KPM ? GRECO/ROMAN BEAUTY WAGNER 1.5x9.5x10" frame, 6.5x5x5" tile. A delicate & beautiful KPM quality porcelain hand painted tile. There is such passion & intensity in this womans face, it is a struggle not to kiss her. clearly done by a master. There is a illegible piece of a signature in the bottom right. Stamped 14SUR17. Excellent condition.
 

SANTERIA DAGGER FROM CUBAN DICTATOR BATISTA 13" Goat foot handled dagger that belonged to General Fulcencio Batista. Some years ago I had the opportunity to deliver medical supplies to Havana Cuba. While there I was treated like royalty & was taken into majestic houses & saw many beautiful things. While in one house 'on a hill', an amazing story unfolded. To the homeowner, ( a Santeria high Priestess) I expressed an interest in a large whimsical post war Italian ceramic & was turned down. I asked if anything else was available, she thought a moment & said wait here. I could see the legs of a thin elderly woman sitting in the other room as she spoke to her. After some muffled Spanish, out she came with this knife in her hand. Understand please that the woman in the other room spoke no English, the woman whom owned the home spoke little English, my guide reasonable English, & me, very little Spanish. In this enviorment I was told the following story. The woman who originally had the Knife, was as a young orpan girl attending a Government school being visited by the then young General, Fulcencio Batista. Seems the General witnessed an earing get ripped out of her ear & personally gathered her up & took her to the hospital. He monitored her recovery, befriending her, insuring her education & employing her until he left the country for good. She said he was at her wedding & was Godfather to her children in both the Christian & Santeria Church. They were members of the same Santeria church. She said he brought this back from his exile in Mexico, that it was his Santeria knife, (One cannot help but wonder of the intimacies of this knifes history.) & as he cleared out his office, Castro nipping at his heels, flipped this knife on her desk commenting that, "he will not be needing this where he is going". The woman eventually was given permission to emigrate to Mexico, & gave the knife to the Priestess before she left. Her asking price was substantial by Cuban standards, over 10 years salary. I thought about it all day, by early eve I was obsessed with it. There was absolutely nothing contrived, & I was sure of it's authenticity. I made a counter offer & a couple hours later she accepted. The guide took my offering & an hour or so later showed up, not only with the knife, but with a clearly authentic, hand tooled sheath with the letters, "GRAL FB". The icing. The blade is hand engraved, GENERAL FULCENCIO BATISTA, RECUERDO DE OAXACA 1945, & on the obverse also hand chased, a hunting scene. This was suppossedly presented to him by the people of Oaxaca. I am guaranteeing this as authentic & will give a one month return option to prove to your satisfaction otherwise. I will escro the funds till then. This is a true museum piece. I now have a video disk interiew with the Santeria Priestess, & it will accompany the purchase of the knife.
 

ROYAL 19th CENTURY GLASS HAIR RECEIVER, 9x6x6" Museum in quality & rarity, this 19th century cut glass hair receiver probably adorned the boudoir of a Victorian Spanish princess. The top is a deep purple amethyst appearing black, the bottom made from a single block of glass. An amazing piece, hand cut & polished. Found in Havana. Unsigned, probably Baccarat. Pristine.
 

CUBAN ROYALTY BRANDY SERVICE TANTALUS 13x11x11" One of the more amazing pieces i've ever owned. Shipboard Tantalus or brandy service owned by Leopoldo Carvajal, the Marquis de Pinar del Rio. (Marquess of the Pines of the River) The Marquis, an administrator for the Spanish Crown, in the Pinar del Rio region, was a Senator in the Cuban Government, & was also the owner of one the finest hotels in Havana at the turn of the century. See, /havana_hotel_history.htm
He purports to have been instumental in developing the tobacco/cigar industry in the Pinar region, where the finest tobaccos in the world are grown. Aquired from a widow who only knew it came from an "ancestor of my husband". Purchased only because it was unique, I was enlightened as to it's origination by a saavy Cuban customs official who recognized the coat of arms. After an inital denial for export papers & an attempt to purchase it from us, a large "tip", expedited it's freedom to this country. It has been appraised by Lee Young, of Freemans Auction in Philadelphia, Americas oldest auction house, & was featured on The Antiques Road Show in January, 2nd hour. Lee seems to think it of Portuguese origin, my inclination is Spanish. It is Baroquely inlaid, trimmed with mother of pearl, & bronze mounted. The serving tray is of solid silver, (less than sterling) the service is crystal & engraved with the Marquis coat of arms. One glass has been replaced. Beside some minor touching up, it is in quite amazing original condition.
 

