Rare Antique Novelty German silver antler and silver cigar cutter, 1890-1900

Important German parcel-gilt silver canister, Abraham Drentwett I, Augsburg, circa 1649-1666 Abraham Drentwett I is one of Augsburg's foremost silversmiths during the Baroque period. He was Active 1641-1666 , he is best known for having executed Queen Christina's silver throne...

Very rare and important piece of George IV silver, highly important silver-gilt Inkwell probably by John Bridge of the renowned silversmiths Rundell & Bridge, Royal Silversmiths to t...

Important and rare Sivlonot belt, gilded silver, made by the famous silversmith Johann Mathias Sandrat active in 1707-1723 in Frankfurt, Germany. this JUDAICA object is a museum piece and An almost identical belt with a replaced buckle is exhibited in the Israel museum and came from the important Feuchtwanger Collection, purchased and donated by Baruch and Ruth Rappaport, Geneva. the belt also bears 2 Christies auction stickers with the number 120, probably lot # 120, indicating it was sold in one of their auction rooms at some point. Sivlonot (wedding) belt: In Rabbinic literature, sivlonot refers to gifts the groom gave his wife-to-be. Among German Jews...

A RARE SILVER SHMIROT KIDDUSH CUP. Galician, c. 1850. Among some Hassidic courts, it was a practice for the Rabbi to give a blessed silver coin to his Hassidim as an amulet. Such protection might be given for all manner of life events, from healing from an illness to success in travel and the amulet was carried on the body of the recipient. This custom was particularly popular among the Ryzhiner Hassidim and these coins were called "Shmirot". To such coins were attributed extraordinary power and value and they were treasured with great care and love. this cup is marked with polish loth 12 mark which indicate silver content of 75%. Size : Height 2.3 inch / 6 cm Width : 2 inch / 5 cm After the specific event for which they had originally be given, such a coin or coins were used in the making of other objects, which maintained the special aura of the Rabbi. Such a coin would be melted in other silver with the amuletic valued being spread evenly to all the silver. Then a ritual object would be fashioned by a silversmith and the special nature of the item would be inscribed on it, indicating in one of several ways that this object had been made from "Shmirot". this objects include Kiddish cups, a Havdalah tray, a Shabbat salt holder, a Chanukkah Menorah, a Torah crown etc. This object is a Kiddish cup fashioned from such silver. On this cup, the inscription indicating Shmirot is found in the abbreviation of the words "made from shmirot k (kodesh)' " (This is the cup of Shmirot). Such cups were used for blessing the wine so that each use renewed the power of protection granted by the Rabbi. This cup was used for the blessing over wine on Shabbat and holidays. Inscription: the other iconography on the cup is of a lion that represent Through the tribe of Judah, the lion symbol came to represent the blessing, majesty, and even divine protection of the Jews. The lion symbol continued to be used even after the destruction of Jerusalem, the capital of Judah's nation, and a unicorn or a re'em, also reëm (Hebrew: רְאֵם), is an animal mentioned nine times in the Hebrew Bible It has been translated as "unicorn" in the Latin Vulgate, King James Version, and in some Christian Bible translations as "oryx" (which was accepted as the referent in Modern Hebrew),[citation needed] "wild ox", "wild bull", "buffalo" or "rhinoceros". Rabbi Natan Slifkin has argued that the re'em was an aurochs, as has Isaac Asimov...