American Collectibles and Curiosities

PRESENTING a FANTASTIC and HISTORIC Early 19C American Hepplewhite Virginian Secretary Chest with OUTSTANDING Provenance. This Secretary Chest was made in Virginia in the Early 19th Century, circa 1810. It is made of cherry, walnut and maple and is most definitely in the Hepplewhite Style of the period, with it’s original Hepplewhite brass drawer pulls. IT IS A REALLY INTRIGUING AND HISTORIC PIECE, ESPECIALLY, WHEN VIEWED IN CONTEXT WITH IT”S AMAZING PROVENANCE! This piece was originally owned by Major William Alexander Obenchain who ‘hailed’ from the State of Virginia. He was an engineer and was in the Virginia Corps of Engineers during the Civil War and served on General Robert E. Lee’s staff. It was acquired by him before the Civil War and we believe that this piece was on campaign with him during the War. We know for a fact that he fought at the Richmond Campaign in 1864, as we have, in our Collection, his original Field Map for that Campaign which ended the War. It has remained in family ownership ever since. It has come directly from the Family Estate, together with other VERY IMPORTANT items belonging to Major Obenchain and other IMPORTANT items that belonged to his wife, Eliza Calvert Hall-Obenchain. ALL these items contained in the Collection, are listed/posted individually on our Website. The top drawer is on retractable curved side hinge supports and pulls outwards and drops to reveal a secretary and writing area. The Bureau/Secretary Gallery has 6 drawers and 6 cubbies, a central tabernacle door with another drawer and 2 cubbies and this is flanked by 2 secret pull out compartments. The central tabernacle door has it’s original key and working lock. Closed, it is almost ‘flush’ like the rest of the drawers, with some very minor bowing through age. The 3 drawers underneath are graduated in size and it ends with a serpentine shaped base and sits on four hand carved legs with original metal casters, marked ‘Universal 3’. It has it’s original brasses and hardware throughout, save the addition to 2 contemporary replacement brass hinges to the drop down desk front, as the original hinges were broken, could not be repaired and were not supporting the weight of the drop down leaf. Some minor repairs but not noticeable. Otherwise, the piece is in it’s entirely, ORIGINAL condition! What makes this piece even MORE INTRIGUING and APPEALING HISTORICALLY, are the 2 ‘historic’ circular holes on the piece:- (1) in the back of the piece as seen in the photos. This hole is not symmetrical or fully round and appears to serve no purpose to the piece whatsoever. Sometimes, pieces have holes for wiring for lighting, put in them over the years, but this one never had such lighting or, indeed, any such explanation for this hole, AND (2) the rear hole is replicated, in the corner portion of the bottom drawer and someone (a very long time ago) has used a tin can top, to cover the hole in the back of the drawer. The tin can top is period to the Civil War Era and is embossed “Minimum Volume 1 Pint”. Our conclusion, is that (whilst we are, by no means ballistic experts) that these holes were created by musket balls, fired during one of the Major’s campaigns in the Civil War. It is entirely conceivable that this piece, being strapped into a covered wagon for carriage, would have been on it’s side. We are of the opinion that both holes, were caused or created by a musket ball entered the chest trough the base and back. We also believe that ‘the Major’, used what he had at his disposal on the battlefield, namely, a tin can lid to repair the hole in the drawer. SO THIS PIECE IS A VERY SPECIAL PIECE OF US HISTORY, INDEED! NOT ONLY IS IT AN EARLY 19th CENTURY AMERICAN PIECE, WITH A CONNECTION TO THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, THE CIVIL WAR, HISTORIC & IMPORTANT FIGURES IN THAT WAR AND IMPECCABLE PROVENANCE AND HISTORY! IT IS TRULY UNIQUE! William Alexander Obenchain. Born April 27, 1841 at Buchanan, Botetourt Co., Virginia. Parents: Thomas Jefferson Obenchain and Elizabeth Ann Sweetland. Entered VMI on July 18, 1859 as a member of the VMI (Virginia Military Institute...

