A double sided leaf from the 'Nuremberg Chronicle' depicting a Lightning Strike Upon Istanbul (1490) and the Fall of a Meteorite in Alsace (1492). Hand-colored woodcut engraving. Published in 1493. Sheet size: 17 inches x 12 inches. Plate 257. The 'Nuremberg Chronicle' is the most famous of Incunabula (pre-1500 book) and was written by Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514), being published in a Latin version (Liber Chronicarum) in 1493 and then later in the same year in a German language edition...
Early William III Britannia standard silver trefid tablespoon, London, 1699, by silversmith Francis Archbold, length 7.25 inches. The shallow bowl gilded on the interior and with a double ribbed and beaded rat tail. The upturned handle's terminal is cut with two notches. Hallmarks are quite well struck apart from the date letter which is worn but still legible. The higher Britannia silver standard of 95.84% was introduced in 1697 but is rarely found after 1730...
Prehistoric carved stone (steatite) spider effigy pipe, Fort Ancient Culture, circa 1,000-1,200 A.D. Size: 3 inches x 2 inches x 1.5 inches. Excellent condition. Discovered in Posey County, Indiana, this early stone elbow pipe dates from the Mississippian period and was carved by the people of the Fort Ancient Culture, who lived along the Ohio River, in the regions that now occupy S. Ohio, N. Kentucky and S.E. Indiana. This pipe bears the very detailed carved effigy of a spider...
Rare Yuan dynasty red lacquerware oval tray, Chinese, 14th century, carved with two three-toed dragons encircled by a border of crashing waves. Size: 8 3/8 inches x 6 3/4 inches x 1 inch deep. Condition: two spots where the lacquer is missing on the top of the rim, some old filler on the foot ring on the under side, some cracking to the lacquer and a few tiny spots of loss to the incised lacquer in the background...