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A new....dip pen ink well and a report of a live auction.


Bo Bo Olson

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I was at a live auction, the third and last day of it.

A picture went for E32,000. Some of the old used 'turkish' rugs went for E-2,000......nothing compared to the auction at the same house some 3 years ago where one went for E-75,000.

 

There had been a couple Meissen....one of the worlds most expensive porcelains; beer mugs and inkwell sets. I don't worry about all the plates, cups and figurines.

I'd watched a few antique non-Meissen beer pewter topped mugs go for much less than they once were worth.....only E 200-300. I of course no longer have any space for such....and can't afford to start collecting them in a serious manner. They would not be an investment, in the youth can afford only cell phones and apps, so is a dying market.

 

Then came a few Meissen pewter topped beer mugs. And finally the beer mug market was not dead. Some 3 Meissen beer mugs went for give or take E2,000 a piece. These were not silver or silver topped or Ivory...those still command a goodly price. . Just from 1750's!!! And not the worlds greatest looking ones in that was still the primitive days of Meissen...I've seen stone ware made a 100 years later that matched that. But it was very old.

European Porcelain was invented in Meissen Germany  in 1710.

 

My wife has spent 40 years with her nose in collector's magazines, flea markets and live auctions. I did not know the beer mug after Meissen ones, was the most counterfeited beer mug in the world. E-6,000 for one that was not counterfeited nor  was not gold, silver or ivory.:yikes:

 

The wife had her mind set on a ink well set from 1750...for me.

The container on the left is for pounce; powdered cuttlefish to soak up wet ink.........sand was only used to lay a sheet of paper over another sheet whose ink had not dried. Not to absorb ink, in sand don't. Keep the two sheets out of contact.

I'm lacking the servant the bell demands also.

 

fKASmhH.jpg

Well, I'd put a limit of E-300 being it was Christmas and my wife liked Meissen, not really expecting to win.......I didn't, it hit E-600 two quick breaths and E-800 in three deep breaths.

Had it been only 200 years younger I might have had a chance, in young Meissen didn't go  for 'much'. and that price was no where near the price Miessen was a decade ago, before the youth couldn't afford to start collecting anything at all but handies (cell phones) on the wall. Can't walk around with last year's handie, or what will folks think.:wacko:

 

 

This ink well is small....10 cm by 5 cm high. or 4" x 2 ". French 1900. The dip pen is Russian, from my 'collection'. The ink well is way too small to have ever been used to fill a fountain pen. Fire gilded.

The glass insert is so tiny....and ink wells almost all had a glass or porcelain inserts, for ease of cleaning. This one is so small, it may have been filled with an Eyedropper, and used by a Lady for short thank you notes only.mha9S58.jpg

 

RCAafKq.jpg

0FPqpT2.jpg

I don't ever expect to use it.

Actually of all my 35 or so inkwell sets or inkwells only three or four are air tight. And two of them are huge. Almost too huge to use unless one is a one ink only man.

Soft ball sized. Now brass topped was once gilded. Needs a back light and food coloring, in there is no reason to waste that much ink. I'm not a one ink guy.

krEzfXI.jpg

9cm x 9 x 7cm @ 4"x4x3".

and it too has a large glass insert. 800 or coin silver top.sBhxeBH.jpg

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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deleted for boring 90 people.

Wanted to delete the top post  too, but was too late.

Didn't realize how boring ink wells and live auctions of them are.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Not at all! I enjoy seeing and hearing about your inkwells and other items.

 

Yes, some of them would look great with colored liquid inside.

 

Congratulations on your sale find (the deleted post).

 

Brian

One test is worth a thousand expert opinions.

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Thanks Bsenn. you saw them....now removed.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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I feel like we don't see many porcelain inkwells, at least not with matching trays,  in the US. Or maybe I just don't recognize them as such when I do see them.

 

Yes, I often end up shaking my head at auction hammer prices...

One test is worth a thousand expert opinions.

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boring...1850 ones deleted.

With only one who liked inkwells, it was a lesson I should have learned when I showed off all my inkwells but the new one once before.