Pablo Picasso Book by Palau I Fabre detailing Picasso’s work from 1881 to 1907. Published by Rizzoli, New York in 1981. This hardcover book comes with a hardcover sleeve. The book it...

VINTAGE PAIR OF 14K YELLOW GOLD RIDGED-HOOP EARRINGS Item # C104601 A very nice vintage pair of hoop earrings entirely crafted of 14 karat yellow gold, they hang on stud posts with ...

Sotheby's "The Duke and Duchess of Windsor Auction" Book Catalogs. This is a three volume boxed set of sale catalogues which were produced by Sotheby's in 1997 for the disposal of th...

Presented is a photoplay first edition of London After Midnight by Marie Coolidge Rask. This printing was published by Grosset & Dunlap, in New York, in 1928. The book has been beautifully rebound in striking ¼ green leather and cloth boards, with raised bands and gilt stamps and tiles to the spine, and a matching green archival slipcase. The book is illustrated with eight stills from the original silent film. One of the most collectible Grosset & Dunlap photoplay editions, this book was a novelization of the 1927 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer mystery horror film of the same title, co-produced and directed by Tod Browning. The movie starred Lon Chaney in a dual role of Scotland Yard Inspector and vampire; this was his only movie role as a vampire. Due to the success of the film, Marie Coolidge Rask penned the novelization of the movie. Rask worked from Tod Browning’s screenplay as well as the original source material, Browning’s short story "The Hypnotist.” The book was published by Grosset & Dunlap in 1928 and included eight stills from the silent film. The last known copy of the film was destroyed in the 1965 MGM vault fire, along with hundreds of other rare early films, making it one of the most sought-after “lost” silent films. Copies of the film have never surfaced. This 1928 book is therefore important and collectible, as it is one of the few remaining records of the film’s content and storyline. Alexander Grosset and George T...

You may never see another early fan like this. Its a first for me. The plane sits on a sturdy Brass and cast iron articulating base. The top joint is a locking ball that will allow y...

A Continuing Tradition: Wm. Frank McCall, Jr., FAIA 1914-1991 by William R. Mitchell, Jr. 1st Ed hardcover with dust jacket. This book captures the elegance and style of the resident...

Important Machine Age Streamlined Electric Pencil Sharpener Designed by Edward G. Hoffmann.

Wilson Athletic Library - How To Putt Relevant today as it was then, an instructional booklet on 'How to Putt'. A paper back booklet, new edition by John Duncan Dunn illustrated by s...

Two sided beacon blanket with fringe. Catalog 302. Very good condition. 69" x 81" Period: circa 1920 Origin: Beacon Size: 69" x 81" Family Owned & Operated Cisco’s Gallery deals in...

Original American photographic production still. For the 1942 Film Noir Journey into Fear. The film starred Joseph Cotten, Dolores Del Rio, Orson Welles ...

ABOUT An early 20th century French elephant pull-toy covered in fabric with glass eyes mounted on a steel platform with steel and rubber wheels. CREATOR Unknown. Made in Franc...

Large rustic driftwood cross, circa 2000s. The piece measures 15"W x 1"D x 24"H and is in very good vintage condition. Beautiful well constructed piece! ...

Platinum by Cartier Triumphs of the Jeweller's Art Published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York 1996. First edition. 1st American edition. Excellent and lavishly illustrated referen...

A 1912 Keuffel & Esser Co. railroad surveyor's transit. Includes outfitted mahogany case. All original with matching serials. Approximately 70 inches tall with a 24 inch leg sprea...

