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

[DrDebG]

Absolutely gorgeous and thank you for sharing photos and your experience.  

[amberleadavis]

On 12/13/2021 at 11:35 AM, Bo Bo Olson said:

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.

 

These are not boring.  I love them.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Thanks Amber...I will visit a lonely post....some 70-100 with out a comment and at least say something.

 

But I'm from another era; and don't do 'social click and go media'.

So when a post of mine goes 90-100 with out a nod.....oror,, or something. I tend to think I bore people.

 

This was a two bid item....

Serpentin-Humpen (German word description of a type of beer mug). Sachsen (from Saxony then a Kingdom) from 1700. Poliert, mit vergoldeter Kupfermontur. H=13,5 bzw. 17,3 cm.

Polished Gilded copper...........E-8,000 start bid, E-10,000 second and final bid.

 

I could find space for it in my 70-80 beer mug glass door'ed book case.

You know, I don't have a single gold gilded top....nor even just 'silver' topped one...or much less a silver one. Or highly carved  Ivory.

I guess I got to sell a couple, maybe even three pens.

 

I have seen beer mugs that belonged to Dukes or Kings go for E25-45,000, and this auction house  is not Southerbies, or Munich, Frankfurt or Paris.

 

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

23 hours ago, bsenn said:

Seems a fun, almost affordable, artist to collect.

Looked that way until that idiot Huth collector showed up.

 

My wife's aunt had worked in an art gallery place. We also ended up with various Karslruhe Majolika and Westfallen stone goods. For years we couldn't quite read who the artist was of the pastel paintings. 

Finally we took the two pictures, one dated '42, the other pre-war; down to the other auction house we frequent and put the pictures on the counter. As the man stood up from his desk, from 2 1/2 strides away, he said Huth....at first I thought he coughed.

The next auction there were three interiors  and a landscape. My wife don't like interiors. I thought one was nice enough. The landscape....went for twice as much more than we wanted to spend.

 

My wife inherited and collects a local Heidelberg artist Karl Stauss. My wife's mother use to work in a Jewelry store near where that artist lived, so was given the pictures when the owner retired. The artist just paid for watch repair or small purchases with his pictures.

My wife hadn't paid all that much attention to them until ...an uncle of my wife asked her how come she had Karl Stauss pictures....so they went from a three nice inheritted water colors to 8 or so. He luckily is cheaper than Huth.

 

My wife and I are collectors....mocca  cups/demi-tasse, porcelain, old cook books, along with basic antique nick-knacks.

..............I don't take pictures of her stuff, just mine for here.

A painted enamel 1900 cigarette case and a enamel covered gillochiert powder case are not what my wife collects but some items that fell into her hand. The silver 1850 French  inkwell is mine and hers is the little unclear items seen in the back ground are pretty and have a good worth.

I do find the powder case and the cigarette case to be fine little piece of artwork.

 

I do pens, and ink wells.

The beer mugs sort of happened, not being actually 'collected'. Back then the collectable beer mugs were much too expensive. Had I a 'collection' of them, I'd still be a one pen man, my P-75.

 

The prices have fallen since the Americans left, and the old folks die and the youth can't afford to collect anything, having to have the newest high status cell phone/handi (as we call them) , and the apps.

 

Often I joke with my wife saying we spend our vacation in an auction house.....

Until Corona happened we were involved in a major Ecology Movement, of releasing antiques back into the wild.

After collecting for 40 years, it gets a bit crowded.

And I can't afford a new castle.

[DrDebG]

That turquoise set is gorgeous!  

[Bo Bo Olson]

Oh yes....

I've not inked it ...and don't think I ever will.

Some things are just to beautiful to use. At least in our day and age.

 

They are well worth having, .... to displaying.

Most would just think ... pretty.

With out that ancients saw a deeper beauty.

Part of it, is the color of the glass that raised the piece back in 1850 to higher than average.

.............

There is a program here in Germany, Kunst or Krumple (Art or junk)  on Saturday night from Bavaria, that unfortunately is only 30 minutes long, and use the 30 minutes much better.

 

We don't collect glass, and some how glass is much cheaper than one would expect.

For E300-400 you can get one of the great glasses of the world made for someone to drink at the local village table or his own or a Barron.

 

There are great glass makers (all sorts of glass) ....and for old if unlucky can get the glass for 1/3 off new price. Lucky means no one talked to gramps who swapped potatoes for in the or just after the last War. Perhaps grams didn't know himself, but learned to value art the hard way....costing him three or four potatoes more.

