Black Forest Carved Shoe Inkwell, ca. 1900
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GUEST:
I brought a carved wooden shoe that I have had in my family since I was a child. My dad brought it home from World War II. He was stationed in France at the time. And my dad was always very frugal with his dollars, and there was another soldier that wasn't all that frugal, and he needed cash. Dad had cash. The other soldier had this wooden shoe, so they simply exchanged. It survived a lot and it's in good shape. It came home on the Queen Mary.
APPRAISER:
It is in good shape. The detail is exquisite. I mean, you can even see the stitches on the shoes. It's a shoe full of walnuts, and it's carved out of walnut. Dates from the late 18th, early 19th century, and was carved in the Black Forest region of Europe. So it's an ink well. You open it up, and you have the actual ink well that's most likely made of pewter. And then this recessed area here probably held extra pen nibs. At auction, we would probably estimate it in the $700 to $900 range.
GUEST:
Excellent.
APPRAISER:
Because it's in such great condition and a lot of people collect ink wells.
GUEST:
Okay, thank you.
Appraisal Details
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