PRESENTING A VERY RARE and Original J Mack Moore Photo of Virginia Memorial in Vicksburg, MISS and probably taken circa 1907/08, after it’s dedication. Paper photograph mounted on board, on it’s original matting. Taken by famous photographer John Mack Moore of Vicksburg and signed by him in red ink on bottom left “J Mack Moore’ and “Vicksburg, Miss” on the bottom right (also in red ink). Hand-noted in black ink on rear as “Virginia Tablet, Vicksburg National Military Park” and also signed again by J. Mack Moore in red ink on left center on the rear and “Vicksburg, Miss” on the right center (also in red ink). Newly framed and matted and under glass. Original photos by J. Mack Moore are ‘highly’ sought after and have performed very well at auction. John Mack Moore, born in 1869, was the son of prominent residents of antebellum Vicksburg. He was only a toddler when the famous 1870 race between the Robt. E. Lee and Natchez had his hometown in a state of excitement as the big sidewheelers passed upriver en route from New Orleans to St. Louis. As a young man, he became an avid and skilled photographer, spending much time at the wharf along the Mississippi and Yazoo, recording on glass plate negatives the daily activity of the busy river landing. Conversations with masters, mates, mud clerks and roustabouts were his daily fare. Moore learned photography from an elderly master of albumen, wet plates and homemade printing papers. He had a disdain for newfangled gadgetry and held fast to utilizing the old methods of previous decades in the making of photographs, with sparkling results. J. Mack Moore was considered the dean of photographers as well as a colorful character around Vicksburg. In later years, owing to his white hair and moustache, he was said by many to bear a close resemblance to Mark Twain. Moore’s Clay Street home, where he also operated his photographic studio, was built from the top down, a most amazing feat accomplished by a unique individual. Originally it was a rambling residence in a Southern, park-like setting. However, when paved streets eventually came to the city, the house was left at the base of an embankment, the large oak trees removed to make way for an unsightly culvert. Singlehandedly, Moore raised the house to street level. As the edifice gradually rose, Moore fashioned lower floors, accomplishing the feat with heavy timbers and screw jacks...

Antique Fisher- Scientific Brass & Oak Complete Calibration Weight Set USA, Circa 1940s Originating from the USA, with locations in Canada and dating back to the 1940s, this is a rare and remarkable find—a complete 15-piece set of solid brass medical...

The Telephone Book - Bell, Watson, Vail and American Life 1876-1976. Hardcover book with dustjacket. First edition, published in 1977 by Riverwood Publishers Limited of Croton-on-Hud...

The Architecture of Wm. Frank McCall, Jr., FAIA: A Complete Designer in the Classical Tradition. Stated 1st Ed and 1st printing hardcover with dust jacket. By William Robert Mitchell, Jr., and photographed by Van Jones Martin. Frank McCall Jr., FAIA was a noted architect who like his colleagues, Edward Vason Jones, James Means, Philip Shutze, et al. practiced in the classical tradition. Born April 14, 1916, in Gainesville, Florida, McCall later lived briefly in Albany, Georgia, and moved to Moultrie...

Fabulous map of Georgia Original color Engraved and printed by the George F. Cram Company, Indianapolis. Published, circa 1900 Unframed  

Wood crossword blocks puzzles by Creative Playthings, Princeton, New Jersey. Circa 1967. Instructions included. Solid wood cubes with vibrant orange lettering. Never mind the phone o...

Picasso and Marie-Therese, L'amour Fou by John Richardso, Picasso and Diana Widmaier. Published by Gagosian Gallery, New York, 2011. 1st Ed exhibition(4/14-6/25/2011) hardcover catalog with dust jacket. Picasso and Marie-Thérèse: L’amour fou brings together the paintings, drawings, sculptures, and prints inspired by one of Picasso’s most ideal models and enduring passions. The exhibition is curated by the eminent Picasso biographer, John Richardson, together with Marie-Thérèse’s granddaughter, art historian Diana Widmaier Picasso, who is currently preparing a catalogue raisonné of Picasso’s sculptures. In 1927, on a street in Paris, Picasso encountered the unassuming girl, just shy of eighteen years old, who would become his lover and one of modern art’s most famous muses. “I am Picasso,” he announced. The name meant nothing to Marie-Thérèse so he took her to a bookshop to show her a monograph of his paintings and asked if he could see her again. Flattered and curious, she agreed, and thus began a secret love affair that would establish Marie-Thérèse as the primary inspiration for Picasso’s most daring aesthetic experiments in the decade to come. With A flip book...

