Collectibles and Curiosities
Collectibles and Curiosities For Sale
Period: 1950s
Color: Blue
1950s Mid-Century Modern Olympia Sm-3 Portable Typewriter with Case
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage Mid-Century Modern Olympia SM3 portable typewriter with the original metal case. Circa 1950s.
Features a Qwerty keyboard, a grayish green color body with chrome trims and the original metal case with a galvanized-like finish and the original lock key.
Olympia SMs were once considered the Mercedes Benz of typewriters. The Hermes 3000...
Category
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Mini Soviet Encyclopedia, Volume 1: A-Bukovina - Vintage Book from USSR, 1J151
Located in Bordeaux, FR
Step into the captivating world of vintage knowledge with this remarkable tome, "Mini Soviet Encyclopedia, Volume 1: A-Bukovina." This hardcover encyclopedia, sourced from the USSR a...
Category
1950s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
1950s Atomic Energy Commission Building Office Logo Wall Plaque AEC Oppenheimer
Located in Hyattsville, MD
The AEC seal is one of those great totems of the atomic age. A largely symmetrical and stylized representation of an atom (the highly toxic beryllium), it is strikingly more straightforward than the seals of its successor organizations. The design and design philosophy is very characteristic of the Mid-Century Era. This large rare plaque was only used in official locations of the Atomic Energy Department.
The AEC officially came into existence and took over from the Manhattan Project...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Aluminum
Ashtray 1950 Crystal
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Crystal
We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vintage styles since 1982. If you have any questions we are at your disposal.
Pushing the button that reads ...
Category
1950s Italian Space Age Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Crystal
Vintage Bell Southwest Bell Trading Post Turquoise and Sterling Silver Ring
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Vintage Southwest style bell trading post ring with a sterling silver band and a large turquoise stone.
Ring size 10.
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Sterling Silver
2 Volume Set: Book of Trees and Book of Shrubs, by William Carey Grimm, 1st Ed
Located in valatie, NY
2 Volume set: Book of Trees and Book of Shrubs, by William Carey Grimm. The Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, PA, 1957. Pair of 1st Ed books with dust jackets and slip case. William Car...
Category
1950s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Fontana Arte Blue Mirrored Glass and Wood Game Box, 1950, Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte blue mirrored glass and wood game box, 1950, Italy.
Category
1950s Italian Other Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass
"Harvey" Original British Trade Advertisement
Located in London, GB
Original British trade advertisement for Harvey, 1950.
The film was directed by Henry Costner and stared James Stewart, Josephine Hull and Peggy Dow.
This trade advertisement is qu...
Category
1950s British Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
1950s Molecular Structure from Prague, Czech
Located in New Rochelle, NY
This beautiful patinated metal 1950s molecular structure of "Chlorid Uhlicity" will display great on any table for presentation. It measures very n...
Category
1950s Czech Minimalist Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Navajo Silver Bracelet with Turquoise and Coral
Located in Seattle, WA
Oversized sterling cuff with turquoise and coral nuggets, great for man or woman.
Category
1950s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Related Items
The Paris Salons 1895-1914 Volume III Furniture by Alastair Duncan (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
This book is the third in the comprehensive multi-volume series on the decorative arts of the Paris Salons 1895-1914, it provides a virtually com...
Category
Early 20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Free Shipping
H 11 in W 8.75 in D 1.75 in
Mary Bronze Wall Plaque Sculpture Signed Medallion French Early 20th Century
Located in Labrit, Landes
Virgin Mary gilt bronze wall plaque sculpture signed French, early 1900s
Signed Jean with hard to decifer surname
Heavy medallion
Good condition with good patina due to age.
Category
Early 1900s French Belle Époque Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Bronze
Round Bronze Wall Plaque Depicting a Suffering Christ in Tears by Sylvain Norga
Located in Lisse, NL
Small yet impressive, circular bronze sculpture of Jesus, in deep relief.
Having sold many works of religious art we immediately noticed the tears that are on this Christ wall pla...
Category
Early 20th Century Belgian Art Deco Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Bronze
Free Shipping
H 4.33 in Dm 10.4 in
Rustic Taxidermy White Tail Deer Buck Antlers Horns on Wall-Mounted Plaque 1970s
Located in Miami, FL
Mid-Century Modern white tail deer buck antlers, horns on a wooden wall-mounted plaque.
