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E. Howard Model 1 - circa 1880

This very impressive wall timepiece is called the E. Howard Model Number 1. It was manufactured by the E. Howard…

Art Prints

This original antique print is from the renowned "The Book of The Dog", published by Cassell in London, 1881.The color…

Jewelry Casket - 19th Century

This antique jewelry casket was sold for $11,000. Mid-19th century antique Italian ebonized jewelry casket with 89 hand painted enameled…

Mahogany Dining Table

$11,275 was the price paid by an East Coast bidder for this dramatic carved mahogany dining table with winged…

Antique Wheelchair

Antique Wheelchair EARLY 1900s

Feature Article

Antique Gumball Machines

It's still common to go into a bank or other building open to the public and see a couple of gumball machines sitting near the door, waiting for a child with an extra minute and an extra penny. Although the first gum was sold from a vending machine in the 1880s, the gumball machine as we now think about it was first introduced in 1907 – dispensing round gumballs for one cent.Many companies got into the business of both making the machines, and licensing operators to set them up and keep them refilled. Vintage gumball machines make great display pieces, and collectors of mechanical contraptions know that some machines can bring hundreds, or even thousands, at auction.

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About Us

We want to help you in all aspects of your antiquing efforts. The Antiques Forum is dedicated to providing one-stop shopping for antiques. In other words, if you have a piece to sell, we want you to list it with us. If you are looking for a particular item, we want you to place a want Ad. If you are excited about a recent find, we want you to tell us about it with a blog. When you need information on how to refinish a piece, we want you to be able to search our forums for that information. If an appraisal is needed, we want to connect you to an appropriate appraiser, by searching our database.

Blue Diamond Fetches $24.3 million at Auction

Dec. 11, 2008 The Associated Press The Wittelsbach Diamond is pictured against the background of a painting of Infanta Margarita Teresa of Spain during a press viewing in London on December 5. The jewel was selected by King Philip IV of Spain as a part of a dowry for his teenage daughter's engagement to Leopold I of Austria in 1664.

The Wittelsbach Diamond is pictured against the background of a painting of Infanta Margarita Teresa of Spain during a press viewing in London on December 5. The jewel was selected by King Philip IV of Spain as a part of a dowry for his teenage daughter's engagement to Leopold I of Austria in 1664.

LONDON - A rare blue diamond handed down through generations of German royalty sold for a record-breaking $24.3 million at auction Wednesday in London, Christie's said.The Wittelsbach Diamond, a 35.56 carat cushion-shaped gem, has often had its color and clarity compared to the famed Hope Diamond, now on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.The rare gem was snapped up by billionaire diamond-dealer Laurence Graff for 16.4 million British pounds, Christie's spokeswoman Alexandra Kindermann said. Kindermann said the price — nearly double its pre-sale estimate — was the most ever paid for a diamond at auction, beating the $16.5 million commanded by a 100-carat diamond at a Swiss auction in 1995.Christie's said the diamond was purchased by King Philip IV of Spain in 1664 and included in the dowry for his teenage daughter, the Infanta Margarita Teresa. Although she died relatively young, the diamond remained with her husband, Leopold I of Austria, and passed through a succession of heirs.The gem got the Wittelsbach name after 1722, when Leopold's granddaughter married Charles of Bavaria, a member of the Wittelsbach family.

'Mysterious'
"Der Blaue Wittelsbacher," as it was then known, made its way through a succession of Bavarian rulers — Maximilian IV Joseph von Wittelsbach, Bavaria's first king, included the diamond in his royal crown. The diamond made its last state appearance in 1918 in the aftermath of World War I. It was offered for auction in 1931, but failed to sell and vanished from the public eye."What happened to it after 1931 is a little mysterious — there's been lots of speculation," Christie's spokeswoman Hannah Schmidt said. "But what exactly happened is unknown."The diamond only resurfaced in 1962, when a jeweler recognized its significance and refused a request to re-cut it.Auctioneer Francois Curiel said Christie's was thrilled to reach "an historic price for an historic diamond." Colored diamonds often fetch high prices at auction. Christie's sold a much smaller 13.39-carat blue diamond for $8.9 million in May.

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