A Fine Example

  Scrimshaw, the art of carving in bone or ivory was invented around 200 AD by the native cultures of the Pacific North West. Using the bones and teeth of animals they hunted for food a new art form was born. While other cultures the world over worked with bone and ivory, the unique style of the North American natives made scrimshaw an original American art.

  In the early 1800’s scrimshaw art caught favor with the sailors and whale men of the time. In particular the whalers on voyages lasting as long as 5 years and blessed with a lot of free time to devote to the art. Whale teeth and jawbones were the common medium to work with as there was a large suppl of these to go around. On some ships part of the sailors pay would have been in whales teeth, which he would then carve with scenes or use for decorating other items.

  Antique scrimshaw can be found depicting sailing scenes or about anything the artist found interesting. Often these scrimshaw pieces are found as decorations on walking sticks, clocks and many other nautical collectibles. These fine carvings of a day long past will be a valuable addition to your nautical collection and a great conversation piece. The price of antique scrimshaw can range from under a hundred dollars to many thousands, but whatever the cost, scrimshaw is a must have for the serious collector of early nautical collectibles. However the value of this wonderful art form will remain high, so it can be considered a good investment.

Antique Telescope

  The antique telescope was purchased in large quantities by sailors, the military and astronomers. However due to the fragile glass optics and brass tubes that were easy to dent, not a large amount of these telescopes are to be found today.

  Most often these telescopes were used by mariners and had complicated optics to show the image right side up unlike the scopes used for astronomy which have an inverted image. The hand held telescope, also called a spyglass was focused by moving the tubes back and forth to change the length to get a clear image. A telescope with 3 or 4 sections was much more compact and easy to store , but a little delicate. For durability the mariners chose the 2 section spyglass known as the single draw.

  Brass Telescope

  Most often made from brass with a leather or wood covering the antique telescope can also be found made from silver plate or nickel silver. A solid wood barrel with brass tube would be a rare find and indicates a very early model. Rosewood was a common wood used to decorate the telescope body.

  During the 1800’s makers included their name in a quite elaborate script. This was changed to a simple block print in the 1900’s, just something to look for when searching for an antique telescope. One of the more common names on antique telescopes is Dollond of London, because of the high quality of these telescopes many of them can still be found today. Another well known maker was Bardou, Paris a leading maker of quality scopes. Representing America in the field of fine telescope building was the company of Alvan Clark and Son’s from the 1850’s through the 1920’s.

  The spyglass was often used under severe weather condition and dirty field work, after all it was a tool to be used, but also a delicate instrument and subject to damage. Most common damage would be scratched or broken optics which can not be repaired. Dents and scratches can sometimes be repaired with a little work. Depending on your needs, just how good of shape the telescope needs to be in is up to you. If the item is to be used just as a nautical decoration the condition is not so critical.

The Search for an Antique Telescope

  The search for the antique telescope as with any nautical collectible to is a large portion of the fun in collecting. I can spend hours in a small antique shop and talking to other collectors or browsing the internet museums in my hunt for information on nautical collectibles. In todays world the internet is the greatest way to locate your collectibles and information on collecting. The amount of info and shopping sites is still quite amazing to me as I am somewhat new to the world of computers, but I have found the internet to be a wonderful resource in my endless search for collectibles.

Nautical Clocks as a Tool

Also known as a marine chronometer,  a pricise instrument of time keeping, needed in navigation at sea. The first truly accurate chonometer was invented by John Harrison around 1760. John had made the development of the chronometer his lifes work, and was awarded the longitude prize offered by the British government for his chronometer. Although very expensive at the time , further development made them affordable to most everyone. The chonometer along with the sextant and compass were the main tools of early navigation.

Nautical Clocks in Nautical Decor

 A room featuring nautical collectibles must include a nautical clock. A true marine chronometer is really great to have but may not fit the budget . But there are many clocks available in a nautical theme that will work just fine. Clocks old and new have been made to showcase nautical items such as anchors, lighthouses, ships, signs and others. A nautical theme is very flexible and more than one nautical clock is not against the rules of decorating ( not mine anyway ).

Finding Nautical Clocks

 Along with most nautical collectibles the nautical clock can be found in the usual haunts like yard sales, antique shops, retail stores and of course my favorite, on the web. It seems to me much of the joy of collecting comes from the search for the nautical item I am interested in at the time. The other thing I love about collecting is the  vast amount of history involved.

  Collectors of all ages have tried for generations to capture the adventure and history of the open sea aboard a sailing vessel. Collecting the wood model ship is one avenue to relive those exciting days gone by.The wood model ship has been with us for thousands of years. From ancient Egypt a common pratice was to put a wood ship model in tombs to carry the soul of the deceased to their afterlife. A good many of these models were found over the years in archaeological digs and are now proudly displayed in museums the word over.

 Wood model ship building has gone through many changes over the years. During the 18th and 19th centuries, shipbuilders often used model ships to show their customers the techniques of ship building and what the new ship would look like. A great amount of detail was often included in these model ships to make them look the actual ship to be built.

 Some  sailors with that rare amount of free time on board a ship of the early days, would pass that time with model ship building. A favorite of the times was the small ship in a bottle with rigging, sail and mast included. A nautical museum is a wonderful place to see this type of art work. Being far from the coastal areas is no exuse to miss this as you can find dozens of museums online. I can spend many hours doing just that.

 In the United States in the 1920’s model ship kits became available and by the 1930’s were becoming very popular as nautical collectibles. A great many of these early models are now found in seafaring antique shops. These amazing wood ship models can be found easily on the internet stores and auctions also.

 Each lighthouse has it’s own special charm and history. Available in an amazing variety by many famous artists, such as Jim Shore and Thomas Kinkade from companys like Lefton and Harbor Lights. Lighthouse collectibles can be found most anywhere these days. Yard sales, flea markets and discount stores are good place to start looking for your first collectible. If you live near the coast the many seaside shops are great places to search. If you are like me and located far from the ocean the online stores are a life saver in a search for that special item.

 Lighthouse collectibles can be bought for a couple of dollars for smaller figurines and up to many hundreds for original artwork. The selection is endless. From lighthouse figurines to posters and yard ornaments you are sure to find that special lighhouse just for you.

 Lighthouse collectibles are also a wonderful way to start decorating your home in a nautical decor theme. For the lover of the sea you can bring it inside with all of the nautical items to be found. The magic of the sea can be found in many nautical collectibles and there is no limit to what you can find. Whether your interest is in in collecting or just reading about them, lighthouses are just plain fun.

 Nautical collectibles is such a broad area of collecting I could never cover everything in one article. This blog will be a series of articles covering many categories of collecting nautical items. I will try not to bore you with long drawn out articles, but try to point you in the right direction to find and enjoy your nautical collectibles.

• Just a few areas to start with.
• Lighthouses
• Ship models
• Nautical clocks
• Nautical decorations
• Nautical signs