Curiosities

Platypus Hand Coloured Copper Engraving – Schmuzer – 1798

Original hand coloured copper engraving of the Platypus by Schumzer for Gottlieb Tobias Wilhelm. It was produced for Wilhelm’s “Discourses in Natural history”.

Wilhelm (1758-1811) was a Protestant Pastor born to an engraver and publisher in Augsburg, Germany. He began his great work on natural history in 1792. It was printed by his father and issued in installments. This engraving by Jacob Schmuzer was completed in 1798 and is clearly based on the image in Hunter’s First Fleet Journal.

Price $270.00 framed in Voyager Natural History style … enquire if you would like this item unframed …

Very early Platypus Engraving from the late 18th Century

$270.00

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Polar Medal – Erwin Springweiler – 1941

A Polar commemorative golden bronze medal sculpted by Erwin Springweiler and issued by the American Society of Medalists in 1941.

73 mm in diameter weighing 160 gms a fine bright unpolished example. The Arctic side has a proud Polar Bear on a floe with Snow Geese flying in the background and the names Greely, Bartlett, Peary and Byrd celebrated. The Antarctic four proud Penguins with the names Palmer, Wilkes, Byrd and Ellsworth celebrated. Along the rim the Society and Sculptors full name is engraved

Erin Frederick Springweiler (1896-1968) was born in Pforzheim, Germany and trained at the Munich Academy. During the 1830’s he worked with American sculptor Paul Manship at Havana, Cuba. He specialised in animal sculptures and his anteater can be seen at the Washington D.C. Zoological Gardens.

The Society of Medalists was formed in the USA in 1930 to encourage the medallic work of superior sculptors. It ceased in 1995. Springweiler was selected to produce the 1941 issue, the only medal in the series to have a Polar theme.

Springweiler wrote about his approach … “In creating this medal, I was thinking of another world, a silent and cruel one, the regions around the poles of our globe, the endless ice-wastes, the land of midnight sun”

Polar Celebratory Medal by Springweiler

$260.00

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The Oxford Sausage – Anonymous but Thomas Warton – 1777

A Voyager favourite. Full title .. The Oxford Sausage: or, Selected Poetical Pieces, Written by the most Celebrated Wits of the University of Oxford. A New Edition … Adorned with Cuts, Engraved in a New taste, and Designed by the Best Masters.

Published in 1777 by G. Robinson, in Pater-noster-Row, and F. Newbery, the Corner of St Paul’s Church-Yard, London.; W Jackson and J Lister, in Oxford; and sold by the Booksellers of Oxford and Cambridge.

Small octavo, 223 pages, 22 nice woodcuts and other devices in the text and a frontispiece of Mrs Dorothy Spreadbury, inventress of the Oxford Sausage.

Bound in original full polished calf with ruled lines to board edges and gilt knurling all board edges. Re-backed some time ago, to a high standard, raised bands to spine with six compartments and original red leather title label. A very good copy if not better. Carries the heraldic bookplate of Murray A. W. Newman and a later manuscript name John Humphrey.

Dorothy Spreadbury is not the author/ compiler she was the supposed inventor of the edible Oxford Sausage a pork and veal combination with lots of spice and peculiar to Oxford.

The Preface includes a challenge … “as most unluckily the Author of those Pieces will never be known. Notwithstanding, whoever shall be so happy as to make this Discovery, and will, on unquestionable Proof, deliver in the Collector’s REAL name, to MR Jackson, Printer, in the High-street, Oxford, shall receive, as a Reward for unriddling this Mystery, and on Condition that the Secret go no further, Twelve Sausages, in Turkey, gilt and Lettered” … that is Books not sausages or turkeys .. we hope you get that!

There is a lot spice in the selection presented here, the true author / compiler John Warton (1705-1790) literary historian, critic poet alma mater Trinity College, Oxford. Later became Professor of Poetry at Oxford, was the Oxford Poet Laureate and the later The Poet Laureate (1785-1790). Friend of Samuel Johnson.

The poems and wit, numerous and educational, and a real hoot for the 18th Century.

Oxford’s spicy sausage from 1777

SO SORRY SAUSAGE SOLD

$180.00

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Collection of Foreign Banknotes

A small collection of 20 bank notes, all circulated, that could form the basis or the extension of a collection for a budding notaphilist.

Includes two pre-revolution notes from Imperial Russia 5 and 10 rubles from 1909. Also, some early Reichsbanknote from 1914 through to 1922. More modern examples from under financial pressure Yugoslavia … 50 million dinara … some Egypt, Trinidad and Tobago etc

All kept in standard protective display covers

Nice group which should spur further interest in the World

$90.00

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Blake Twigden Bookplate – the Owl and the Possum – Ex Libris Pat Corrigan

A thoughtful bookplate design by Blake Twigden produced in 1973 using offset lithography with black ink.

Very clean condition, 11cm by 9cm

Blake Twigden was born in New Zealand in 1945 and spent over twenty years of his adult life in Australia. He is a passionate conservationist and specialises in painting natural history subjects, particularly exotic birds. He returned to New Zealand and as well as his art runs a private wildlife sanctuary.

Pat Corrigan having done more to re-stimulate the art of bookplate design in Australia than any other person. The Wiki article on Pat Corrigan is excellent and has an interesting section on his promotion of bookplates.

Blake Twigden – Wildlife Artist – Commissioned by Corrigan

$40.00

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Bookplate of Sir Samuel James Way Bart – Chief Justice c1910

An original woodcut bookplate, over 100 years old, of Sir Samuel James Way (1836-1916). 13cm by 9.5cm in very good condition.

Sir Samuel was Chief Justice of South Australia and Lieutenant Governor. He was invited to the Privy Council but had to give it up partly due to confusion as to who was to pay him. He was knighted in 1899 so we are pretty sure this bookplate was designed for him late in life.

Postage will be reduced to cost on final billing.

Sir Samuel James Way – Leading South Australian

$30.00

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Platypus Hand Coloured Copper Engraving – Schmuzer – 1798

Polar Medal – Erwin Springweiler – 1941

The Oxford Sausage – Anonymous but Thomas Warton – 1777

Collection of Foreign Banknotes

Blake Twigden Bookplate – the Owl and the Possum – Ex Libris Pat Corrigan

Bookplate of Sir Samuel James Way Bart – Chief Justice c1910

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