Here it is, that unique gift you have been looking for for the cowboy or cowgirl in your life. A genuine vintage Texan wrought iron cattle branding iron. ...

This vintage Statue of Liberty souvenir statue is being offered from a major estate sale in Vienna, Austria. Guaranteed old, original and as shown. It is impressive in size, measurin...

Harley Davidson Rolling Sculpture Hardcover Book by Doug Mitchel Celebration of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles.The book features full-color photography of over 100 classic and contempor...

"Miniature Rooms: The Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago," by Kathleen Aguilar and Michael Anderson. Generations of visitors to the Art Institute of Chicago have been fascinated by the Thorne Miniature...

PRESENTING A UNIQUE AND IMPORTANT Original Scrap Book and Photograph of Major WA Obenchain, pertaining to Ogden College, Bowling Green, KY. The photograph is ‘new’ to the market and has never left family ownership until NOW! It is a previously, unseen image, of a significant historical figure, Major William Alexander Obenchain, who served on General Robert E. Lee’s Staff during the Civil War and was President of Ogden College in Bowling Green, Kentucky between 1883 – 1906. We are of the opinion that the photo was taken, whilst, Major Obenchain was President of Ogden College, and circa 1890-1900. It bears the stamp on the bottom right for “McClure of Lexington, KY”. Framed and under glass. The Scrap Book is his personal Collection of numerous and various newspaper article cuttings, letters, speeches and other historical items of memorabilia, MAINLY, relating to Ogden College (now part of Western Kentucky University), from the 1870’s up to 1918. Signed in ink, by the Major, on the inside of the front cover and hand-written annotations by him, throughout. It also includes newspaper article cuttings and other historical items of memorabilia personally relating to Major Obenchain and his family, including: Articles relating to the ‘Stone’ Criminal Trial in Dallas, TX in 1876 for the almost fatal shooting of his brother, James T Obenchain , Merit Certificate for distinguished academic achievement by Major Obenchain, from the Buchanan Collegiate Institute dated July 6th 1849, et al. Over 53 Pages of content! An EXCEPTIONAL and UNIQUE Collection that is ‘new’ to the market, has never been seen by the public before and has never left family ownership until NOW! A UNIQUE HISTORICAL RECORD OF OGDEN COLLEGE/WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY and BOWLING GREEN! William Alexander Obenchain. Born April 27, 1841 at Buchanan, Botetourt Co., Virginia. Parents: Thomas Jefferson Obenchain and Elizabeth Ann Sweetland. Entered VMI on July 18, 1859 as a member of the VMI (Virginia Military Institute...

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1951. First edition, first issue. Octavo. In the original publisher’s black cloth boards, with gilt titles to the spine. In the original publisher’s first issue dust jacket. Presented with an archival clamshell case. This is a very collectible first edition, first issue printing of J. D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye. The book was published by Little, Brown and Company in Boston, on July 16, 1951. This book is presented in its original black cloth boards and original first issue dust jacket with $3.00 price on the front flap and with the Lotte Jacobi photo credit on Salinger’s portrait on the rear panel. This first edition, first issue is without “Reprinted July 1951” on the copyright found in later issues. The Catcher in the Rye details two days in the life of 16 year old Holden Caulfield, after he is expelled from his school. Confused and disillusioned, Holden is both intrigued and repelled by the trappings and realities of adulthood. An immediate success upon its publication in 1951, and popular with young readers since, the book has sold over 65 million copies. Since the book’s publication, Holden Caulfield has entered the pantheon of American literary heroes. Very few works of art have had the cultural and literary impact of Salinger’s novel. “The Catcher in the Rye was a symptom of a need, after a ghastly war and during a ghastly pseudo-peace, for the young to raise a voice of protest against the failures of the adult world. The young used many voices--anger, contempt, self-pity--but the quietest, that of a decent perplexed American adolescent, proved the most telling" (Anthony Burgess, 99 Novels, pp. 53-54). CONDITION: Good condition overall. Octavo. In the original publisher’s black cloth boards with gilt titles to the spine. The boards show slight wear to the edges, minor creasing to the spine, and some light spotting to the edges. In the original publisher’s first issue dust jacket. Dust jacket has minor separation along the front flap panel fold, some toning, minimal soiling, and chipping with loss to "th" in "the" and touching the "E" in "CATCHER" on the spine. The dust jacket is not price-clipped. Interior pages are mostly healthy, save light toning. Book has a previous owner’s inscription “Harry Weber...