 

Could have told what a single lot of 1,600 museum quality  antique pipes went for at the auction....but that's boring.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Bo Bo, you know how much I love the pictures of your inkwells, but I closed my computer during the horrendous tornado watch, warning and disasters that affected the U.S from north Texas to Chicago.

 

I didn't open FPN until today because I had year end paperwork chores that -had- to be done. 

 

The ink well set from 1750 is so beautiful and dainty, I understand why your wife like it.

 

The tiny one is such a find, as cute as it is good looking! It might just have been a inkwell with a dip pen placed like yours, just for signature. 

Seeing it next to the books, gave me the idea that it could have been a custom gift for a little girl, which I suspect had a matching dip pen, even a presentation box.

 

In France, in the 1900's, the majority of people still used inkwells and dip pens.

 

I love your giant bubble inkwell, I now, realize how big the insert is, because I see your desk set, in the background, for scale. I think a small LED backlight would be sufficient to highlight its beauty. I love the little bubbles pattern, it really is a magnificent glass work.

 

 

sBhxeBH.jpg

 

The inkwell above looks like a typical form of an inkwell, its capacity doesn't surprise me, because any daily use of ink, calls for a big capacity inkwell. This would be especially true for any kind of person, whose trade was in the law, accounting, commerce, education and most of all administrative professions.

 

 Household managing also required a significant amount of paperwork.

From pantry inventory, to bills, to homework, grocery lists as well as personal and  social correspondence.

 

I just realized that, of course, because of your precise documentation of the era in your novels, you know that.

 

I was just  carried away, so happy, really to be able to enjoy your posts, again.

 

Is it fair for an intelligent and family oriented mammal to be separated from his/her family and spend his/her life starved in a concrete jail?

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Thank you Anne-Sophie.

 

The square fancy pressed glass one is German and 800 silver, and is my second hugest. The two shown do have air tight covers.

 

I only have a couple screw cap ones, the rest were for often use, or knowing how much water to add to the dried out or evaporation thickened ink.

Which is probably why many don't have any.

 

The museum quality pipes; mostly 'German'' porcelain head style...and many had been loaned to a few museums including one in France; some 1,600, went cheap for @ E-80,000.  I'd not only never seen so many pipes in my life, I'd never dreamed that there could ever be so many pipes at one place.

 

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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As a member of the handie-loving youth, I sheepishly admit that I'm not all that interested in the inkwells. But that Russian dip pen, oh my goodness!

 

Well, I guess the square transparent inkwell could be pretty cool... especially with a scented ink.

 

edit: This post was an attempt at sarcastic humor; no disrespect was meant; sorry if it was distasteful. While I know nothing about inkwells and auctions, I can certainly appreciate the beauty of each of these pieces. And truly, that dip pen is the most beautiful fountain pen I've seen.

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Somewhere I have another pretty dip pen handle. I've seen that others have ones similar to that one.

 

One of these days I'll have to take a third or more of my inkwells down to a glass blowing factory in the Black Forest to get glass inserts blown for them.

 

I saw some very pretty ink wells on English Ebay.....Just to look at, along with looking for Tinntenfass in German Ebay, it can give you an appetite.

I forgot where you are from.....but there are bound to be some in your country's Ebay.

Just make sure the  porcelain or glass inserts are in it and unbroken.

They will be used more as a one Ink, unless you find rare tops that seal or screw on. Rare...got two screw on small ink wells and those to large snap sealing inkwells.

 

In "ex-mancave upgrade" in this section a couple or three pages in, are the rest of my 35 inkwells.

 

You do need one inkwell, just like one needs at least one dip pen. Take your time so you have an idea should you stumble over one, you know it's good or not.

There is also a roller, letter holder, letter opener, wax stamp, and a couple of other things for a full set.

 

:happyberet:Was what one had on one's desk....to show you had arrived.

Some office desks were double wide  for two people** and there were inkwell sets made to be opened from each side.

When they were cheap, I got very picky....now the uncouth rich are ruining the market. B)

 

** Of course I can't find any...they would do well for putting a monitor a yard/meter away, and have a bit more space to spread out. Space for a couple of inkwells.

 

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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I went back to the man cave upgrade post, where your inkwell collection is, were the ones you deleted from this post new acquisitions?

