New This Week:

3.66  MARINER’s OCTANT.  Especially nice mid-19th century navigational octant of English manufacture.   This exceptionally-well preserved example has the ivory maker’s plaque on the center strut engraved “H. SYRED 166. PARK LANE. LIVERPOOL.”   This pristine example is a collector’s dream.  It is in virtually the same condition as it was made over 150 years ago!  It is  complete with all of its functioning brass parts.  The large ivory scale is calibrated in single degrees from -2 to 100 divided by 20 arc minutes marked  in 5 degree increments.  The ivory vernier  on the index arm is calibrated right to left in single minutes from 0 to 20.   This state of the art for its time navigational instrument has a braced brass index arm with knurled brass stop and an endless tangent fine adjust knob.  Up to this time only the finest high-quality sextant shad these features.  This instrument is complete with both index and horizon mirrors, 3 pivoting index filters and 2 rotating horizon filters.  Again, this latter feature is indicative of the octant’s quality.  The sighting peep has two openings with a pivoting brass shutter.  The back of the instrument has the mirror box adjustment apparatus and all 3 brass “feet” for positioning in its box.  The box itself is noteworthy.  It is of the early “keystone” type with 2 hook and eye closures.  What is unique is that it has a very nice folding carrying handle and it is complete with its original skeleton lock and striker plate.  The index arm measures 11 ¾ inches long and the large arc is 9 ¾ inches wide.  The box is 12 ½ inches long by 11 ½ inches wide.  The quality and  overall condition cannot be overstated.  It is virtually perfect in all respects!   A $1500 value.  799

11.89   BOTTLE SHIP DIORAMA.  Unique sailor-made ship in a bottle diorama.  It consists of a large vessel under full sail plying a white-capped azure sea.  The ship, with raised foc’sle and poop decks, flies the Norwegian flag from the spanker aft.  It is beautifully-rigged in a very unusual configuration known as a 4-masted “Jackass Barque” or “Jigger-Barque.”  This “Bark” is depicted sailing past a small town on a hillside with lighthouse and several buildings behind it.  Forward there is a flagpole and a signaling mast flying pennants, with more small buildings and trees.  The scene is enclosed in a crystal clear blown glass wine bottle with dimpled bottom.  A painted blue sky fills out the scene.  Attesting to its origin as “sailor-made” the stopper is encased in a beautifully-executed series of half hitches followed by Turk’s head banding… both classic examples of Marlinspike seamanship.   11 ¾ inches long by 3 ½ inches in diameter.  Outstanding original condition.  349

12.41  CERAMIC PIRATE.  Absolutely charming mid-century effigy of a bombastic pirate at the height of his hubris.  This rotund figure is known as Majolica, probably of Italian origin.   He is entirely hand-made and exquisitely hand-painted.   This gaudy character borders on being comical with his classic cocked hat, flowing beard, classic parrot on his shoulder, flowing collars, embroidered lapel, colorful waistcoat, flowing cloak, massive jeweled bracelets, flintlock pistol, striped leggings, and shoes with large brass buckles.  In short he is the epitome of pirates!  11 inches tall by 5 ½ inches front to back and 6 inches wide.  Costume details are meticulously hand-painted.  The metal objects are brilliant gold.  All surfaces are hard-fired in a durable finish.  PERFECT original condition throughout with absolutely NO damage.  RARE   395 

12.42  SAILOR’s VALENTINE.  A very nice representative example of a quite scarce genuine 19th century seagoing souvenir known as a “sailor’s valentine.”  These unique folk art objects with ingenious craftsmanship were made by the native islanders of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea from the 1830’s into the early 1900’s.  Using locally-found elements such as sea shells and e indigenous  wood, the natives created a cottage industry which ultimately found their products distributed worldwide!  All such valentines were individually-made.  Each is one-of-a-kind.  The distinctive characteristic is their octagonal shape in glazed single and double wooden flats from 8 inches wide up to 15 inches in some extraordinary examples.  This single example measures 8 ¾ inches wide.  It contains literally hundreds of naturally occurring sea shells in various sizes and rich colors fashioned in a very pleasing display.  The most valuable valentines have shells arranged to form a saying or words of endearment.  This example bears the most classic inscription “A PRESENT FROM BARBADOS.”  The shells are beautifully and meticulously arranged.  They are protected under the old way glass covering.  It is set in its stout Spanish Cedar wooden frame which is sealed from the back.  This is unusual, as most examples have the simpler wooden molding strips to hold the glass.  1 3/8 inches thick.  Perfect original condition with no repairs, replacements, or missing contents.  Complete with an old brass bracket, ready to display.  A $1,500 to 2,000 value.   (Look it up on google).  Priced to sell.  975 

