Not the Same Old Grind

This antique hand-cranked coffee grinder was made by the German company of Stahl-Mahlwerk CA Lehnartz.  It is of warm honey-colored wood and carries the company's red rooster logo.  Founded in 1925 by Omar Lehnartz, by the 1930s, this company was producing up to 100,000 coffee grinders a year.  However, with the advent of electric coffee grinders, the company discontinued its coffee grinder production and today produces painting equipment.

Some coffee connoisseurs assert that these hand-cranked vintage coffee grinders can create a finer and more uniform grind than many modern electric grinders.  They certainly are far less noisy and far more environmentally friendly.  Plus this handsome beautifully-crafted piece would be a delightful adornment for any kitchen or coffee shop. 

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

Christmas in July?

Nutcrackers, thanks to the popularity of the seasonal performance of the The Nutcracker, the 1892 ballet set to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, have become a symbol of the Christmas season.  However, this nutcracker is not your typical solider or Santa, but instead represents Uncle Sam resplendent in red, white, and blue.  So instead of Christmas in July, he will put a little Fourth of July in your Christmas.

Instead of a Christmas carol, Uncle Sam will serenade you with "America the Beautiful" from the music box concealed in his kettle drum.  

Turned from wood and hand painted, Uncle Sam is by the German company of Steinbach. In Germany, there is a long history of wood carving and for centuries wooden nutcrackers in the shape of soldiers have been standing sentry in German households. The stern-looking carvings are thought to bring good luck and are prominent offerings in German Christmas markets. After WWII, American soldiers stationed in Germany often brought these brightly painted nutcrackers home as gifts. Then, in 1944, the San Francisco Ballet company performed the first complete version of The Nutcracker in the United States. Soon ballet companies throughout the country began producing their own holiday versions of the ballet and nutcrackers became synonymous with the Christmas season. Steinbach, which has been producing fine wood products since 1832, innovated and renovated the nutcracker tradition by producing nutcrackers in novel forms, including figures from fairy tales or history or representing occupations or sports endeavors. The hand-crafted nutcrackers were often in limited editions and and soon collectors all over the world were clamoring for them. Although Uncle Sam's jaw opens and closes with a lever in his back like a traditional nutcracker, he is ornamental, not utilitarian. He premiered in 2001and was a limited edition of 5,000 worldwide.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

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Extraordinary Eisenberg

The holidays are a time to shimmer and shine, and is big, bold, and beautiful brooch certainly does that!  This vintage brooch is by Eisenberg Jewelry, one of the most respected producers of fine quality high-hind costume gems.  Eisenberg and Sons started in 1914 as a clothing company, but began to create costume jewelry to complement its clothing displays.  However the finely-crafted jewelry was so popular, retailers and customers began to clamor more for the adornments than the outfits.  Eisenberg took the hint and began to sell its jewelry.  Although the earliest pieces are unmarked, beginning in 1935 the company stamped its creations "Eisenger Original," using this mark through the late 1940s.  These early Eisenberg pieces used fine crystals from Austria and Czechoslovakia and catered to an upscale audience, with some pieces selling for almost $100!  Eisenberg is still a renown name in costume jewelry today, but its vintage pieces, like this large and lovely pin, are highly sought after by collectors.

The brooch is stamped "Eisenberg Original," dating it from the mid-1930s through the 1940s.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

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Ring in the Holidays!

Who needs five golden rings when you have one as beautiful and elegant as this?  Cast in gleaming 18 karat gold, with a center band of sparkling diamond baguettes, this shimmering ring resembles a bow, making it the perfect holiday gift.

It is stamped inside both "18K"and "750" (this number indicates that the metal is 75 percent pure gold, another way of denoting 18 karat gold), as well as a maker's mark.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

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Raise a Glass!

These glorious glasses in glowing autumnal golden orange would be perfect for quaffing any fall beverage, from apple cider to mulled wine.

From Jeannette Glass Company, these vintage glasses first date around 1927.  Founded in 1899 as a bottle works, Jeanette began producing tableware items in the 1920s.  The colorful glassware from this period is known as Depression Glass.  As the country tumbled into an economic crisis, affordable Depression glass was made in a wide variety of colors and patterns, adding inexpensive elegance to many American homes.  However, with the return of prosperity, many Depression glass pieces were discarded.  Today collectors have come to appreciate the striking coloring and creative modeling of this historic glassware.

The detailed pattern of these iridescent tumblers is called “Crackle” and the warm orange color is named marigold.  The pattern takes its inspiration from crackle glass, first created in the 16th century, when the molten hot glass was immersed in cold water, resulting in a fine sparkling spiderweb of crackling through the glass.  Jeannette obtained a similar effect by modeling the intertwined lines in the mold.  The company closed in 1983.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

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