Great Taxidermy Plaque Mount, wall sculpture for hunters.
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather, Wood, Antler
H 16 in W 16.5 in D 12 in
Ultimate Collector Cars, Double Volume, Special Edition Book
By C & P Fiell, TASCHEN
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Dreamwheeling.
The stories behind 100 of the world’s most coveted automobiles.
From the adrenaline-filled 24 Hours of Le Mans to the legendary Goodwood Festival of Speed, Lake Como’s famed Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este to the premier Monterey Car Week, the collector car calendar and market has shown one of the most extraordinary growth trajectories of recent years. As thousands flock to specialized meet ups, rallies, auctions, and Concours d’Elegance around the globe, asking prices for the rarest motors have revved higher and higher. So much so, that the value of the 100 cars included in this book exceeds a staggering $ 1 billion.
For the seasoned car collector or the awestruck newcomer, this double-volume is the unrivaled collector car anthology. Curating 100 of the most exquisite, remarkable, and desirable cars of all time to tell a spellbinding story of automotive design-and-engineering endeavor in the tireless pursuit of ever-greater performance both on and off the track, from the first Indy 500-winning 1910 Marmon Wasp to the futuristic 2020 Aston Martin Valkyrie.
Laps ahead of any generic catalog, this superlative volume exudes authority and elegance, settling for nothing less than the very best of the best, and presenting each model with the lavish spreads it deserves, complete with stunning imagery taken by the world’s leading car photographers alongside rare archival treasures, from original factory photos to famous motorsports event posters. Each entry is also accompanied by expert descriptive texts and specs, detailing each car’s make, model, year, engine size, horsepower, top speed, transmission, and all-important production numbers.
By passionately tapping into their transatlantic expertise and insider knowledge of car auctions, museums, and collections around the world, design authors Peter and Charlotte Fiell survey the autoworld's finest cars of all time. Their carefully curated selection spans the whole history of the automobile, taking in such rare models as a 1912 Stutz Model A Bearcat, as well as lesser-known jewels such as the astonishing 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS “Goutte d’Eau” Coupé by Figoni et Falaschi.
This definitive compendium includes a foreword from Rob Myers, the founder of RM Sotheby’s, and includes an introduction from the authors that gives a unique perspective on the ins and outs of car collecting...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Jar Paris Volume I-II Book Collection
Located in New York City, NY
"The Cartier of our time."
—Christies.
"Exquisitely refined creations. Rosenthal made jewellery modern but infused it with the timelessness of perfection."
—Telegraph.
"The Faberge´ of our time."
—Diane von Furstenberg.
Volume I showcases a selection of the jewels made since the shop's founding in 1978 up to "The Jewels of JAR - Paris" exhibition, held at Somerset House in London (November 2002 - January 2003.)
Volume II presents a selection of works created between 2002 and up to JAR's exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2014.
About JAR
Since opening JAR in 1978, with the help of his Swiss friend Pierre Jeannet, Joel Arthur Rosenthal, has become one of the world's most sought after jewellery designers.
A native New Yorker, Rosenthal moved to Paris after graduating from Harvard and has lived in the city for most of his adult life. He experimented in scriptwriting and then needlepoint, opening a shop where he experimented with unusually coloured yarns. It's clientele included designers from Herme`s and Valentino. Rosenthal was one day asked if he could design a mount for a gemstone, setting his career in a new direction.
His signature includes setting gems in pave arrangements, so finely wrought as to be virtually invisible. Rosenthal uses...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Antique Vintage Wooden Ebony Chinese Walking Stick Dress Cane Sterling Silver
Located in Dublin, Ireland
Fine Quality Chinese Polished Heavy Gauge Ebony Walking Cane Stick with Highly Decorative Embossed Silver Grip, made in China during the last quarter of the Nineteenth Century.
Th...
Category
Late 19th Century Chinese Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Sterling Silver
H 35.25 in W 35.25 in D 35.25 in
21th Century Italian Sterling Silver and Wood Conductor' Baton
Located in VALENZA, IT
21th century Italian sterling silver and wood conductor' baton
Conductor's baton in sterling silver with wood inlays for a specific and pres...