Slim Aarons: Once Upon A Time. Abrams 1st edition hardcover, 2003. 240 pages. Featuring many of Slim Aarons iconic photographs.

Very rare item. Vintage cast iron Christmas tree stand shaped like Santa Boots. The internal diameter of the hole holding the tree stump is ...

Giovanni 'John' Bucci (Italian-American, 1935-2019) A conceptual futuristic restaurant and nightclub model. fiberglass, acrylic and various media 40 inches wide by 23 inches deep ...

New York Que J'aime (New York I love), a French book by Robert F. Wagner (New York Mayor). Text by Joyce Peterson, and Photographs by Peter Fink. New York is undoubtedly the most dyn...

USA c.1930s. Unknown Maker, possibly Mazor. A light green Celluloid linked chain and (11) dark green Bakelite dangles. They have an organic feeling of arching reeds or arcing grass...

ABOUT Jointed wooden giraffe manufactured in the 1900s by the Schoenhut Piano Company as part of the Humpty Dumpty Circus collection. Made from c...

Catalogue of the Vernay Collection of Early English Furniture, Porcelains, Old English Silver, Glassware and Other Art Objects, "A Special Sale Prior ...

Unusual ceremonial / presentation gavel presented to Angelo Carlo Bosso, president of the California Pharmaceutical Association 1941-1942. Turned wood in the form of medicine bottles...

Well tooled and embossed leather western riding saddle. Possibly a junior size. In excellent vintage condition with minimal wear.

ABOUT Jointed wooden lion manufactured in the 1900s by the Schoenhut Piano Company as part of the "Humpty Dumpty Circus" collection. Made from ca...

Collection of 13 vintage circa 1970's handcrafted lapidary stone buttons. Includes 4 Picture Jasper 1.25" & 1". 2 Azurite 1", 2 Jasper 1", 5 various Turquoise, 1" with variations.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, [1931]. 8vo. Rebound in red 1/.4 leather and black cloth boards, with raised bands, gilt stamps, and gilt titles to spine. New matching archival slipcase. Presented is a photoplay edition of Mary Shelley’s masterpiece of horror, Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus. This printing was published by Grosset & Dunlap, in New York, in 1931. One of the most collectible Grosset & Dunlap photoplay editions, this book was published to accompany the 1931 Universal Pictures James Whale horror film starring Boris Karlof, Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boless, and Dwight Frye. It is illustrated throughout with scenes from that production. The book has been beautifully rebound in striking ¼ red leather and black cloth boards, with raised bands and gilt stamps and tiles to the spine, and a matching black archival slipcase. Mary Shelley was just nineteen when she wrote her classic novel. The circumstances of its composition are by now well known. In 1816, Mary was in Switzerland with Percy Shelley, Byron, and Byron’s physician John Polidori when the evening’s discussion turned to one of Shelley’s favorite topics, the supernatural. Byron proposed that all members of the party write a romance or tale on the subject. The resulting efforts were Polidori’s The Vampyre, Byron’s unfinished narrative about a vampire, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The first edition of Frankenstein was published anonymously in London, 1818, and is exceedingly rare. An 1831 edition was published in London, for which Shelley wrote an introduction describing the circumstances surrounding the creation of the work. The first American edition was published in 1833. Frankenstein has been named “the most famous English horror novel… a defining model of the Gothic mode of fiction, and… the first genuine science fiction novel, the first significant rendering of the relations between mankind and science through an image of mankind’s dual nature appropriate to an age of science” (Clute and Nicholls, Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, 1099). Alexander Grosset and George T...

AUTHOR: MORLEY, John. TITLE: The Life Of William Ewart Gladstone. PUBLISHER: NY: Macmillan Company, 1903. DESCRIPTION: 3 vols., 9" x 6-1/4", frontis portrait plate, illustrated, ...

A gorgeous antique bronze match box holder featuring symbols of the Zodiac By Tiffany Studios (signed to the underside) New York, USA, Early 20th Century Measures: 4.5"W x 4.5"D x...

Giovanni 'John' Bucci (Italian-American, 1935-2019) A futuristic dodecahedron house model. fiberglass, acrylic, steel and various media The house measures 25 inches wide and deep...

ABOUT Jointed wooden lion manufactured in the 1900s by the Schoenhut Piano Company as part of the "Humpty Dumpty Circus" collection. Made from ca...

Louis Icart, The Complete Etchings. English book, by William R. Holland, Clifford P. Catania, and Nathan D. Isen, 1990. 1988 marked the one-hundredth anniversary of Louis Icart's bir...

A very cool desktop barometer / weather station by Airguide Instrument Company, circa 1950s. The device is packaged in a walnut case with brass feet and accents. It has gauges and ...

A fabulous large wood, possibly oak, and iron ship’s wheel in old green paint, in very good condition, with some shrinkage cracks, paint losses, bolt losses, some paint touchups, an...

Original American Title lobby card for the films US release in 1962. This epic British film is based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam ...

A nice softbound program from "The Auction at Graceland" of icon Elvis Presley's personal effects, circa 2018. The program is in good vintage condition with ...

USA c.1930s. Unknown Maker. Celluloid linked chain and Bakelite cube charms. With a good clasp, this necklace is ready to wear. Fair Condition because one smaller cube is chipped a...

Bakelite Jewelry, Good - Better - Best, English book by Donna Wassertrom and Leslie Pina, 1997. Bakelite jewelry was popular during The Depression bec...

Evans, C.S. (editor). Rackham, Arthur (illustrator). Cinderella. London & Philadelphia: William Heinemann and J.B. Lippincott Co., 1919. Numbered #53/325 copies of the Edition de Lux...

A gorgeous antique gilt bronze match box holder featuring symbols of the Zodiac By Tiffany Studios (signed to the underside) New York, USA, Early 20th Century Measures: 4.5"W x 4....

Americano single-ended, Stereo Pentode Amplifier 5 watts per channel Input sensitivity: 1.03v to full output Input impedance: 50K Inputs: 2, switchable by Front Panel Mounted Carling Switch Output: 8 Ohm Via 5-Way Binding Posts Bias: No user adjustment necessary Tube compliment: 6973 power tubes (X2) Other compatible power tubes as follows: 6CM6/6CZ5/6EM5 (Performance Varies), EZ81/6CA4 Rectifier Tube (X1), EF91/6AM6 Driver Tubes (X2) Other compatible driver tubes as follows: M8083/CV4015 (Performance Varies). Original in Berlin...

Original US studio photograph for the 1930's This piece is framed in a Sapele wood frame with acid free card mounts and UV plexiglass. The size given is before framing. This piece ...

Deer Lodge Prison quirt with orange, black, and white dyed horsehair and leather hand strap and finely braided flapper. PERIOD: Early 20th Century ORIGIN: Montana, United States SIZ...

Jeff Koons : A Retrospective by Scott ROTHKOPF Hardcover Coffee Table Book.Published by New Haven and London Yale University Press for the Whitney Museum of American Art, 2014.Collec...

Norman Rockwell: Artist and Illustrator BY NORMAN ROCKWELL. Buechner, Thomas S. Published by New York, Harry N. Abrahams, 1970. Large heavy oversized hardcover coffee table book. Fir...