Vintage French absinthe spoon, Les Pipes #7, circa 1900. These spoons were placed over a glass with a sugar cube on top, and the water was poured over the cube to reduce the bitterness of the absinthe. This is guaranteed to be a period absinthe spoon from a French bar; it is not one of the many reproductions which are being sold on the Internet. It is in very good condition, showing some stains and oxidation from use...

Antique blown glass topette with original stopper from an old French bar holding three doses or portions. Each ring represented a dose, or one drink, of absinthe, which was diluted with water, often poured over a sugar cube, before drinking. The bar patron was charged for however many doses he or she consumed. This topette was hand blown in heavy lead glass, has a nice polished pontil on the bottom. This one is 5 1/4 inches tall to the top of the stopper, and dates from about 1900 or earlier...

Antique blown glass topette with three rings from an old French bar. Each ring represented a dose, or one drink, of absinthe, which was diluted with water, often poured over a sugar cube, before drinking. The bar patron was charged for however many doses he or she consumed. This topette was hand blown in heavy lead glass, has a nice polished pontil on the bottom and also has some of the characteristics one finds in hand blown pieces...

Antique blown glass topette with three rings from an old French bar. Each ring represented a dose, or one drink, of absinthe, which was diluted with water, often poured over a sugar cube, before drinking. The bar patron was charged for however many doses he or she consumed. This topette was hand blown in heavy lead glass and has a nice polished pontil on the bottom. This one is 4 3/8 inches tall and dates from about 1900 or earlier. It is a handsome collectible from the Belle Epoque.

Antique blown glass topette from an old French bar holding three doses or portions. Each ring represented a dose, or one drink, of absinthe, which was diluted with water, often poured over a sugar cube, before drinking. The bar patron was charged for however many doses he or she consumed. This topette was hand blown in heavy lead glass and has a nice partially polished pontil on the bottom. This one is 4 inches tall and dates from about 1900 or earlier...

Antique blown glass topette with original stopper from an old French bar holding two doses or portions. Each ring represented a dose, or one drink, of absinthe, which was diluted with water, often poured over a sugar cube, before drinking. The bar patron was charged for however many doses he or she consumed. This topette was hand blown in heavy lead glass, has a mark from the pontil on the bottom. This one is 4 3/4 inches tall to the top of the stopper, and dates from about 1900 or earlier...

French absinthe era bar saucer decorated with a light blue rim enclosed in burgundy hairlines and an attractive raised interior. We actually know the bar where this was used -- it was the Café de Paris in Saintes, a small city in the Charente-Maritime départment of France, which is about 75 miles north of Bordeaux. A scan of a postcard depicting this establishment will be sent to you on request...

Beautiful French silver wine bottle ticket or label with an open slot into which you can put a card with the name of whatever wine you have in your bottle or decanter. The decoration has an anthemion at the top and a foliate border at the bottom but if you look at it with a different eye it appears like a face with eyes at the upper corners with a bushy moustache above a crescent-shaped mouth -- maybe reflecting the silversmith's sense of humor...

Great Shabby-Chic Decoration for Kitchen, Family Room, or Den...or for a Gourmet Shop.... Rare early 20th century embossed tin sign advertising the products of Claudot-Deschandeliers in Ruffec (a town in the Charente department between Poitiers and Angoulême). It was clearly designed to hang in the windows of grocery and gourmet shops. It is eye-catching and brightly colored with gilt borders...

Complete set of Antiques Magazine (The Magazine Antiques) from 1922 to the present. Twenty-four of the years are in the green binders which used to be provided by the magazine. The rest are unbound. An immeasurably valuable resource for the scholar, dealer and collector. Huge and heavy are words appropriate to the size and contents of this set. In good condition. The buyer will need to arrange for pickup and delivery.

Wonderful anthology includes background and articles about the trail from south to north. Published in 1996 by Oxford University Press, paperback, 382pp., in "like new" condition.

Funny French satirical transfer plate making fun of the sport of archery, a very amusing collectible and great gift for the enthusiast of the sport. In this scene one of the archers says it is difficult to shoot in misty climates and that he is always fearful of losing his arrow in the clouds. Dating from about 1925, this plate is 7 3/4 inches in diameter and is marked on the back with the stamp for St. Amand Grands Etablisements Ceramiques. Very good impression of the transfer...