Category
2010s Italian Other Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Sterling Silver
1950s Mid-Century Modern Hall Tree
Located in Charleston, SC
This piece has it all! Coat rack/ place to hang keys, a floating table with storage with Tambour doors, an umbrella stand, a funky mirror with a curved shape and modern etching in ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal, Brass
Cartier and America by Martin Chapman Hardcover Table Book 1st Ed. 2009
By Cartier
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Cartier and America by Martin Chapman Hardcover Table Book 2009. 176 pp.
1st Edition Published in 2009.
Dimensions: 11" x 10" x 1".
As opulent as the treasures it celebrates, this lavish volume presents Cartier's timeless designs worn by some of the twentieth century's most legendary figures. It's been one hundred years since the House of Cartier opened its doors on Fifth Avenue in
Manhattan. Since then the luxury jeweler has been creating exquisite brooches, bracelets, tiaras, timepieces, and other items including scent bottles, so-called mystery clocks, and handbags many of them specially commissioned by their illustrious patrons. Readers will see up close Gloria Swanson's bracelets from Sunset Boulevard, Douglas Fairbanks s elegant watch, the Duchess of Windsor s panther brooch, and Grace Kelly s 10.47-carat diamond engagement ring, as well as items owned by Marion Davies, Vivien Leigh, Barbara Hutton, and Elizabeth Taylor. Author Martin Chapman offers an in-depth exploration of how Cartier conquered America, from its European birth in 1847 to its arrival on the other side of the Atlantic, and from its whimsical Art Deco creations to the red carpet prominence that linked the name Cartier with fame, wealth, and exclusivity. In addition to stunning color images of each object, the book features photographs of stars and heiresses wearing their Cartier jewelry. A beautiful volume for fashion aficionados, this trove of jewelry is a tribute to Cartier s...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Museum Quality Bronze of Christ Wall Plaque Sculpture "Jesus Carrying the Cross"
Located in Lisse, NL
Stunningly powerful and meaningful work of religious art.
With works of religious art being one of our specialties, over the decades we have sold quite a few special antiques in this field. With this bronze antique the artist clearly shows us a fragment out of one of the most famous scenes that took place in the history of mankind. Christ has already been beaten, mocked, given a wreath of thorns and having to carry the enormous cross. As you can see the quality of the details and the workmanship is excellent, but the scene and its meaning ofcourse is even more impressive. Please notice how particularly the facial features reveil the peaceful state of being that lies underneath the exterior of this Christ sculpture...
Category
Early 20th Century European Arts and Crafts Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Bronze
Free Shipping
H 9.5 in W 12 in D 1.4 in
Mid-Century Modern 1950s Dutch Wooden Scientific Molecule Atomic Sculpture Model
Located in Haarlem, NL
Very decorative large vintage 1950s lacquered wooden scale model of a molecule with atoms, probably once used in science class.
This large molecular model consists of 32 atoms (woode...
Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Pine
H 18.9 in W 22.45 in D 19.69 in
Previously Available Items
Schuco Elektro Ingenico Auto 5380
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
Vintage 50s Schuco Elektro Ingenico 5380 Toy Car in great condition. Original paint.
Category
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Pablo Picasso
Located in Richmond, VA
Vintage hardback coffee table book studying the oeuvre of Pablo Picasso. By Wilhelm Boeck and Jaime Sabartés, published in 1955. First edition, 524 pages.
"Picasso's art is one of...
Category
1950s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, First Edition, 1952
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Hemingway, Ernest, The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1952. First Edition. Octavo. Professionally rebound in blue Moroccan leather gilt stamped front boards, gilt titles, gilt tooling, and raised bands to the spine, and a new custom slipcase.
Presented is a stated first edition printing of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. The book was published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1952 and bears the publisher’s signature “A” on the copyright page. This particular book is stunningly rebound in full morocco leather boards, decorated with a custom gilt embossed stamp of a marlin, as well as gilt titles, tooling, and raised bands to the spine. The book is housed in a matching, custom archival slipcase.
The Old Man and the Sea, a classic short novel by Ernest Hemmingway, was written in 1951 and published in 1952. It was the last major work of fiction by Hemingway to be published during his lifetime.
