Collectibles and Curiosities

"The Last Supper" metal relief.

Antique World War II era United States Army Air Force airplane fuselage segment, mounted in a shadowbox frame and featuring the stars and bars decal ...

The Great Cars Ralph Stein Grosset & Dunlap, 1967 - Automobiles - 251 pages. Profusely illustrated text provides detailed descriptions of the appearance, specifications, and performance of twenty-five of the greatest automobiles ever built. At the time this was published, this was a premium introduction to many classic cars. Special Photography by Tom Burnside. STEIN, RALPH. Published by London Hamlyn, 1967 The Great Cars. "Thirty-five years of close attention to excellence in automobiles have given Ralph Stein a formidable expertise which is happily laced with warm affection, pure enthusiasm, and a saving humour. Here he explains, in stylish prose and with total recall...

"Lot of nine vintage and antique pewter / lead toy soldiers representing a variety of eras from the Revolutionary War to post-World War II; five are by C.C. Stadden (British red coat with a peaked cap hand over sword and leaning on a musket, labeled “British Grenadier 1777 Revolutionary”/ British red coat with peaked cap holding a musket, labeled “Delaney’s Loyal (Tokies) Regiment Revolution”/ Revolutionary War era British red coat with a musket on his shoulder and a tricorn hat / post WWII soldier holding a map, labeled “USA Modern”/ Civil War era Union Cavalry officer with a sword holding a map), one by Greenwood and Ball (World War I era German soldier with a sword on his hip reading a map), and three uncertain (Civil War era Union soldier in a slouch hat and holding a rifle, labeled “US Reg. Infantry Full Dress 1861”/ American soldier at attention in a blue uniform, labeled “USA 1948”/ Napoleonic French(?) Imperial Guard grenadier). “Greenwood & Ball was started in 1938 by John Greenwood (sculptor) and Katherine Ball (painter). Katherine Ball left the company in 1961 to get married. The company was one of the first to start selling 25mm scale figures. John Greenwood sold the company to W.F. Pearce in 1971 and the company name carried on as a brand. The majority of the 25mm figure ranges were most recently owned by Amazon Miniatures. Other sculptors to work for them included: Al Charles, John Braithwaite, Cliff Sanderson, and John Tassell.” “Charles C Stadden (always known to friends and family as Chas) was born in Leytonstone, London on 12th June 1919. His parents were Francis Stadden and Emily James who had been married on 10th February 1912 in West Ham Registry Office. Francis Stadden had served in the Middlesex Regiment and the Devonshire Regiment during WW1 attaining the rank of Company Sergeant Major. In peacetime he was employed as a stationers manager for Strakers of London. Chas had three older brothers, Frank, Arthur (always known as Gyp) and Victor (Vic) and a younger sister, Pearl. Having such a background of military service must have made an impression on the four young Stadden boys. Two of Emilys sisters were married to servicemen, and while Chas was a young boy his mother had taken him on visits by train to Chichester where his Aunt Louise lived while her husband Augustus (in the RAMC) was stationed at the barracks there. His childhood was a happy one living in Epsom Road, Leytonstone, close to Epping Forest, and then during the 1930’s at Gordon Road, Wanstead. He was educated at Canterbury Road School in Leyton and had an interest in things military from an early age. Christmas presents were usually toy soldiers, and his father used to bring Chas postcards depicting military uniforms when he came home from work. Another lifetime interest was steam trains, which began when Chas and Vic used to play at Snaresbrook level crossing pulling on the railings pretending to be signalmen. Chas left school at 14 (despite gaining an art scholarship) to work as a Liftboy at Martins Bank, 68 Lombard Street, London. He was dismissed within two years for causing £400 worth of damage to one of the lifts while 'larking about' with one of the heavy ledger trolleys. To avoid telling his parents of being given the sack he decided to join the military at Stratford while still underage. Chas thought he was destined to be a trumpeter in the Royal Artillery and lasted 40 days until his mother Emily managed to retrieve him. His second spell of civilian employment as a switchboard operator also ended in dismissal due to ‘larking about’. At this time Chas was a keen racing cyclist and obtained a summer job building racing bikes which was his introduction to light engineering. Although he enjoyed this work, at the end of the season he was laid off and had to take work as a parking attendant and nightwatchman. In the summer of 1939 he returned to the cycle trade until called up to military service under the Militia Act at the age of 20, enlisting on 1st December. He passed the medical A1 fitness but was found to be slightly shortsighted. This meant that he was unable to join the infantry (preferably the Lancashire Fusiliers) as he wanted but was instead sent to restart his military career at the 7th Drivers Training Centre RASC, Luton. During his full time military service Chas was with the Royal Army Service Corps (Horse Transport), The Cyprus Regiment and the Royal Fusiliers...

Icons Of Black Music: A History In Photographs, 1900-2000 By Charlotte Greig. Music · Hardcover · Non-fiction · 176 page A photographic collection of eighty of the most influential musicians of this century. Stunning black-and-white art photography, along with extensive biographical information, captures the essence of each artist and their cultural significance. Includes phenomenal performers like James Brown and Aretha Franklin, jazz greats Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, guitar gods Hendrix and Prince, Rock & Roll Hall-of-Famers Curtis Mayfield and Wilson Pickett, Blues legends B. B. King, Bessie...