 

I gather they are, if so would you mind re-posting the pictures, of course, when you have the time, which with the Holidays, seems to be in short supply and... you have to follow Helena's adventures, then decide which ones you are keeping.

 

Thank you for that post always soothing to see beautiful objects. 

Is it fair for an intelligent and family oriented mammal to be separated from his/her family and spend his/her life starved in a concrete jail?

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I've been all the week teaching an intensive course on Statistics, so I haven't seen the post till now. You shouldn't have deleted those posts, I'm certain there is more people who likes stationery and all the paraphernalia associated with writing.

 

I have a modern inkwell set (two porcelain inkwells in a wooden holder) just in front of me... and just behind, an inherited ancient (don't know much, likely not much) inkwell in silver just behind, soldered to a holding dish and with an also silver feather-shaped dip pen.

 

Can't afford the luxury of having anything else, not the budget, not the space, but love to see what's out there. Then if you look around, you'll see the many threads about ink and pen paraphernalia. Plus all the lurkers...

 

I'd say there is more than two or three people interested indeed.

If you are to be ephemeral, leave a good scent.

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I am too old fashioned. I do answer posts that have been ignored....saying at least Hi.  Nope, don't know.... .(neither did the other 100 or in some cases 150 viewers. I won't call them people. People have couth. )

try this or that sub-section instead of Click and go....

 

I think either :thumbup: or:P  or :headsmack: or :angry: don't take too long.

 

Tid bit of the day.....Hello is a new word, invented @ 1876, as what to say into the speaker of one of those newfangled telephone gismos. Hello became a status word....indicating one was well enough off to afford one of those apparatuses; having one in one's business....in up to say 1881 only the very rich had one in their homes.

 

Women's lib started because....the original men telephone operators, were late to work, rude and gossiped for money or drink in Saloons about the business they over heard during the work day.

Being a Telephone operator was the first job a girl/woman could get that paid a living wage** of some $2.00 day (6 day week -12 hour day), so she could live away from home and feed and put a roof over her head.

Women were on time, cheerful, and most important of all for the businessman of the day, a woman telephone operator wouldn't be caught dead in a saloon....and didn't have any market for business gossip.

In @ 1881 there were some 6-8 female telephone operators in the US. I mention three of the four in Colorado, in the last book of my western saga.

 

If one had connections in the telegraph sector, one could get a job as a woman where there was a telegraph sender and no saloon. Making 1/3 less than a man.

Odd, how things haven't changed.

Back in the day.....

Women had to live at home with parents or husband, at $0.50 a 12 hour day as a store clerk....a seamstress also had to take work home after her 12 hour day. In a flop house cost 25 cents, breakfast 15 cents....so one starved on Sunday....

There were one way to hell, night jobs available when faced with starvation wages.

 

Add your own tid bits.

 

 

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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I am too old fashioned. I do answer posts that have been ignored....saying at least Hi.  Nope, don't know.... .(neither did the other 100 or in some cases 150 viewers. I won't call them people. People have couth. )

try this or that sub-section instead of Click and go....

 

I think either :thumbup: or:P  or :headsmack: or :angry: don't take too long.

 

Tid bit of the day.....Hello is a new word, invented @ 1876, as what to say into the speaker of one of those newfangled telephone gismos. Hello became a status word....indicating one was well enough off to afford one of those apparatuses; having one in one's business....in up to say 1881 only the very rich had one in their homes.

 

Women's lib started because....the original men telephone operators, were late to work, rude and gossiped for money or drink in Saloons about the business they over heard during the work day.

Being a Telephone operator was the first job a girl/woman could get that paid a living wage** of some $2.00 day (6 day week -12 hour day), so she could live away from home and feed and put a roof over her head.

Women were on time, cheerful, and most important of all for the businessman of the day, a woman telephone operator wouldn't be caught dead in a saloon....and didn't have any market for business gossip.

In @ 1881 there were some 6-8 female telephone operators in the US. I mention three of the four in Colorado, in the last book of my western saga.

 

If one had connections in the telegraph sector, one could get a job as a woman where there was a telegraph sender and no saloon. Making 1/3 less than a man.

Odd, how things haven't changed.

Back in the day.....