One of his most famous works, The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of a Cuban fisherman named Santiago who struggles with a giant marlin out in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Florida. The novel, consisting of only 140 pages, highlights man’s struggle with nature, as well as a portrait of “manliness” and human character.
The story was first printed in its entirety in Life Magazine in 1952 and sparked a buying frenzy among readers. Over 5 million copies of the story printed in the magazine were sold in a matter of only 2 days. The story was then published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in New York, with only 50,000 copies in the original print run.
Upon the release of the novel, critics deemed the tale a reflection of Hemingway’s personal determination to prove that his writing career was not yet over. The book was well received with exceeding popularity and encouraged readers to examine his entire body of work. In the year following its release, The Old Man and the Sea received a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The publication of the book also contributed to Hemingway’s Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.
The book was dedicated to “Charles Scribner and to Max Perkins” who were close friends of Hemingway’s. Charles Scribner was president of the publishing company Charles Scribner’s Sons and Max Perkins edited books by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe...
Category
1950s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather, Paper
Houses Virginians Have Loved by Agnes Rothery
Located in valatie, NY
Houses Virginians Have Loved by Agnes Rothery. New York, Rinehart & Bonaza Books, 1954. First Edition from Bonanza hardcover with dust jacket. The Mansions of Virginia are included but also the charming farmhouses of the Shenandoah Valley...
Category
1950s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
1950's Coin Vending Toy Mechanical Bank
Located in Incline Village, NV
Named "Savings Bank" "Coin Vending Machine" this toy would be in the category of a toy mechanical bank. Push down with a penny and deposit the coin into the depressed gray coin slot ...
Category
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Tin
"Lady and the Tramp" by Ward Greene, First Edition, First Printing, 1953
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Greene, Ward. Lady and the Tramp. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1953. First Edition, First Printing. Rebound.
This is a first edition, first printing of the famous story Lady and ...
Category
1950s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Petite Oval Blue Stone Decorated Silvering 1950s Scandinavia
Located in Stockholm, SE
Decorative and medium blue stone vintage silvering on a decorated silver base. Perfect for your little finger. From the 1950s.
Silverstamped: 925. Measures: Inner diameter is 15.5...
Category
1950s Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Stone, Silver
"Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway, First Edition, 1952
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Hemingway, Ernest, The Old Man and the Sea. 1952, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. First Edition. Rebound in blue Morocco leather with custom slipcase.
Bearing the publisher’s signature “A” this is a stated first edition, of which, only 50,000 copies were included in the original print run. Published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1952, Ernest Hemingway...
Category
1950s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather, Paper
Vladimir Nabokov ‘Lolita’ 1959 in Italian, Medusa
By Vladimir Nabokov
Located in Sofia, BG
Published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore
Vladimir Vladimirovic Nabokov
Lolita is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. Many authors consider it the greatest work of the 20th century, and it has been included in several lists of best books, such as Time's List of the 100 Best Novels, Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century, Bokklubben World Library, Modern Library's 100 Best Novels, and The Big Read. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert, is obsessed with a 12-year-old girl, Dolores Haze, with whom he becomes sexually involved after he becomes her stepfather. "Lolita" is his private nickname for Dolores. The novel was originally written in English and first published in Paris in 1955 by Olympia Press...
Category
1950s Russian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
A Guide to Early American Homes North by Dorothy Pratt & Richard Pratt, 1st Ed
Located in valatie, NY
A Guide to Early American Homes North by Dorothy Pratt & Richard Pratt. Bonanza Books, New York, 1956. 1st Ed hardcover with dust jacket. This Guide is the first book to completely c...
Category
1950s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
H 10 in W 6.75 in D 0.75 in
1950s Blue Danish Per Luken Holmegaard Cigar Bowl Dish Ashtray Mid-Century Azure
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Unusual blue glass dish/ bowl. Made in Denmark. Signed PL 17969 Holmegaard.
Category
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Art Glass
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote, First Edition in Leather, 1958
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Breakfast at Tiffany's: A Short Novel and Three Stories by Truman Capote in modern full morocco, with a black silhouette of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly...
Category
1950s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
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.
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