Featured My latest finds

Hi dear Members,

It's been a while and during this time I've got some new interesting pieces:
1. My latest purchase (and most favourite at the moment) - a rounded silver pendant (2,5cm diameter) with an enamel hand painted reproduction of the French artist Henry Tenré painting. Depicting a Red Cross Nurse the original dates back to 1915, the pendant, I guess, is around the same period and most probably French too. Unfortunately there are no any hallmarks to check the origin.
2. Absolutely useless, but so so so cute miniature of a chick pulling a cart with a berry - very detailed, very cute made, probably, of brass and gilded. The berry looks like a garnet stone.
3. A Russian Imperial silver salt spoon - very typical pre-revolution Russian piece, fully hallmarked, including maker's mark and year of production (which is partially worn, but looks like 1889).
4. And last, but not least - a silver ring with a head of a bearded man, or some kind of Roman/greek god?, very small size (fits only on my little finger). It looks old and worn, there are no any hallmarks. If anyone saw a similar one and knows anything about it, I'll be very thankful!

As always, all opinions are welcome!

 

All great finds but the miniature chick and cart is killing me! So cute! If I saw that wild horses couldn't drag me away from buying it. So I totally get it.
I am curious if anyone knows anything about that ring, it certainly looks like it does have some age on it.

 

Nastina, are you sure it is silver? Either way, it is a good rendition of the painting on such a small piece. And an hommage to those strong WWI Red Cross nurses.

Aww, isn't it sweet.

Nice find!

I don't expect there to be any hallmarks, I think it is too old for marks. It looks very, very antique.

 

When I saw that little chick it was like: - I definitely don't need it, but I can't live without it

 

Bingo!


https://antiquitiesgiftshop.com/shop/roman-silver-zeus-ring

 

Yes, it is silver for sure

When you say "very, very antique" does it mean older than 200 years?

 

okay, I see.... much more older than 200 years that's shocking actually! Thank you Any, you nailed it (as always)!

 

A lot older. Roman, by the look of it, it looks a twin of the one I posted above.

 

I know!!!

Always happy to help you, and in this case more than happy.

 

Officially, this is the oldest piece I've ever found, that's crazy Thank you again!!

 

I wondered if it wasn't OLD old right away. It's crazy finding something like that "in the wild" to an American. People around me think pieces from the 1880s are Old old.

 

Yes, it has the look only genuine old, old silver has. It is crazy to find a piece like this here as well.

 

It's even still round. I have to wonder who owned it, and how it ended up where Nastia found it.

 

It was a late-night browse through an online marketplace. I spotted it, and it struck me as odd (I have a rule: if something seems strange to me, it means I should buy it and have a closer look); the price was a mere token amount, so I bought it. The only thing I know is that the seller was based in Italy (which explains a lot now) The seller described it as "old silver ring" - which is true))

 

Eurozone + Roman Empire = bingo!

 

Aint that the truth! I am jealous of the potential to go out scavenging around and find really old items! Then again, some of my favorite finds are Native American and Mexican, so we are in a great position to find that stuff. And I am getting really into these mid century modernist jewelers and a lot of good stuff from the Americas there too. So I guess there is always a balance to these things. Still I do pine for that truly old stuff I never find.

 

Even the common ones aren't found here. Where I am, the only thing in the ground from 1800+ years back are rocks.

 

The Romans were all over the Continent and also in a considerable chunk of the UK and left traces of their architecture, artifacts and religion in all of those occupied places.
Although those Romans were also conquered peoples from occupied countries. For instance, the famous Vindolandia tablets, wooden tablets found in a Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall in the north of England, were mostly written by Batavians from what is now the Netherlands.

Finally, an honest seller!

 

I live in former Roman occupied territory, and there is quite a lot of historic evidence around here, some dating back to ca 11000 BCE. But none of it made its way to my backyard. The only thing I found here was the skeleton of a cat wrapped in decaying plastic. Given the presence of plastic, I don't think it was a find of historic importance.

That said, I did find some Stone Age tools as a child, while walking out on a nearby heath. Pretty rocks to my child's eyes, only later did I find out what they were.

 

All beautiful items especially number 1. When you mentioned a chick pulling a cart I thought you meant an attractive young woman. Sorry must be the mesogenist in me coming out. :O