My Account | shopping basketMy Basket | Wish List | Advanced Search | Login
Home | Register | Join As A Seller | Resources | About Us | Help

categories
 Advertising
 Architectural/Garden
 Art
 Auction Catalogs
 Books
 Clocks
 Decorative Arts
 Furniture
 Glass
 Jewelry
 Lighting Devices
 Photography
 Porcelain-Pottery
 Prints
 Scientific-Medical
 Silver/Silverware
 Textiles-Sewing
 Watches

 More Categories »



   

Sailors Valentines by: John Fondas

Email Dealer
View Dealers Other Items
Add To Wish List
Email Item To A Friend

Get an email when more items like this one arrives.
Manage Alerts | Help

Collectibles > Holiday Collectibles


Dealer: Collector Book Store
Contact: John Kincaid - Email Dealer
Add Item To Basket
Continue Shopping
Price: $45.00 USD  - Currency Converter
Number Available: 2

Shipping inside United States: $6.99
Shipping outside United States: Quoted at time of purchase

Description: Collector Bookstore is a retailer of new books located in Leavenworth, Kansas. We specialize in price guides and reference books for the antiques and collectibles industry.

Table of Contents

The story of Sailors' Valentines evokes romance-majestic sailing ships and long sea voyages, adventures in the New World, and daydreams of loved ones across wide oceans. It has been said that sailors made the Valentines at sea for cherished friends and family to pass the time and to bestow as gifts upon their return.

Very rare and highly collectible, Sailors' Valentines are octagonal wooden boxes made of Spanish cedar or mahogany. They contain intricate, stunning mosaics made primarily of colorful shells and often incorporate sentimental messages. The mosaics are covered in glass and often hinged together in pairs. When closed, the shell work is hidden and the glass protected so that the Valentines can be stored safely for travel. Now fetching extraordinary prices at auction and antiques fairs-as much as $35,000-they were actually made by craftsmen at the height of the Victorian Age in Barbados, a familiar port of call for many American and European ships.

Now, for the first time ever, these highly prized and rarely seen antiques are presented at almost life size in this innovative and stunning package that mirrors the shape of an actual Valentine. Here are over fifty magnificent examples, photographed especially for this book and beautifully reproduced in detail. Page after page, this octagonal volume, which comes in a deluxe cloth keepsake box, captures the experience of holding one of these magnificent treasures in your hands. Avid collector John Fondas shares his expertise on the history, making, and collecting of Valentines in his introductory essay as well as provides a detailed listing of the shells used in their construction.

A collectible itself, Sailors' Valentines will delight shell collectors, antiques lovers, Victoriana fans, and romantics of all ages.
Status: For Sale Reference#: ga_RH_2002_0847824144_X12
Condition: New Year: 2002
Country: USA
Height: 10 in. (25.40 cm)
Width: 10.1 in. (25.65 cm)

Weight: 3.1250

Title: Sailors' Valentines
Type: Book


Dealer Policies: Collector Book Store Policy Details

Dealer Accepts: DiscoverMasterCardVisaPersonal CheckMoney OrderPaypal



   





Home | Find a Dealer/Mall | Resources | Join | About Us | Contact Us | Help/FAQs
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

© 1996-2009 GoAntiques, Inc. All Rights & Media Reserved.