4.78  SCRIMSHAW BUSK.  Very nice mid-19th century lady's corset busk profusely engraved with floral and geometric designs.  This classic example of the whaleman's artistry is done on a section of dense sperm whale panbone.  At the top is a symbolic vase with leafy contents.  Below is a heart with sweeping artistic arcs, followed by a compass rose surrounded by leafy sprays.  Below it is a charming image of a bird returning to its nest attending to its hungry chicks.  It is followed by a large diamond shape design and then a classic sailor pinwheel with 6 points.   Below it are more leafy sprays, an elongated diamond, and finally another compass rose which appears to be a nocturnal time telling dial with draped flags above 6 crab legs.  The entire busk is bordered by meticulously-engraved floral vines top to bottom.   It measures 13 ¾ inches long by 1 ½ inches wide and less than 1/8 inch thick.  Outstanding original condition.  Just as sturdy and pristine as it was when made around 170 years ago!  995

Current auction results indicate that period whalebone busks of this type are very much in demand by collectors, with the best examples selling for 5 figures.  While this busk is certainly not the all time best, it is definitely worthy of a mid to high-range collection.  Very reasonably priced!

Not available or for sale in California.  Shipped from Massachusetts.

15.12  ROYAL YACHT PHOTOGRAPH.  Authentic, identifiedreal-time photo of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s Royal Yacht SMY HOHENZOLLERN II at her berth in New York City in 1902.  This striking albumen photograph in rich sepia tones depicts the splendid yacht from a starboard bow perspective alongside a pier.  The image is clear and precise eliciting many details when viewed under magnification.  To the left of the vessel in the photograph can be seen the snow covered banks of the Hudson River with a 3-masted schooner at anchor.  A sole crewman can also be seen on the flying bridge.  This photograph was taken on February 25, 1902 when HOHENZOLLERN with Prince Heinrich embarked, visited President Theodore Roosevelt.  Interestingly, just above the forecastle of the HOHENSOLLERN can be seen 3 massive funnels of a liner berthed on the opposite side of the pier.  This original old image is well preserved, mounted on non-acidic foam core under shrink wrap and measures 7 ¼ by 9 ½ inches sight.  Perfect original condition.  An important original photograph with a number of significant ties to yachting, Royalty and the U.S. Presidency.  Over 100 years old!  149
 
 The extravagantly luxurious Royal Yacht SMY HOHENZOLLERN II was built by AG Vulcan, Stetin, Germany and launched in 1893.  She had a length overall of 390 feet, a beam of 46 feet and draft of 18 feet.  HOHENZOLLERN II was the German Imperial Yacht from 1893 to July 1914 during the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II. 

On February 25, 1902 the yacht, embarked with Prince Heinrich, made a State visit to then President Theodore Roosevelt in New York City.  This photograph, taken that very day, documents the historic event.

Upon the outbreak of World War I, HOHENZOLLERN II was put out of service.  With the demise of the German throne she was struck from the record in 1920 and scrapped in Wilhelmshaven in 1923.

AUTHENTIC LIGHTHOUSE. The ultimate! This was an exceptional opportunity to own a very historic relic of America’s rich maritime heritage embodied in the original lamp room from the famous Ballast Point Lighthouse, which served its sentinel duties in the channel of San Diego Bay from 1890 until 1960. This incredibly well-preserved piece of history was built according to specifications laid out by the U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1885. A copy of the original specifications are included as are much printed references and photographs. Erected in 1890, the 5th Order lighthouse was a significant aid to navigation in conjunction with the Point Loma Lighthouse (1850) poised at the entrance to San Diego Bay. Ballast Point Light was situated further inside the massive bay on a point which jutted into the seaway which posed a hazard to shipping. 135 years old! SOLD

HISTORY

On October 2, 1888, recognizing the need for a harbor light in the increasingly congested channel of San Diego Bay, Congress authorized $25,000 for the construction of a lighthouse to be built on Ballast Point. Fashioned in the late Victorian style, the entire structure took 3 months to build beginning in March 1890. The light was first lit on August 1st. It was a sister of the lights at San Luis Obispo and Table Bluff, south of Humboldt Bay. All were wood framed structures with attached living quarters. The ironwork for the lantern was forged in San Francisco and carried south to San Diego by ship. The French firm of Sautter, Lemmonier, & Cie. manufactured the Freznel lens for the Ballast Point Light in 1886. The fixed 5th Order lens was visible for a distance of at least 11 miles.