Vintage miniature pin fire cap gun pair with mother of pearl on the handles, made in Japan with small ring on top of the barrel for use as a key chain or watc...

Ornate brass navy bell Features two dolphins supporting a bell on intergal molded base. Bell is functional, and has loud tone. This is the type of bell th...

A heavily Patinated 19th century leather Fencing mask. An extraordinary piece, with beautifully hand stitched leather, metal front grill and Padded fabric lined head piece - an origi...

Savannah Past and Present: A rephotographic survey by photographer Bailey Davidson Hardcover. Savannah Past and Present Published on Oct 9, 2011 Savannah Past and Present is a h...

As part of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, vintage Classics partnered with Bentley Motors to create a luxury limited edition of the book that introduced Special Agent 007 to the world. The special edition printing features an exclusive introduction from racing legend, Sir Stirling Moss, making it a true collector’s item. Just 500 editions were produced in this limited run. This edition book was published on November 1, 2013, exclusively from Random House. The Bentley is James Bond’s car of choice in the original Fleming novels and Ian Fleming was a huge admirer of the Bentley Boys, seduced by their adventures on the racing track. In his introduction, Sir Stirling Moss comments: “When it came to cars Fleming really knew his stuff… he must have known that the fabulous pre-war Bentleys won at Le Mans four years in a row from 1927-30.” This iconic edition aimed to capture that spirit of adventure and the glamour associated with these leading British brands. The book was created by designers Kris Potter and Stephen Parker at Random House, who were inspired following a trip to the Bentley Motors HQ in Crewe. “We knew that any design we came up with would have to reflect the incredible craftsmanship and heritage we had seen in the Bentley cars at Crewe, the Challenge for us was how we could combine this with the coolness and nostalgia of Bond... The inspiration was endless.” From the hand-bound beluga leather...

Cape Cod Gardens and Houses by Catherine Fallin Taylor Lewis hardcover book A revealing tour of the lush gardens and enchanting homes of New England's Cape Cod, in more than 400 lavish color photographs and inviting text. Well known for its glorious coastline, fabulous sailing, world-renowned beaches, and delectable shellfish, Cape Cod has a long history connected to the sea. Commercial fishermen from the Old World sought shelter on its shores even before the "Mayflower" Pilgrims made their first landing at Provincetown in 1620 before going on to settle at Plymouth. In contrast to the tales of merchant seamen, whaling ships and the China trade, pirates and commercial fishermen, the Cape was settled by farmers. By 1639 the towns of Sandwich, Yarmouth, and Barnstable were already incorporated, and livestock grazed on the plentiful salt marshes nearby. Now, more than three-and-a-half centuries later, Cape Cod is home to artists and writers, fishermen and farmers, and the summer destination of generations of city dwellers-- all of whom enjoy the soft summer nights, endless beaches, and sheltered estuaries and bays abounding with succulent clams and oysters. "Cape Cod: Gardens and Houses" reveals the Cape's natural beauty, its rich architecture, and its magical gardens. Taylor Lewis's stunning color photographs and Catherine Fallin's evocative words take you on a tour inside the rooms of the Cape's most alluring houses, behind stone walls and high hedges protecting private formal gardens from the sea or from the busy street, into cottage gardens tucked away behind rambling houses, and to wildflower meadows stretching out to the marshes. We travel along the Cape's back roads and visit the Upper Cape towns of Sandwich, Falmouth, and Waquoit; the Mid-Cape from Barnstable and Yarmouthport to Brewster on the north, and from Osterville to Harwich Port on the south; Chatham and Orleans at the crook of the elbow; and the legendary Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown on the Lower or Outer Cape. This journey captures the wealth of the Cape's legacy and the distinct personalities of its diverse communities. Seen in elegant detail are some of the earliest houses, dating to 1678; exemplary Cape Cod-style homes; large summer "cottages" by the sea; and turn of the century and contemporary pond-side residences. The Cape's New England climate, softened by the surrounding sea, is similar in many ways to that of Great Britain and Japan, and like them has lush gardens from early spring, when the crocuses and snowdrops poke up through the late winter snows, to late spring when profusely flowering fruit trees, rhododendrons, and azaleas fill the air with their color and delicate scent. Glorious roses and other flowers rich in the shades of summer flourish until late-blooming asters, dahlias, and chrysanthemums give way to the brilliant colors of fall foliage and cranberry bogs. Cape Cod gardens range from those sheltered by tall privet to those that grow nearly wild along the sea. These pages depict arched gateways heavy with the weight of climbing roses and clematis, homes bordered with bushes of blue hydrangeas or purple and white lilacs, hillsides textured with soft subtle heaths and heathers, and native Rosa rugosas, sea lavenders, and Scotch...

Got vinyl? No record collection is complete without Albums, a definitive look at over 300 of the most important albums of the past 50 years--the best sellers as well as the critic's ...