early 1900s Spanish Baroque Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wrought Iron
Copper Kitchen Decoration Antiqur Coffee Pots Smalls For Rustic Lot of four
Located in Mombuey, Zamora
Lot of 4 antique copper coffee pots for rustic kitchen decoration , Smalls
vintage rustic style copper kitchen decoration
They are very decor...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Rustic Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Copper, Brass
1926 Collected Works of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester
By John Wilmot
Located in Bath, GB
A fine limited edition of the works of the Earl of Rochester, in a sumptuous full crushed morocco binding by Bayntun Riviere.
Number 285 of a 1050 copy limitation.
In a beautiful c...
Category
1920s British Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Old Rotary Telephone Bakelite Bell Telephone Company 1942
Located in Poperinge, BE
Cool vintage rotary telephone by Bell Telephone Company, Belgium, dated inside 1942.
This beautiful and elegant model has a bakelite horn and...
Category
1940s Belgian Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
AUSTRIA 1915 Bergman Style Viennese Art Deco Desk-Striker In Enameled Bronze
Located in Miami, FL
An art deco desk striker made in Austria, attributed to Franz Xaver Bergman.
This is a gorgeous original early Art Deco sculptural desk-striker lighter, depicting two Arabian mooris...
Category
1910s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Bronze, Enamel, Spelter
Antique J.C Ulmer Co. Survey Transit & Compass In Original Mahogany Box
Located in New York, NY
Brass and steel survey transit and compass in the original mahogany box. Made by J.C Ulmer Co. Good condition with appropriate wear from age. One availa...
Category
Early 20th Century American Industrial Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass, Steel
Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson, with Preface by Thomas Carlyle
Located in Middletown, NY
The only book published by the Doves Press by an American author.
Hammersmith: The Doves Press, 1906. Small 4to, 9 1/4 x 6.5 in (235 x 166 mm). Pp. xiv, 13...
Category
Early 20th Century English Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Gold Leaf
Antique French 1900s Yellow Gold Thimble
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique French 18 karat yellow gold thimble; an addition to our diverse range of collectable antiques.
This exceptional antique French 18 karat...
Category
Early 20th Century French Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Gold
Early 20th century hand crafted pine architectural roof model
Located in London, GB
Early 20th century hand crafted pine architectural roof model
A highly decorative example of an early 20th century hand crafted English architectural roof top model. This perfect f...
Category
1920s British Victorian Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Pine
Edwardian Sterling Silver Trefoil-Form Table Lighter
Located in New York, NY
Edwardian, sterling silver trefoil form table lighter, Birmingham, England, 1914, John Collard Vickery - maker. Measures: 3 3/4 inches wide x 3 3/4 inches deep x 2 1/2 inches high. W...
Category
1910s English Edwardian Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Sterling Silver
Antique Danish SNTS Morse Telegraph Register Wheatstone transmitter w motor
Located in Sweden, SE
The telegraph apparatus made in early 20th century and equipped with electric motor (Københavns Elektromotor Fabrik) perhaps later ca 1925.
The brass and steel instrument is state of the art creation by legendary Danish engineers. Very good, minimal age n usage wear, original state, very well preserved and likely functioning. Please study high-res pictures for cosmetic condition! Register serial 70868. app. 14,5 cm high (6”) 27 cm deep (11”) and 22 cm wide (9”). App. 6,2 kg weight it is going to measure some 9 kg packed for shipment.
Wheatstone type transmitter was produced by The Great Northern Telegraph Company (Det Store Nordiske Telegrafselskab A / S) that was founded in Denmark in June 1869. It was set up as a merger of three recently established telegraph companies initiated by Danish industrial mogul Carl Frederik Tietgen. The aim of the firm was to create a worldwide telegraph company. The former headquarters of the GNTC on The Bund, Shanghai. The starting point of The Great Northern Telegraph Company (now GN Store Nord) was a concession agreement, which C.F. Tietgen made with the Russian Tzar...
Category
Early 20th Century Danish Art Deco Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass, Stainless Steel
Antique New Williams Arts & Crafts Leather Treadle Belt Sewing Machine Cum Table
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
Under-appreciated but exceptionally made Antique New Williams Company treadle sewing machine with leather belt and working mechanism. Inside it ...