 

There are old versions of the new glasses where you send your chauffeur to pick up, while you wait in the Rolls.                                   I last saw some of that level in Baden, where the rich of Europe and Russia come to lose money in the casino. 

There are many times when I say...I can afford that one glass, and one again next year. But the Golden Rule is one has to limit one's beauty greed.

There are great German glass makers whose name I could recognize if spoken or written....but because I don't collect glass, can't bring up out of the slippery swam I use for a mind.

 

 

Even if I hit the lottery big, those type glasses I'd not buy.

You don't expect me to use that class of glass at my wet bar in my pool room; do you?

For you and me, casual bar glasses are ok.

[amberleadavis]

Very pretty

 

[Anne-Sophie]

Oh my goodness! Bo Bo you have the very best taste!

 

It love all the new (to me) inkwells, the tiny French one, especially caught my eyes, and the teal set is ultra gorgeous!

 

I think you were able to get great finds, even the beer mug is really beautiful, I have never seen a beer mug with such an understated design.

 

I will be coming back to that thread to look at the other inkwells and other items, especially the bee inkwell, that's a find!

 

I will also have many questions about them.

 

.

 

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

9 hours ago, Anne-Sophie said:

I have never seen a beer mug with such an understated design.

From the middle of the Baroque era....where frills on frills was SOP, it is just sleek.

Gold was always as expensive. Gliding....fire vergoldung, was a deadly way of making a living, with the mercury needed. Often it was silver that was gilded.

 

Anne Sophie, I learned good taste from my wife..............that and years of looking at antiques, new or old.

Just like our growing knowledge about pens, the same is done with other branches of the antiques.

My wife spent 20 years with the monthly antique mag, learning. Not only her own area but the rest of the magazine.

 

Them comes coincidence. One reads of a famous clock maker in the last months mag..of various classic cases for it made by the clock maker....

Someone one knows, has a brother that does refurbishing of clocks for a major Vienna museum. Some one who said they would, won't pay what it's worth, wanting to get it much cheaper.....so we paid what it's worth....a name clock, in a wonderful sleek and classy walnut case.

We had found out what it was worth just two weeks before, so what two weeks before would have been expensive wasn't......even if it was. 30 years of pride and joy on the way, made it affordable.

 

I do not have three or four living rooms to decorate.............ie my castle shrunk.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Everything but one thing we originally wantedat this auction, ended up being 'affordable' ..... not that I could have afforded the ten things we wanted. When I think an item will go for more than I can afford I'm often right............................but one thing went for only E-20

I'd had to sit there for some two hours, then two hours more and so on.

Two days worth of building calluses.

The fancy 1750 small sword was totally unexpectedly affordable....but that was at the end of the auction.

 

This affordable...is a myth, in who ever in the world won could afford the 1/3 more I'd cost them.

 

That King's gift inkwell in fine silver plate went for only E200.......of course had I stuck around for that Inkwell, E-300 or more was what it would have cost that guy who won.....There are a lot of deep pockets out there and me operating out of my Wrangler jeans watch pocket.

 

 

For once in my life MB's didn't go for the proper money. 3 MB's with good semi-flex nibs, one a 33X something or 32X, (the other two were smaller MB's not 146/9's.but I don't know '30'?-50-60's MB that well and a mid '50's Kaweco.. E-110!!!!!

 

Perhaps if the Frankie Pelikan had been a 140 like the other I'd stayed around.....(200's nib, some other pens cap)...but I'd thought those three MB's would go for E-600 at least.

Those were some real fine nibs.

 

I did learn, bidding at home  won't be as tiring...and 3% extra is cheap for being able to wander around comfortable and not being forced to whisper a whisper in the Auction hall.

So that's a 'new' way to throw my money over my shoulder with my gold plated shovel.

 

 

[Anne-Sophie]

 

Bo Bo, right now, choosing the online route for auction is -the- way to go.

 

I don't know how you and your wife can stand the pressure, I went to a couple of auction, it was nerve  wracking, even if I didn't plan to buy anything.

 

I'd rather buy from someone who found the bargain and has gone to the trouble of fixing all the potential problems, which means no bargain, so not much purchases.

 

I have always lived in small dwellings, so space is at a premium.

 

It doesn't help that I keep adding creative activities, which need space, to make, then store the items created.

 

I realized that it has been sometimes, I peered at the FPN. It is tax month.

 

 

 

 

[Anne-Sophie]

On 12/18/2021 at 7:53 AM, Bo Bo Olson said:

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.