BEATLES, 1967, MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR YELLOW The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour, 1967 UK limited edition, yellow (wax) vinyl Parlophone PCTC 255 Cover excellent condition, with pamphlet, disc unplayed.
 

WIFREDO LAM HAND PAINTED BOWL Excellent condition. Genuine Wifredo Lam ceramic bowl. Purchased off the kitchen wall of an elderly Cuban widow. She told us that her husband had been a museum curator, & knew Lam, & that Lam often visited when in Havana.
 

17th CENTURY PILGRIM ERA NAUTICAL COLUMNS 23x4.4" From an old New England collection, a pair of carved oak nautical ship columns that possibly flanked the captains quarters. One column the primitively dressed woman holds a 10 commandments slab in her right hand & a cross in the left. The other similarly dressed, holds a parrot in the right & a ships anchor with the left hand. Probably English. Some restoration to the cross. The backs planed for flat wall mounting, otherwise in beautiful condition. True museum pieces. If these can be scientifically identified as American oak, they could be worth 10x the sale price.
 

NATIONAL CASH REGISTER 313 NICKLE PLATED 15x9x16" The holy grail of Brass cash register collecting. A model #313 nickle plated, National Cash register. It is in functional, as found condition, missing the top glass, coin shelf, & four numbers off the keys. All easy fixes. Most of the keys are inside. Serial# 1474585
Manufacturer: NATIONAL CASH REGISTER  

GENUINE VINTAGE AFRICAN ELEPHANT FOOT 14x19x15" 1950'S vintage elephant foot trophy. Acquired from an elderly woman who's uncle hunted around the world. Well preserved,
 

1950's Deli Scale 21x13x13" Great mini deli scale, perfect kitchen size, graduated in 1/4oz up to 2.5lbs. Never overdose on cheese again. Working fine
 

Early Craftsman high speed pistol grinder 12x7" Craftsman precision pistol grip grinder. Looks to be a 1930's vintage. Original box, almost the complete selection of accessories. Looks only lightly used. Cord just replaced.
Manufacturer: Craftsman  

VINTAGE PENCIL SHARPENER COLLECTION 42 Vintage pencil sharpeners. My guess, 1960's, 1970's. All die cast, white metal, realistic, functional, & with moving parts. Includes
Remington typewriter
Model T truck
Hot coal hand iron
Ferry Boat (Mark Twain)
Old sewing machine
World atlas globe
Old Spanish mortar
Baby highchair
Harp (needs new strings)
Grandfather clock
Early flywheel clock
16mm film projector
Franklin Press
Victorian bureau w/mirror
Windmill
Oil lamp 1
Bingo Ball
Coo coo clock
Ship steering wheel w/rudder
Biplane
Horse w/Milk buggy
Crank Victrola
Wine press
Coffee Grinder
Cement mixer
Trumpet
Boom box
Old flex camera
Oil lamp 2
National cash register
Rocking Horse
Steam Tractor
Washboard & tub
Treasure chest
Coal Stove
Railroad lantern
Civil war cannon
Stage coach
Oil lamp 3 (w/reflector)
Kitchen coal stove
copy machine
Atlantic Cite Dice (1, plastic)
 

18th CENTURY ENGLISH BRASS DESK SET, WT&S 3pcs- Ink, 9.5x6"/ Pen tray, 10x3"/ blotter, 5.5x2.5". Pen tray marked WT&S, with their early mark, the other pieces unmarked. Either late 18th century, or early 19th. All brass, baroquely decorated, excellent condition, inkwell still has original glass insert. (WT&S)
Manufacturer of architectural hardware, art metalware, campaign metalware, ecclesiastical metalwork and an early fabricator of decorative patterned tubes. The Tonks family surname is the lists of Birmingham brassfounders before the 1800s. William Tonks founded this firm in 1789 (or 1794?). They won gold medals at the 1851 and 1862 Exhibitions in London and in 1855 at Paris The larger factory in Moseley Street was opened in the early 1860s and most items now found will date from after this time.
 

Extensive Commemorative Stamp Collection Un-researched Collection probably worth much more than the asking price of $1,000. Comprehensive collection consists primarily of uncanceled US commemorative stamps, spanning nearly a century. Essentially complete from 1919 through the early 1980s. The collection also includes many numbered plate blocks from as early as the 1930s, canceled foreign stamps from dozens of countries, first day issues, and hundreds of other miscellaneous stamps from throughout the 1900s. The earliest stamp in the collection is from 1893.
 

Civil War Cannonball, possibly Confederate 12.5" circumference Civil War Cannonball. Solid cast iron, weighs 9 lbs. Found in Delaware. No battles were fought there, but shots were fired from ships.
Manufacturer: Amphora