Women had to live at home with parents or husband, at $0.50 a 12 hour day as a store clerk....a seamstress also had to take work home after her 12 hour day. In a flop house cost 25 cents, breakfast 15 cents....so one starved on Sunday....

There were one way to hell, night jobs available when faced with starvation wages.

 

Add your own tid bits.

 

 

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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No, Anne-Sophie, the only new one I have is the darling little lady's signature dip inkwell.

I was so shocked at the auction house when I viewed it...it was so tiny. They had given the size but I'd not really read it.

It's a inkwell for a ladies Thank You notes.

This ink well is small....10 cm by 5 cm high. or 4" x 2 ". French 1900.

mha9S58.jpgRCAafKq.jpg0FPqpT2.jpg

I had expected it to be 3-4 times larger....'normal' size.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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  • 3 months later...

 

This auction started off with Roman art, vases, a couple pieces of two hundred BC works, some 200AD, Byzantine era also. I learned the value of Roman era and could have bought two or three small items. I'd known what that key ring was but most wouldn't....and I don't have it's lock. Some items went for 5-700 E, others twice that. A few things opened my eyes, with a 7,000 E price. A few things went for near that.

I got to that auction hours too early, even with reserved seats

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

First the price of porcelain had really fallen into a pit, but with no interest paid and a war brewing there was a bounce in the price. Not noticed in fantastic old furniture.....

 

When a Miessen cup from 1735(1725 start) goes for only E 1,400.....that is cheap.  That is near the start and very rare, one from 1750 is easier to find and the E900 it was going for was only a little bit affordable ....if you chase Miessen you've sold your Rolls. ...My wife couldn't understand why a 20th century piece of Meisen went way over normal, for E1,500.....

@ 1900 49 piece Copenhagen dinning set, and a start price that started at E25,000** and only went to E28,000.

 

**So much for my thought to pleasantly surprise my wife of  'if it hangs at E 150-200 go for it'....not that we needed it. :huh:

Often my wife knows more than me.

 

There has been "affordable" smaller Meissen dining sets lately**,,,something to have had 30-40 years ago; but we don't sit 8 much less 12 to put on the Silver Plated Dog.

6 is as far as we go.....and not for the last couple years.

 

**The youth don't bow to 'what do you mean I got to wash those old dishes by hand' Meissen like their parents did.

ccccccccccccccc

 

I lucked out today....after fighting Poland, Italy, France and Spain along with Germany, I ended up with another fine inkwell.

 

Before internet bidding, I could have gotten this 19th century French marble, with fire gold gilded bronze ink well for 1/5th to 1/4th what I paid for it. The Bee puts it in the '1850-70' era. I think closer to 1870 because of the Napoleon Bee on the top of the inkwell lid, that Napoleon the 3rd used when he was Emperor.  That bee fell out of fashion real fast after he lost Alsace and Loraine and made Germany a nation.

 

Auction house picture. showing the bee. The stick in the inkwell is there so there is a better view of the bee.

  KuOYkS3.jpg

Height 12.8 cm(5") width 11.3(4.44")

ryoHjEX.jpgSK82SBO.jpg

There is a full brass plate under the dark larger inkwell.

The white dainty one I won last time and was featured in this thread.

The glass insert in the black one is chipped.......One day I'll get another glass insert.

 

RVlWRMP.jpg

 

 

Tomorrow I hope to have a more affordable day in inkwells, in there is a porcelain set that is  more colorful that what I normally chase; gold background and some flowers and bird pictures.  Defiantly a Lady's inkwell....but what the hell; if I put on my sunglasses it's pretty. 

 

The inkwell is later @1900 IMO, in the wells are attached to the platter, so there is no pounce sander, just two inkwells with full inserts and tops. 

 

 

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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These are absolutely stunning!  Thank you for sharing them with us!  

 

I really love the both of the inkwells.  But the little one with the dip pen that you won last year are especially charming.  

 

Thank you also for sharing the history of these.  

 

Many years ago, I owned a small porcelain business and sold mostly online.  eBay was still very small then and was a reasonable place to sell the beautiful porcelain antiques that I found.  At that time, I dealt mostly with Danish porcelain.  But even then Meissen porcelain was quite expensive. I ended up closing the business.  There just wasn't that much interest. 

