IMPORTANT MUSEUM QUALITY ANTIQUE 1680 TO 1720 GERMAN SILVER SAFE STRONGBOX

Description

Royal House Antiques

Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this important, Museum Quality German safe circa 1680-1720 attributed to Johann Gottlied Dittman and Sigmund Gatchen

Please note the delivery fee listed is just a guide, it covers within the M25 only for the UK and local Europe only for international, if you would like an accurate quote please send me your postcode and I’ll provide you with the exact price

Where to begin, if you are looking at this listing then the chances are you know something about antique safes, if you do, then you will recognise just how rare this piece is, I have in all my online research only found one other that was in a terrible condition, it sold in the Sotheby’s Carlton Towers sale on the 4th November 2009, the sale price was £73,250 plus commission which at the time was 30% making the final sale amount £95,225 This example was missing the original key, all the silver finish had polished off and it was rusty, mine by comparison is in absolutely sublime order throughout

The original key is present, it operates the exceptionally heavy top lock which has 22 separate locks, each lock works independently so if a thief tried to force one open, it would have no affect on the remaining 21 locks

The front of the safe depicts a bird possibly an eagle, the top has a medieval locking plate cover which splits down the middle to reveal the entrance to the lock, it looks similar to a fleur de lis, it springs closed when the key is removed and has its own lock, it has a secret to unlock it, if you don’t know it, you can never fit the key. The sides have oversized handles as they need to be, the safe must weight in excess of 100kgs, the rear has a similar medieval crest

The finish is sublime, truly exquisite, this is a work of art and will be the centre piece and pride of any collection, I have absolutely no desire to sell it whatsoever, if it stays in my collection forever so be it, I will never have the chance to own such a piece again and it is an absolute pleasure to see it each day

For a similar strong box signed to the interior by Dittman and Gatchen and worthy of comparison see a very fine example from The Alphonse de Rothschild Collection which was sold on the 26th of March 1973 at the De Rede sale in Monaco as lot 167. The Rothschild box featured bold architectural detailing, hounds to the lid and was also raised on a stand.

Condition wise, there will be some losses, I can note some of the edges of the leaf detailing are missing, some of the old pin nails have worked their way free over the centuries, the safe 100% works as it should do and nothing you put in here is every coming out without the key

Dimensions

Height:- 86cm

Width:- 89cm

Depth:- 52cm

Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point, if you would like any additional or specific measurements please ask

Any questions please feel free to ask before you bid   

 

ABOUT US

Royal House Antiques is a privately owned family ran business founded in Wimbledon SW19 and now based in Pulborough RH20. We specialise in finding, restoring very fine luxury antique leather seating, along with every single other type of antique ranging from the 16th century to the 20th century. We also stock a number of designer brands such as Fritz Hansen, Ralph Lauren, Cavalli, Charles & Ray Eames, Vitra, David Linley, Rolex, Tiffany, Jager Le Coulter and so on     

 

PAYMENTS

We accept payment via Bitcoin, Bitcoin cash, Ethereum, Bacs, Chaps, PayPal or Card, we would kindly ask that all items are paid for within 48 hours and collected within 7 working days, we can hold all paid items for 14 days free of charge, there after a £20 a week storage fee will apply. We have long term storage which is very economically priced, we are happy to hold stock for as long as needed providing it is arranged prior to the purchase 

If sold items aren’t collected within three months and no arrangements have been made for long term storage you will forfeit the item and payment

 

CONDITION

Please view the very detailed pictures as they form part of the description pertaining to the condition. Please also ask any questions before you bid and not after, all of our items are sold as seen and as listed

Royal House Antiques cannot be held liable for any independent assumptions made regarding the items we sell, if you are unsure on any point, please feel free to ask for clarity  

Please note vintage period and original items such as leather seating will always have natural patina in the form of creasing and wear, we recommend annual waxing to ensure no moisture is lost, also hand dyed leather is not recommended to sit in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time as it will dry out and fade   

 

DELIVERY OR COLLECTION

This item is available for collection from our Pulborough warehouses RH20-1DF by appointment only, alternatively we can have it delivered nationwide to include Scotland, Wales and Ireland for a fee

Please contact me via email, alternatively my contact information is under the business seller section of the listing, with your postcode for a delivery quotation, as mentioned above the fee listed covers with the M25 for the UK, for international deliveries the amount listed covers local Europe only so parts of Belgium and France

Please be sure to include which item you would like to buy as the price is determined on size and distance, if you would like more than one piece of furniture the courier offers a substantial discount on the second and third item, for international shipping please view the below information   

  

COURIER, LARGE ITEMS ONLY THAT CAN’T BE POSTED

We can arrange delivery nationwide, mostly with our nominated couriers, for Europe we use one reasonably priced professional company that we trust, for the rest of the world we use international shippers that can send any size item crated via air freight within 7-14 days after crating or soft packed and container shipped via sea freight within 30-60 days. The time frames outlined are guides only, non-domestic shipping is almost entirely governed by the airlines, sea freight loading times and custom clearances

Whomever delivers will always require help on the larger items to unload, the price you will be quoted will always be based on this assumption, if this is not possible, please let us know as it will affect the price to send a two-person team

Delivery is to the ground floor only, again if you need help upstairs or in flats etc that’s absolutely not a problem, the couriers charge £10-£20 per flight per man per item, if you have a working elevator then naturally there’s no additional fee

All courier fees are paid by yourself directly to the courier company, the contract for delivery is between yourselves the client and whichever courier you chose from those available I’m happy to accommodate your own courier after a cleared payment has been received, they need to book in a collection time with at least 24 hours notice, all collections must be made within 14 working days of the close of the sale unless agreed by prior arrangement  

 

IMPORT DUTY

Most countries charge some kind of import duty however almost all of our items won’t incur any charges as the items are exempt from tax due to the age and materials used

For European deliveries the price you will be quoted will include all clearance documentation and any customs charges so there won’t be any additional fees

For international deliveries such as the United States there can be some import duty to pay and or a clearance fee, I would estimate that 99% of all deliveries clear customs without being stopped for either

All duties are the responsibility of the purchaser who is the importer, they can’t be covered by the seller or shipping agent or factored in with additional retrospective discounts

 

RETURNS

Royal House Antiques offers a no quibble return policy if the item is not as described, if there are any issues with the piece you will be refunded in full once the item has been returned and inspected within 14 days, alternatively if there is a small issue, we can discuss finding a mutual resolution that makes all parties happy

We don’t offer a sale on approval service which means you can purchase the item, have it delivered and if you simply don’t like it, return it, this comes under change of mind or doesn’t fit. There is a lot of time, money and work involved in transporting goods around the world, the costs incurred can be vast so my advice would be if you are unsure on a piece please ask as many questions as you like to make sure you understand everything before you buy, if you are still unsure then please either arrange a viewing in person or if that’s not possible then don’t buy from an online retailer, perhaps look for a local gallery instead