Category
Early 1900s Canadian Arts and Crafts Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Early 20th Century Large Foxed Mercury Mirror Witches Hanging Ball Curio
Located in Lowestoft, GB
A larger than the normal witches mercury mirror ball, with a beautiful time worn oxidisation to the interior. Thick hand blown glass with a simple steel hanging hoop, turn off the ce...
Category
Early 20th Century English Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Blown Glass
Gin Card Game Scoring Pad Made in Italy
Located in New York, NY
An Italian green and gold Gin card game scoring pad, circa early to mid-20th century, Italy. Piece is faux leather with gold embossing: 'Gin', crest, and Fleurs-de-lis. Marked 'Made ...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper, Faux Leather
Spiritualist Movement Occult Tarot Card Reader Caddy Black Steel, Bronze, Lined
Located in Southbury, CT
The spiritualist movement may have begun in the 19th century in America, but it was still alive and well at the turn of the century, when this magnificent and rare occult collectible...
Category
Early 20th Century Unknown Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Steel
Binoculars Opera Glasses with Leather Case
Located in Miami, FL
Binoculars opera glasses with leather case.
Category
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Bakelite
Huge Red Coral Necklace
Located in Madrid, ES
Huge Red Coral Necklace
Huge polished red coral beads complete this fascinating 67cm long necklace. The largest red coral bead is: 35 x 34 mm .436 grams in weight
Category
1940s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Coral
Oak framed table gong
Located in Cheshire, GB
Oak table gong of square form having carved moulded frame supporting the original gong inscribed Burmese.
Dimensions
Height 26 Inches
Width 24 Inches
Depth 5.5 Inches
Category
Early 20th Century British Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Oak
Vintage Alligator Waiter Standing Full Body Mount Taxidermy Ashtray Stand
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage Alligator Waiter Standing Full Body Mount Taxidermy Ashtray Stand. Circa Early 20th Century. Measurements (Overall): 25" H x 15" W x 19" D
Category
Early 20th Century Unknown Rustic Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
RONSON 1925 Art & Craft Mechanical Desk Cigarettes Dispenser In Filigree Gilt
Located in Miami, FL
Mechanical desk cigarette dispenser designed by Ronson.
This is a beautiful and very rare desk cigarettes dispenser, created in New Jersey United States by The Ronson Lighter Co. during the art deco period, back in the 1925. The antique humidor box has been crafted with art & craft patterns in a square shape in solid gilt bronze, steel and wood. This desk-piece is very decorative and will be a great conversation item. It is in gorgeous and exceptional preserved condition.
Period: Art-Deco.
Date: United States, 1925.
Materials: Gilt bronze, brass, zinc coated steel, green felt, cedar wood and synthetic gemstones.
Weight: About 1 pound (624.87wt).
Measurements: 165 mm by 160 mm by 64 mm (4.5 x 5.14 x 5.20 Inches).
Marks: Attached with an early sticker reading as follows, "FASHIONED BY RONSON".
The Ronson lighter company
The company started as The Art Metal Works in 1897 and was incorporated on July 20, 1898, by Max Hecht, Louis Vincent Aronson and Leopold Herzig, in Newark, New Jersey. Louis V. Aronson was a huge creative driving force for the company; and, with a few business adjustments, including the addition of Alexander Harris (1910–11) as Business Manager, the company soon became World Famous. In the 1910s The Art Metal Works were producing very good quality Hood Ornaments and gained a reputation as a dependable supplier of same. All accounts state that Louis Aronson was a gifted man, who at 16 years old set up a money-making shop in his parent's home - before receiving a U.S. patent for a commercially valuable metal-plating process he developed when he was 24 years old, and he sold half the rights while retaining the Right to Use. "His experiments, which he has been conducting since his early youth, resulted in 1893 in the discovery of a process for electrically producing tinplate. Much money was expended upon improving the process... and has been of great practical value to the whole industry. Retaining its rights, he sold half the patent rights, and later used part of the proceeds to open the Art Metal Works in Newark, N.J. Soon the company was producing a variety of high-quality Lamps, Book ends, Art Statues and other decorative items, prized today for their detail in the collector marketplace.
Condition: The overall condition of this Ronson cigarette...
Category
1920s American Art Deco Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass, Bronze, Gold
Early 20Th C Hand Written Quran Surah Manuscript
Located in New York, NY
A museum quality hand written Quran Surah manuscript in Kufic script. Circa the first half of the 20th century. Religious Books And Home Library Specimen For Collectors.
Dimensions: ...
