1930s Collectibles and Curiosities

Type: Wooden toy zebra, Figurine. Material: Beech. Color: White and black. Design: Kay Bojesen. Origin: Denmark. Period: Manufactured in the 1950s (Designed in 1935). Measurements: ...

Henry Potter & Co. of West Street, London WC2 A ceremonial sterling silver bugle of military interest, made by the eminent musical instrument makers Henry Potter in 1939. Profusel...

Art Deco wood propeller with barometer.

A 1930s laminated mahogany propeller from a Hawker Hart powered by a Rolls Royce Kestrel V12, dated September 1936. With wall-mounted bracket. ...

Silver plated figure / sculpture of a boxer signed Bertin, France, circa 1930. Mounted over a marble base. Perfect for a boxing, sports wrestling fan.

Art Deco Aviation Model Boeing 314 Airplane Pan-American 'Clipper', circa 1938 A superbly crafted rendering of the legendary transoceanic Boeing 314 Pan-Am...

A rare set in three volumes of Moss Harris and Sons Catalogue & Sons; Index of Old Furniture and Works of Decorative Arts. From late 16th century-early...

Original Swedish movie poster for the German 1934 film Abschiedswalzer the film about the 19th century Polish composer Frederic Chopin. The film was di...

Seminal 1930 survey of early modernist furniture and interior design projects by known German and other European designers. Approximately 200 different designs featuring about 70 designs by Ludwig Kozma, who designed the striking red and black cover of the hardbound volume. Designers include Augenfeld, Brehaus, Hoffmann, Jeanneret, an early Paul Laszlo in Budapest, Le Corbusier, Sobotka, and Josef Frank, along with a host of lesser-known names. 196 pages, most filled with black and white plates...

Oak yacht tiller mounted on two deck planks from the author Arthur Ransome's 1931 Hilliard built yacht 'Nancy Blackett'. The tiller is from author Arthur Ransome's yacht 'Nancy Bl...

Recently salvaged from old Downtown Buffalo New York church rectory, lifesize carved wood statue, "Joseph" which once adorned the vestibule, well executed, wonderful detail, great si...

A beautiful, 1930s Jean Despres (1889-1980) deco silver brooch inspired by modern Industrial forms. Signed.

- Satirical illustration from EH Shepard for a 1936 edition of Punch magazine - Original artwork signed by the Winnie the Pooh artist - Originates fro...

Art Deco English sterling silver and guilloche enamel scent bottle The bottle of this charming scent is beautifully rounded shaped like a small pumpkin The silver lid is set of...

This is a wax carving of Mary, probably done before WWII and is actually signed. The signature is Vernez and could have been a model for a future casting. Signed.

Original US movie poster for 1937 comedy romance The Footloose Heiress directed by William Clemens and starring Craig Reynolds, Ann Sheridan and Anne Nagel.  

A sculptural junction tube fashioned of laboratory-grade Pyrex glass.

Two seats aircraft Forain Art Collector's item, metal and painted wood. Year 1930. Exceptional and unique piece. Available now.

This fabulous dress clip is iconic of Depression-era jewelry. The 1930's clip brooch was one of the most versatile jewels ever invented, for the variety of ways in which the clip bro...

Vintage leather child's saddle.

Rare and unusual, this copper ashtray celebrating the pottery industry in France is reminiscent of bronze and copper pieces designed by Paul Manship and other major sculptors in the 1920s and 1930s. This example, made of copper painted gold, depicts a nude potter at his wheel, surrounded by symbols of his industry, including kilns, planting pots and...

A strong but elegant modernist open fret bracelet with rows of brilliant cut and baguette diamonds 12-carats of fine quality diamonds set in platinum. When worn it is a fantastic an...

ATA1384 An enamel over sterling silver tobacco box lined in walnut. On this friendly hostess’ tray is an array of smoking accoutrements, including a tobacco jar labeled “Porto Rico...

Seldom seen Art Deco 1930s's PEERLESS Lollipop arcade coin-op penny scale....Amazing original condition,, Tested and working perfectly,, Accurate weight,,. Porcelain and cast iron. O...

This vintage piece is a 1939 map of the Philippines accompanied by a census, sourced from Volume V of a book containing historical statistical information. Encased in a stylish black...

One of the most popular rocking horse manufacturers and probably the longest-established English rocking horse maker is J. Collinson traces its roots back to Liverpool in 1836. This ...

Art Deco ashtray stand This beautiful and rare Art Deco Ashtray Stand from the 30s/40s is in the streamline modern art deco style. The designer of this extraordinary object has succ...

Lacquered iron rocket France early 20th century Probably part of an old amusement park attraction. wooden stand included 37 cm Conditions: good overall conditions, a bit of rus...

Art Deco ashtray stand This beautiful and rare Art Deco Ashtray Stand from the 30s/40s is in the streamline modern art deco style. The designer of this extraordinary object has succ...

Mechanical cigarette dispenser box. An attractive and very beautiful desk piece, created in France during the art deco period, back in ...

Arvin Model 527 Rhythm Senior Console Radio Bluetooth. The Rhythm Series was introduced in 1936. Some of the most beautiful and uncommon of all the Arvin sets are included in this ...

Desk elephant Striker Lighter designed by Ronson. The striker lighters made by Ronson are famous under collectors. This extremely rare desk Striker Li...