When California was still part of Mexico the peninsula jutting into San Diego Bay was known as Punta del los Guijarros or “Pebble Point.” For centuries cobblestones washed down by the San Diego River had been deposited on the point. When California gained statehood in 1850 the point was renamed Middle Ground Shoal. As time went on and merchant traffic in the harbor increased, many sailing ships found it convenient to load or discharge the stones as ballast. The practice continued and eventually the name “Ballast Point” stuck.

Accompanying the Ballast Point lighthouse was a huge 2,000 pound fog bell in a wooden tower. In 1928 it was supplanted by a single tone electric diaphone horn.

The first keeper of the light was John M. Nilsson, assigned duty on July 15, 1890. The second was Henry Hall, who took the job on December 1, 1892. Perhaps the most famous keeper was Irish born David R. Splaine, a Civil War veteran and veteran lighthouse keeper, who assumed the post in 1894, having served at Point Conception, the Farallons and San Diego’s own Point Loma light from 1886-1889.

In 1913 the original old kerosene lamp was replaced with an acetylene burner. Acetylene gave way to electricity in 1928. In 1938 a filter was fitted inside the 5th Order Freznel lens giving the light a distinctive green hue for recognition. One of the last keepers of the light was Radford Franke who recalled receiving the order to “douse the light” upon the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

By early 1960 the light was deemed to be of no further service, so in June of that year the lantern room was removed to a salvage yard. The wooden tower and its brick and mortar foundation remained a couple of years later until they too were declared structurally unsafe and demolished. The bell tower continued to survive, mounted with a 375 mm high intensity lamp on its roof. However the value of maintaining any light on Ballast Point diminished with the installation of harbor entrance range lights. In the late 1960’s the bell and its tower were dismantled. The tower found its way to a private residence in Lakeside, California. The bell had a more circuitous later life. It was purchased from a San Diego area junk yard in 1969 for its scrap value of 5 cents per pound! The one ton bell remained on local private property until 1991, when it was put on loan to the San Diego Maritime Museum. In 1999 the bell was transported to the son of the original buyer, living in Colorado. Then in 2002, the bell finally found its way to the home of the owner’s granddaughter living in Vermont, where it rests to this day.

The story of the lantern’s later life is even more fascinating. The nation was just recovering from the Cuban Missile Crisis between JFK and Khrushchev, when in 1964 the Cuban government cut off the fresh water supply to the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay. By that time, an experimental desalinization plant had been in operation at Point Loma for 2 years. The Navy hastily ordered it to be disassembled and shipped through the Panama Canal to Cuba. A gentleman working as a crane operator during the process noted the shabby lantern room in a trash heap nearby. He inquired as to the fate of the relic and was told it was salvage. Asking if he could purchase it, the yard foreman told him he could “have it” if he would haul it away. With that, for the next 34 years the lantern room served as a gazebo in the backyard of the man’s residence in Bonita, California. It was purchased by the present owners in 1998, fully refurbished, and then placed on public display ever since. Now it is time for it to find its next new home. According to the crane operator who delivered the lamp room it weighs approximately 5 tons. It will require a crane and a flat bed truck for removal.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

F. Ross Holland, “The Old Point Loma Lighthouse,” 1978, Cabrillo Historical Association, San Diego, California

Jim Gibbs, “The Twilight of Lighthouses,” 1996, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA.

Kin Fahlen and Karen Scanlon, “Lighthouse of San Diego,” 2008, Arcadia Publishing, San Francisco

Kraig Anderson, “Forgotten Ballast Point “Lighthouse” Seeks New Home,” article in “Lighthouse Digest,” East Machias, Maine, September – October 2011, Vol. XX, no. 5 pages 34 – 37.

“Mains’l Haul,” a periodic publication of the San Diego Maritime Association, Summer 1990, Vol. XXVI, No. 4, pp. 11-12.