Category
Early 20th Century Unknown Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Bibendum Michelin Man Bronze Car Mascot, Hood Ornament, Automobilia
By Michelin Man
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
This is a highly collectible Bibendum Michelin Man bronze car mascot, Hood Ornament, Mascotte voiture.
It´s approximate 4 inch tall depiction of ...
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Bronze
A History of the American People, Signed by Woodrow Wilson, Alumni Edition #29 o
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Woodrow Wilson. A History of the American People. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1902. Alumni Edition #29 of 350 copies. Volume I signed by Woodrow Wilson...
Category
Early 1900s American Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Vintage English Poker Game Set in a Burl Box
Located in New York, NY
Handsome vintage poker and card set .The box and container is made of burl wood . Inside features four fitted carousel boxes that come in and out and hold all the poker chips along w...
Category
Early 20th Century English Art Deco Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Plastic, Bakelite, Burl
Large Early 20th Century King Edward vii W & T Avery Beam Scale
By W & T Avery
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Large antique wrought iron and brass beam weight balance scale by W and T Avery Ltd. of Soho foundry Birmingham, England. Lovely black transfer on a por...
Category
Early 20th Century English Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass, Wrought Iron
Vintage Leather Medicine Ball, 1930s Germany
Located in Biebergemund, Hessen
The medicine ball is part of a big collection from the 1920s-1930s, the time of the first gym enthusiasts in Germany. The ball is handmade and filled with horse hair. All balls are i...
Category
1920s German Bauhaus Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather
Jeux de la grenouille, French Frog Game
Located in Copenhagen K, DK
Super fun French game, called Jeux de la grenouille, involving throwing. Pine game and cast iron frogs. Get the disc in the frogs’ mouths!
Category
Early 20th Century French Other Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Iron
Antique WWII Swiss Army 1945 MO-05 Military Bicycle Bike with Leather Frame Pack
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique WWII Swiss Army MO-05 Military Bicycle with Leather Frame Pack. Item featuredis being offered as pictured. Bicycle does seem to function nicely and the tires are holding air....
Category
1940s Arts and Crafts Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Antique Fishtail Tennis Racket by Prosser & Son
Located in Oxfordshire, GB
Wooden Prosser & Sons Fishtail Tennis Racket.
A lawn tennis racket by T.H. Prosser & Sons with nice ash frame with convex walnut wedge. The wedge is s...
Category
Early 20th Century British Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Ash
Finest Ships Binnacle From John Hand
Located in Norwell, MA
High quality nineteenth century ships binnacle from John Hand and Sons. Mushroom top with oil burners. Brass covers on the iron compensating balls. Brass brackets hold the balls. Bra...
Category
1910s North American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass
Large Mounted Deer Antlers
Located in Buchanan, NY
An exceptional large pair of mounted antlers. This French early 20th century pair of deer antlers mounted on a wooden shield is a stunning piece of art perfect for a lodge or country...
Category
Early 20th Century French Gothic Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Antler
La Mort de Venise; Illustrated by Edgar Chahine, SUPER DELUXE Edition
Located in Middletown, NY
Chahine, Edgar & Maurice Barrès
LA MORT DE VENISE; Illustré de vingt-six eaux-fortes originales
Paris: Société Nouvelle des Éditions d'Art Devambez, 1926
SIGNED LIMITED EDITION
4to,...
Category
Early 20th Century French Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather, Wood, Paper
Vintage Original Aviation Pencil Drawing Depicting a Hanriot HD 1 WWI Aircraft
Located in Milan, IT
Pencil drawing depicting a single-seat biplane airplane fighter Hanriot HD 1, by Riccardo Cavigioli. Measure with frame cm 49 x 31 - inch19.3 x 11.8.
Riccardo Cavigioli was born in ...
Category
1920s Italian Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
French Cane or Walking Stick Exotic Wood and Silver, circa 1900
Located in Labrit, Landes
French walking stick or cane, circa 1900
Mahogany and silver
Shipping:
2/2/87 cm 0.2 kg.
Category
Early 1900s French Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver, Brass
Liquidation of The Entire Stock of The NY Store of Yamanaka & Co., 1944, Cat. #1
Located in valatie, NY
Parke-Bernet Galleries Catalog, By Order of the Alien Property Custodian of the United States, Liquidation of The Entire Stock of The New York Store of Yamanaka & Co. Inc., Oriental Art, Part One, New York, 1944, 190 pages. with 939 lots. One of the three catalogues of the auctions held at the Parke Bernet Galleries in 1944. Lots included graeco buddhist, Cambodian, Siamese and Chinese sculptures and bronzes, Chinese porcelains, pottery, jade, coral carvings, pearl necklaces, Chinese paintings, lamps and screens, Chinese and Japanese furniture. The Yamanaka Company was owned by the seventh generation of the family of Ichaguro Yamanaka, who founded this worldwide business by opening a small curio...
Category
1940s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Antique Technical Drawing Set, German, Architect, Cartography, Wichmann
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique technical drawing set. A German, architect's or cartographer's instrument case by Wichmann, dating to the early 20th c...
Category
Early 20th Century German Edwardian Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Nickel
Antique Art Nouveau White Marble Bust of a Female Lady Wearing a Bonnet
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A classic decorative Bust statue. Some wear with a nice patina, but this is old-age. Made of white alabaster on a marble base. Very decorative and nice to display in your library or ...
Category
1920s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Stone
The Love Affairs of Lord Byron by F. Gribble – COSWAY STYLE BINDING
Located in Middletown, NY
A sumptuous extra-illustrated copy with Cosway-style binding by Bayntun of Bath.
London: Eveleigh Nash, 1910.
Octavo, 8 1/4 x 5 3/8 (210 x 137 mm),pp. i-xii, 382. Illustrated with ...
Category
Early 20th Century English Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather, Paint, Paper
ANTIQUE ViCTORIAN STAUNTON CHESS SET IN HARDWOOD BOX WALNUT HARDWOOD CHESSBOARD
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques
Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this absolutely stunning Victorian 1880 Chessboard set complete with chess pieces, boxed checkers pieces, br...
Category
Early 1900s English Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Hardwood, Walnut, Oak
Stanley Antique Square Ruler Vintage Carpentry Tool in Rosewood & Brass
By Stanley
Located in Chula Vista, CA
For consideration: Antique tool square ruler carpentry measuring by Stanley.
Metal with brass and rosewood handle. Made in the USA.
Size: 9.5 W x 5.63 Tall x .63 Thick
Original an...
Category
1920s American Industrial Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass
1901 Chart of Port Jefferson, New York
Located in Norwell, MA
Original chart by George Eldridge of Port Jefferson on Long Island, New York. The identified waters include Setauket Harbor, Mount Misery Point, and Match Rock. Two channels are mark...
Category
Early 1900s North American Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Antique Miniature Books 'Faust' by Goethe I&II, Schmidt & Günther, Leipzig, 1907
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Faust volume 1 & 2 by Johann Wolgang Goethe. Printed in these miniature version by Schmidt & Günther in Leipzig, Germany in 1907. The share the same distinct qualities as regular cla...
Category
Early 1900s German Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather, Paper
Detailed Model of Dutch Sailing Ship Circa 1930s-1940s
Located in Opole, PL
Detailed Model of Dutch Sailing Ship Circa 1930s-1940s
A faithfully reproduced model of a vessel dating back to the Interwar Period of the 20th century. In particularly good condition.
Category
Early 20th Century Dutch Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
Map of the Southeastern USA and Atlantic States – Vintage 1903 Geography
Located in Langweer, NL
Map of the Southeastern USA and Atlantic States – Vintage 1903 Geography
This original engraved map, titled “United States of North America (South Eastern Sheet) with the Atlantic S...
Category
Early 20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Vintage Italian Carrara Marble Sculpture of David
By Michelangelo
Located in Houston, TX
Stunning vintage Italian carved carrara marble sculpture or statue of David.
Offered is a good sized well executed marble figure of David as a youth, copied from the original by Mic...
Category
1940s Italian Grand Tour Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Carrara Marble
Antique Anchor "Meteorite" Copper Ship Lantern
Located in Raleigh, NC
An antique copper ship lantern manufactured by Anchor dating to the early 1900s. Looks to be complete but shows heavy signs of age and use with plenty as verdigris to the copper as ...
Category
1920s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Copper
Classical Revival Pair of Ceremonial Swords & Shield
Located in Milford, NH
A fine pair of Classical Revival ceremonial swords with brassed handles, attached to a pressed steel shield with nickel plating featuring classical, angelic and military figures, som...
Category
Early 20th Century European Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal, Steel
Antique European Carved Gilt And Polychrome Coat Of Arms Wall Plaque
Located in Nuernberg, DE
We are delighted to offer for sale this highly collectable hand carved coat of arms featuring a knightly crest.
This is an exceptionally well made and decorative piece. It is a very...
Category
Early 20th Century Spanish Folk Art Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
Antique and Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities for Sale
Antique and vintage collectibles and curiosities can bring whimsy and wonder to any interior.
Decorating with old scientific instruments, historical memorabilia and vintage musical instruments, as well as other authentic collectibles and curiosities that can be found on 1stDibs, presents an opportunity to create a unique, natural history museum-like atmosphere in your home that can provoke conversation as often as it pays tribute to how far we’ve come in understanding our world.
And bringing collectibles and curiosities into your space is actually on trend — Wunderkammern, or curiosity cabinets, were all the rage in Europe during the 1500s and continued to have adherents there and in the U.S. in the following centuries. Today, however, they’re experiencing a real surge in popularity and influencing how many interior designers are furnishing and decorating homes — combining contemporary with antique, scientific with tribal, earthly with extraterrestrial, Les Lalanne tables with Flemish tapestries.
The original Wunderkammern were entire rooms filled with objects demonstrating their owners’ worldly knowledge: A proper one included artificiala or preciosa (objets d’art); naturalia (such as skeletons, shells, minerals); exotica (taxidermy or dried plants); and scientifica (scientific instruments), frequently alongside religious relics and ancient artifacts.
Pay tribute to a history of rich and diverse musical traditions that have taken shape all over the world by decorating your home with a collection of antique and vintage musical instruments — with a little help from strong hanging wire or some wall hooks, vintage brass instruments such as a gong, French horn or trumpet can help elevate a home office or complement the efforts you’ve made to ensure a welcoming vibe in your home’s entryway. Bells or antique wind instruments can add provocative metallic contrasts to dark woods as tabletop decorative objects.
Create an intriguing focal point with Georgian scientific instruments, such as stick barometers with mahogany cases or lacquered brass telescopes. These items stem from an era named for the monarchies of the four King Georges, who ruled England in succession starting in 1714 (plus King William’s reign, which lasted until 1837). Just as there was beautiful jewelry produced during the period that today is coveted by collectors, there is much to be found in the collectibles and curiosities realm too.
Wanderlust, nostalgia and a shared love of good design are contributing factors to certain trends in decorating — just as vintage trunks and luggage have reappeared as furniture or home accents in a bedroom or foyer, decorating with globes, maps or nautical objects is similarly rooted in the allure of travel and a penchant for the stylish finishing touch that collectibles bring to our homes.
Find a wide range of antique and vintage collectibles and curiosities on 1stDibs.
Read More
Medal-Worthy Memorabilia from Epic Past Olympic Games
Get into the games! These items celebrate the events, athletes, host countries and sporting spirit.
Ahoy! You’ve Never Seen a Collection of Sailor Art and Kitsch Quite Like This
French trendsetter and serial collector Daniel Rozensztroch tells us about his obsession with objects related to seafaring men.
Pamela Shamshiri Shares the Secrets behind Her First-Ever Book and Its Effortlessly Cool Interiors
The sought-after designer worked with the team at Hoffman Creative to produce a monograph that beautifully showcases some of Studio Shamshiri's most inspiring projects.
Moroccan Artworks and Objects Take Center Stage in an Extraordinary Villa in Tangier
Italian writer and collector Umberto Pasti opens the doors to his remarkable cave of wonders in North Africa.
Montecito Has Drawn Royalty and Celebrities, and These Homes Are Proof of Its Allure
Hollywood A-listers, ex-pat aristocrats and art collectors and style setters of all stripes appreciate the allure of the coastal California hamlet — much on our minds after recent winter floods.
Whaam! Blam! Pow! — a New Book on Pop Art Packs a Punch
Publishing house Assouline and writer Julie Belcove have teamed up to trace the history of the genre, from Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Yayoi Kusama to Mickalene Thomas and Jeff Koons.
The Sparkling Legacy of Tiffany & Co. Explained, One Jewel at a Time
A gorgeous new book celebrates — and memorializes — the iconic jeweler’s rich heritage.
What Makes a Gem-Encrusted Chess Set Worth $4 Million?
The world’s most opulent chess set, weighing in at 513 carats, is literally fit for a king and queen.