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Collectibles and Curiosities For Sale
Period: 18th Century and Earlier
Color:  Purple
Lapis Lazuli Fully Polished Freeform
Located in BAARN, UT
Very intense good quality lapis blue with shiny pyrite details. Large piece.
Category

15th Century and Earlier Afghan Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Lapis Lazuli

Azurite on Custom Made Metal Base
Located in BAARN, UT
Azurite is a copper carbonate, usually found in combination with other copper minerals such as its much better known green brother malachite. The mineral is full blue in color and is virtually opaque with a silky sheen. Azurite usually forms in oxidation zones of copper deposits, where secondary to malachite other minerals such as chrysocolla and naturally solid copper can...
Category

15th Century and Earlier Congolese Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Other

Related Items
Museum-Quality, Fully Assembled Replica of H.M.S. Sovereign of the Seas
Located in Eindhoven, NL
This is museum-quality, fully assembled replica of H.M.S. Sovereign of the Seas, a first-rate ship in the British Royal Navy for more than 50 years in the 1600s. Master craftsmen using historical photographs, drawings or original plans meticulously handcraft these highly detailed wood models from scratch. They are built to scale with high-grade wood such as: western red cedar, and mahogany. They are 100% hand built individually using plank-on-frame construction method and are similar to the building of actual ships. Each model requires hundreds of hours to finish and must go through a demanding quality control process before leaving the workshop. This magnificent Sovereign of the Seas model...
Category

2010s Central Asian Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Mahogany

Ruby Hummingbird on Amethyst & Quartz Mineral Base
Located in Toronto, ON
A beautiful hand carved semi precious ruby stone hummingbird mounted on an amethyst and quartz mineral specimen base. This exotic bird is a decorative combination of ornithology and ...
Category

2010s American Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Amethyst, Tourmaline, Quartz

Chess Set Gemstone Lapis Lazuli and Marble 8"
Located in Somis, CA
An elegant gemstone lapis and marble chess set, demonstrating traditional craftsmanship and wonderful artistry. The chessboard of solid marble base, showcases a classic design with h...
Category

2010s Afghan Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Lapis Lazuli, Carrara Marble, Serpentine

Antique Lapis Lazuli Blue John Amethyst Lady's Walking Stick Wooden Parts
Located in Dublin, Ireland
A Very Fine & rare example of a Lapis Lazuli Ball Grip Handle removed from an early Walking Cane with a wide Sterling Silver collar, with part of the original, which is in Partridge ...
Category

Late 19th Century British Victorian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Sterling Silver

Polished Steel Signal Cannon
Located in Cheshire, GB
Signal cannon with a polished steel barrel and elevating screw mounted on a wooden carriage with steel rims to the wheels. Barrel length 6 inches Dimens...
Category

Early 20th Century British Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Steel

Polished Steel Signal Cannon
Polished Steel Signal Cannon
H 4 in W 6 in D 9.5 in
Lapis Lazuli Horse Knight
Located in Somis, CA
A beautiful hand carved horse bust in grade AAA natural lapis lazuli. The horse with robust neck and windswept mane, mouth slightly open and large alert eyes. Lapis of beautiful coba...
Category

20th Century Afghan Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli Horse Knight
Lapis Lazuli Horse Knight
H 3.5 in W 3 in D 1.5 in
Suiseki Rock-Stone on a Base of Wood, Japan
Located in Kastrup, DK
Suiseki rock-stone on a hardwood base. The stone has an exciting expression of flowers. Suiseki in Japanese, Scholer's Rock in Chinese and Suseok in Korean. Asian Zen tradition ...
Category

Early 20th Century Japanese Other Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Stone

Freestanding Agate Freeform Mineral from Brazil
Located in London, GB
A large polished agate freeform. This freestanding Brazilian agate has two interesting dimensions to it: serene blue-grey bands on one face, dramatic wh...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Brazilian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Agate

Vintage Decorative Jesus Metal Statue on Ebonized Wooden Base, Germany 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A classic decorative Jesus statue. Some wear with a nice patina, but this is old-age. Made of a kind of Metal (probably white metal) on a wooden base. Ver...
Category

1910s German Art Nouveau Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Metal

19th C Armadillo Mount in sitting position on wooden base
Located in Leuven , BE
Armadillos ("little armoured ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals characterized by a leathery armour shell and long, sharp claws for digging. They have short legs but ca...
Category

19th Century South American Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Organic Material

Antique English Onyx, Lapis Lazuli, Silver Gilt Table Vesta by George Betjemann
Located in Bath, GB
A very smart antique English table vesta beautifully executed from white onyx inlaid with Lapis Lazuli. The fittings are made from silver-gilt (gold on sterling silver) by the top...
Category

1910s English Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Lapis Lazuli, Onyx, Sterling Silver

Vintage 1960s Souvenir Building Model Berlin Bear on Wooden Base, Metal Statue
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A classic decorative Berlin bear statue. Some wear with a nice patina, but this is old-age. Made of metal, fixed on a wooden base. This item was bou...
Category

1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Metal

Previously Available Items
Rare Georgian 18th Century Diamond Gold Large Crucifix, circa 1800
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Georgian 18th century diamond, gold and blue paste large Crucifix Cross, circa 1800. The crucifix collet set with ten round facetted blue paste stones, ...
Category

Late 18th Century Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Azurite
Located in London, GB
About Dale Rogers. Since 1986 Dale has been sourcing the most unique fossils and minerals from around the world and through his company Dale Rogers Ammonite has been supplying lea...
Category

15th Century and Earlier Australian Antique Collectibles and Curiosities

Azurite
Azurite
H 4.34 in W 9.45 in D 5.91 in

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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