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

 

 

Thank you for posting its background! The book spines, it is almost as wide, so I have a good visual reference.

 

I have been reading a bit more about La Belle Epoque, I think that all the Clairefontaine cards formats became fashionable, at that time, for the bourgeoisie, of course.

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

8 hours ago, Anne-Sophie said:

La Belle Epoque,

Art's and Crafts, Art Nouveau, La Belle Epoque and Art Deco, (which actually started earlier than I thought; early '20's, instead was well started by the start of The War) , are such wonderful era's of design.

La Belle Epoque, is somehow the shortest of the era's and hardest to define............but so elegant.

 

Part of the charm of live auctions...pre computer and telephone was some times being able to see whom you were at war with.

The last half second bid, going once, going twice....going....NEW BID!!!..building suspense and perhaps breaking the other bidder after the second time the opponent had sweet thought his bid would win, before telling him....not yet....

 

One does have to have multiple items one wants to bid on....or the wait can become too long which happened to me this time. Especially the unexpected low bid on the MB's....there must be a first time for everything.....and I Was Not There For IT!!!!!

 

Wallet reality......had we doubled out max of what we wanted to throw around....we could have been there to the bitter end.....both days.

What am I going to do with a real nice 1750 sword, two more inkwells.....I'm sure my wife would have wanted something that she cut off her list...................The next thing one is counting real big money.

 

Then what about the next auction....one every six weeks between two auction houses.

 

Sigh cubed. Apartment expanders are illegal here in Germany.

Castles are so expensive, after one has put on a new roof, running water and steam heat....and they probably got laws against the last two.

 

Sometimes bureaucrats can be a pain. A passed friend of ours had to tell the Germans, if they wanted it back to original they had to supply a horse butcher. They couldn't, so he was able to modify his house inside to being livable.

[Anne-Sophie]

Many, many of the late Boomers and early Gen Vers, will soon become empty nesters or are trying to figure out, if the big family house is worth keeping or a nice apartment closer to everything, or in a resort town or in a town made for their hobby (music, theater, danse,  sports, etc...) or closer to the grand-children or the grand-parents or mid-way between children/parents and grand-parents.

 

You will have a lot more opportunities to get a good priced MB.

 

Next time, go at the auction with the sword at your side and make the items owners, "an offer they can't refuse" of course, just kidding. 

 

I made the photos of the inkwells bigger, oh my goodness, even more gorgeous!

 

 

[Anne-Sophie]

On 4/22/2022 at 5:38 PM, Bo Bo Olson said:

Art's and Crafts, Art Nouveau, La Belle Epoque and Art Deco, (which actually started earlier than I thought; early '20's, instead was well started by the start of The War) , are such wonderful era's of design.

La Belle Epoque, is somehow the shortest of the era's and hardest to define............but so elegant.

 

 

   Maybe it could be defined as the years of Paul Poiret, the fashion designer.                   

[Bo Bo Olson]

Pens are going to get cheaper, in the youth are addicted to the newest status $phone, and the apps, so can't afford to buy obsolete fountain pens.

Art work...(stuff with out a this way up sticker), old cars, all in a falling market, due to cell phones.

 

[Karmachanic]

46 minutes ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Pens are going to get cheaper

 

That would be nice.  Currently, on my planet, everything's getting increasingly more expensive.

[Bo Bo Olson]

6 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

That would be nice.  Currently, on my planet, everything's getting increasingly more expensive.

A whole lot of us are past our due date....soon flooding the market.....and the youth have fast thumbs....or the new speakies.

 

Writing is something Alexa does for them.

[OMASsimo]

You seem rather pessimistic. I don’t think that things will change that quickly and I don’t see fountain pen prices decrease at all, at least not the pens I’m interested in. In the contrary, there seems to be so much money around that there are enough people to bit rather unreasonable amounts even for humble pens of certain brands. But I can imagine that the interest in ink wells is a different story. I only have one which I inherited from my grand parents. But it’s not nearly as beautiful or fancy as any of those you showed here. So, please keep going!

[amberleadavis]

On 3/27/2022 at 12:00 PM, Bo Bo Olson said:

 

You don't expect me to use that class of glass at my wet bar in my pool room; do you?

For you and me, casual bar glasses are ok.

 

YES, use it. You are worth it.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I had forgotten, I just got this. German 800 or their coin silver. Pre @1935 they went over to 835, in that was the minimum that the Scandinavian countries would accept as silver.