Art Deco mechanical dispenser box with lighter made by Ronson. An exceptional and very decorative mechanical desk box, created in the city of Newark, New Jersey United States by The Ronson Metal Works Co. during the Art Deco period, back in the 1938. This is a very rare box designed by Frederick Kaupmann with geometric machine age patterns. It was crafted with parts made up in solid steel and chromed steel. Embellished with semicircular linear knob to lid on gunmetal base with black lacquer enamel, creating a great contrast to the brilliant steel and the interiors are finished with round brushed Fiorentine patterns. This is the variation which is mounted in four squared sabbots, the touch tip is cylindrical, the knob is semicircular and the lighter part is decorated with lines instead plain. This piece is extremely well made with a solid construction and with very nice attention to all details. This surely is a very decorative collectors piece and a great conversation item. Weight: 2,267 Grams, (5 Pounds). Measurements: 205 mm by 120 mm by 104 mm (8.07 x 4.75 x 4.10 Inches). Marks: Stamped with the maker's mark and signed, "FASHIONED BY Ronson NEWARK NJ Ronson TOUCH-TIP-US PATS 1.986.754-DESIGN PAT .97.247-BRITISH PAT APPL'D FOR-CANADA PAT 349.148 ART METAL WORKS INC-NEWARK NJ USA" The Ronson lighter 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. Literature: Urban K. Cummings, Ronson, the World's Greatest Lighter : Wick Lighters 1913-1966 Bird Dog Books, California. 1992. For this exact model Illustrated. Note: This model was produced in two colors, black or brown with geometric variants at the touch tip lighter...

The most iconic “on air” sign warning lights were made by RCA Victor in the 1930s. When radio and television stations were creating live programs, they had...

Rare Zeppelin wine cooler by Fritz August Breuhaus de Groot, 1925/1935, Bauhaus Stil Part of the dinnerware used in the Zeppelin LZ 129. Design and ...

This set of ski equipment, was produced by Heinrich Hammer, in Germany, during the 1930s. These antique skis in painted wood, come with kandahar and geze bindings with antique wood ski poles...

Original (1935) film posters. Belgian posters were printed on this larger paper stock up to World War II, during the war and afterwards posters were only printed in a smaller size. T...

Extremely rare aluminum string bass, circa 1930s, bass was originaly wood grain painted, has been stripped and polished.. restrung and set up, new bridge and custom (alcoa) tail piece, original ebony fret board, Sounds amazing. If purchasing to play, wonderful decorative sculpture, Pfretzschner aluminum bass In 1928, The Aluminum Company of America manufactured 50 aluminum double basses...

Stunning white and black Art Deco porcelain penny scale by Navco. Amazing design, reminiscent of a womans cloaked silouette, retains original key...

Late-1930s KookBox hollow wood surfboard. Purchased initially by a WWII veteran stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii who was later killed in action during the war. Upon his death, the soldier's belongings, along with this surfboard was mailed from Oahu, Hawaii to his family in Northern California. This antique wooden surfboard features a hollow ribbed construction, inspired by designs used to construct the wings of airplanes. The invention of this method of surfboard construction was patented by renowned inventor and water man, Tom Blake...

Handmade sterling silver Tefillin boxes, Birmingham, England, 1935. Square boxes with hinged bases that open and close. Hebrew inscription on the top of the boxes: Shin Yud = Shell Yad, Shin Resh = Shel Rosh. Marked on the sides with English silver hallmarks...

This is a printed silk handkerchief from the interwar period, with an Italian aviation theme. This handkerchief features four early aircraft plane models, two of which are seaplanes. The inner field of the handkerchief is pale blue and contained by a black three-line waving border. The outer field is medium blue, with a darker blue at each corner. A white and black fasces rests in each corner. The center of the silk features a golden spread-wing eagle. Above the eagle’s head floats a gold crown. The eagle’s talons grip a shield printed with the Savoy arms, a white cross on a red field. Two gold fasces adorn either side of the shield. In most historical accounts of the early days of military aviation, our reverence for the activities of the American Expeditionary Force and its French and British companions-in-arms on the western front has led us to overlook the immense Italian contribution to the formation of airpower doctrine. The first aerial force projection occurred on Nov. 1, 1911, when Lt. Giulio Gravotta, flying a German-built monoplane, dropped one bomb on Zard and another on Taciura -- in Libya -- during the Italian-Turkish War. This event occurred just a little more than a year after the first flight of an Italian-designed and built aircraft. At about the same time, Gianni Caproni, a young Italian engineer with a passion for innovation and a vast admiration for the Wright brothers, built his first flying machine. By May 23, 1915, the day Italy entered World War I, Caproni had become Italy's leading aircraft designer and manufacturer. Caprooni designed and built a multi-engine bomber with range and bomb capacities to make it a potent offensive weapon. On Aug. 20, 1915, two of these Caproni three-engine bombers attacked the Aisovizza aerodrome with explosive and incendiary bombs, a preview of the most sustained, effective air offensive of the First World War. By early 1916, regular raids against Austro-Hungarian targets were being conducted by seven squadrons of Caproni bombers, with some 540 bombing missions flown by the year's end. Missions were on the increase, both in distance to targets and number of aircraft involved. In late 1917, due to the lack of suitable training facilities in the United States, a contingent of some 500 Americans were sent to Foggia, Italy, to learn military flying. After completing their training, the new pilots were commissioned in the Army Air Service, and the majority of them were sent to France to serve with the American Expeditionary Force. About 75 remained in Italy under the command of Capt. Fiorello LaGuardia...

“THE MAN WITH A HEART, THE PARTY WITH A SOUL”: FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT POSTER, MADE FOR HIS 1936 PRESIDENTIAL RUN, THE BEST OF ALL KNOWN EXAMPLES ACROS...

A now out of print book which is the catalogue raisonne of the great deco silversmith Jean Puiforcat. 339 pages with bilingual text in French and English and illustrated throughout w...

American child’s toy car garage in pretty decent condition, considering these were for children to play with. This toy garage is for 1/43rd scale model cars...

Aluminum head with adjustable jaw raised on round wooden base. Used to make dental molds. Also used as a teaching tool.