"Today will be gone in less than 24 hours. When it is gone, it is gone. Be wise, but enjoy! - anonymous today

 

 

 

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Knowledge is the key to interest...that and  more money than one might think as reasonable.

Being able to appreciate beauty is also something that has to e learned.

 

Just like a free BP user will freak when told the cost of the better fountain pens, the cost better porcelain will freak out just about anyone.

Freddy Mercury paid north of $3,000,000 for a very large dining room setting from Meissen. Can't find the exact price. Of course he paid new prices.

 

:yikes:Meissen, Ludwigsberg, France's De Haveland, KPM and even Royal Copenhagen, one needs to know the skill needed to paint ....the colors painted are not the colors when the object if burnt.That it is hard to get perfection at the highest levels of delicate porcelain; when you can get a cheap tea cup or demi-tasse/mocca cup for much less.

My wife collects all, but mostly Rosenthal, the best of the upper middle class porcelain. Depending on luck, used Rosenthal can go from E5-10 up to E-50 or more for a demi-tasse cup.

She seldom drinks mocca....oh well.

I have pens that are used only to celebrate a 'green' moon.

 

My wife had already been infected with porcelainitus, some months before I met her. It took me many years to absorb  enough knowledge to understand her addiction to grace and beauty. A big thick sturdy white Navy Coffee cup can be improved on if one is willing to take a bit more care with beauty.

...Oh the saucer got to match the cup.:P

 

At the beginning of the when (1725-@ 1600 and a bit), one drank coffee or hot chocolate out of the saucer, because the stuff in the cup was too hot. So the first saucers were high walled.

 

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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This is the inkwell (bottom)  that was to be chased. But (excuse cubed) my wife threw out her back and couldn't take the lady up stairs to her first auction. I did, and I knew she was bored and that after 'only' an hour, so when I won the picture my wife wanted, we left.

 

*Shssss, I went a couple hundred over my wife's limit with the Franz Huth picture. :gaah:...:angry:. My excuse was that was yesterday's limit. Not the limit she slept on.

I so hoped to get it low, in it started very low...............sigh cubed.

 

The very same idiot that drove us to pay well over our limit last time, was there again. .......One is frozen in space, watching an auctioneer's eyes ping pong between two idiot Huth collectors....in the room, ......no one else in the whole world was interested and on line.

My magic limit reached, I withdrew my numbered paddle.....thinking the other guy won :(....until my number was called, a few seconds later.:yikes:.......:thumbup:

 

Sitting for another 2 hours would have been too much.....all in all. ($$$$ also; not that the inkwell would have been all that expensive....but limits grump up a bank account in a hurry.))

 

Wiki""""Historicism or historism (German: Historismus) comprises artistic styles that draw their inspiration from recreating historic styles or imitating the work of historic artisans.""" (There were lots of different revival eras in the 19th cent....that I dip the books I'm writing into.....but having seen so much of German: Historismus have a cruder thought.

The way I see it, a lot of new rich wanted to give the impression they had old rich-noble background, so a lot of old styles was mixed together and sold. I've seen the definition go from starting at about 1870, down to now 1860....I tend to favor the 1870 time, in that's when Germany unexpectedly and suddenly became a nation.  IMO nationalism arose and roots were being searched for in a new world. The era slowed down in the 1890's but still was enough around up to @ 1910. I date this close to 1900.

It's pretty but banks have no sense of humor.:unsure:

 

Grump cubed, before all this stupid telephone or computer bidding, inkwells were affordable.

 

If the pictures are clicked, they don't look so scrunched up.

 

1593.jpg

 

This one wasn't even looked at.............it is only silver plated,* but a King of Baden gave it to a small city in 1914 for having visited their small city.

Why look at what one is never going to get?

*WMF was the silver plate company of Germany, still is.

0994.jpg

 

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Gorgeous inkwells, although I'd tend towards the silver one myself. Never heard of Huth, but googling his work I like it (the landscapes more than the interiors). Seems a fun, almost affordable, artist to collect. I hope your wife enjoys the painting.

One test is worth a thousand expert opinions.

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