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WHAT’S SELLING ON eBay
WHAT’S SELLING ON eBay

by Jessica Kosinski

$1,302 (Bids 105, Bidders 27) Antique 1920s $12,000 Tiffany & Co tion due to its many new and exciting innova-
1.50ct Diamond Platinum Ladies Watch SERVICED. Antique 1920s tions. It also eventually became known for
Platinum CASE and there are 20 grams of Platinum on the case alone producing the first wireless television remote
without movement and band. VERY NICE TIMEPIECE and LONG 3.5 control and remained a giant in the industry
inches. The watch is 7.2 inches long and can be cut down to fit any wrist for decades. However, it was eventually
7 inches or smaller. 1.50cts in VS H Old Cut Natural Diamonds and rare purchased by LG.
find. Just serviced and runs and keeps time and comes with a 1-year parts As the seller pointed out, this radio was one
and labor warranty. Great looking timepiece and mesmerizing. WOW!! of the last pre-World War II tube radios
Retail $12,000. The band is antique as well and the clasp is white gold produced by Zenith. That may be part of what
filled and hallmarked. made it so popular with bidders. Several other
early Zenith radios from various years have also
JK: Obviously, diamonds and sold well on eBay recently, including one
platinum are valuable on their that sold in November 2023 for $2,025.
own. However, this watch is extra That one was a model 5S126 and was also in
special due to its company of restored condition.
origin. Tiffany & Co. is famous
worldwide for producing top-
quality items over the years. It was $1,520.55 (Bids 83, Bidders 14) Antique Pre-10-- Cribbs Davidson &
founded in 1837 in New York City Co. Bitters Bottle Mobile. This antique bitters bottle from the pre-1900s
by Charles Lewis Tiffany. He and a era is a rare find for collectors of old bottles. Manufactured in the United
team of gemologists traveled the States by CRIBBS DAVIDSON & Co MOBILE ALA.
globe looking for the best and most
unique gemstones, and he was the JK: Cribbs, Davidson, & Co. was a wholesale grocer and produce dealer
first to introduce such gemstones operating in and around Mobile, Alabama in the 1800s. The University of
in the United States. Alabama has one of its invoices from November 1869 on file in its special
Charles Lewis Tiffany died in collections. Surviving bitters bottles from the company are quite rare,
1902, but his son also inherited a which may have contributed to interest in this bottle.
love of gemstones and design. His name was Louis Comfort Tiffany, and The seller’s
he became the design director for the company. Eventually, he established complete listing
an entire department devoted to the creation of artistic jewelry. Although, continued, stating
he himself was often best known for the creation of stained-glass windows the bottle was
and lamps. marked “L & W”
The 1920s was a period when the company was going all out to offer on the bottom.
clients the very best. It contracted with some of the best watch and jewelry That refers to
makers in the world to produce various ladies’ watches. Often, the names Lorenz & Wightman. The Lorenz
of those jewelry and watchmakers were hidden fairly well on the time- family was famous for having
pieces, while the name “Tiffany & Co.” was clearly visible. That may be three generations involved in
why the seller of this particular watch did not include that information in glassworks around Pittsburgh,
the auction description. Tiffany & Co. was known to work with greats like Pennsylvania. Around 1840,
the Swiss company Merimont Watch Co. during the period when this Moses Lorenz and others founded
watch was produced. Bids may have gone even higher had the seller listed a company called Wm. McCully
the name of the actual maker of the timepiece. & Co. In 1842, Thomas Wight-
man joined the company as well.
That group dissolved its partnership in 1850, but Lorenz and Wightman
$513 (Bids 69, Bidders 20) Old Antique Wood Zenith Vintage Tube remained friendly, working together in several other glassworks in the
Radio – Restored Working Art Deco Tabletop. Here we have one of the following years. Twice they started companies called Lorenz & Wightman
last Zenith tube radios to be produced as the United States was entering together. One operated from 1850 to 1854. The other, which also includ-
WWII and Zenith was changing its lines over to wartime production; the ed Alexander W.K. Nimick, operated from 1863 until 1873, despite
1942 model 5-D-627 tabletop tube radio featuring an absolutely stunning Lorenz passing away in 1871. The first company didn’t use the mark, but
American Walnut cabinet, attractive black dial, great Art Deco appeal, the second company used several variations of it. There is also some
built-in loop antenna, and excellent performance. evidence that Lorenz and Wightman may have used the mark while
working together at other points between the dissolution of the first
JK: Although founded in 1918, Zenith company and the establishment of the second.
Radio Company was not officially incor-
porated until 1923. It produced its first Jessica Kosinski has been a freelance researcher and writer since 2001. She developed a passion for
portable radio the following year. In 1980s pre-1980s TV and films as a kid, and she has never grown out of it. Recently, she turned
1927, it also introduced push-button that passion into a retro TV and film blog. Follow along with her at medium.com/@jkos_writing,
as she dives deep into the characters, actors, quirks, and trivia that brought us some of the greatest
tuning. The company quickly became films and shows in TV history and also discusses some of the more obscure films and shows most of
one of the biggest names in radio produc- us may have forgotten.

8 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles