English BLoG

 It is a daily occurrence that we are asked to tell them what their item is worth, and for the appraiser, one that is simply impossible to correctly evaluate for each and every situation.  There are a lot of variables that go into appraising and evaluating an item. As a general overview, these considerations are the product maker, age, condition including any restoration to fix or enhance an item, rarity, proven provenance (not here say) and general interest in a product at any given time, and of course that will most likely change with time.   Appraisals are written for a number of purposes. Insurance, to correctly appraise for replacement considerations, fair market value for resale, tax donations, inheritance and equitable distribution of an estate to heirs to name a few. These values range in number, for instance an insurance appraisal is its highest price evaluation for replacing an item similar in quality, age, manufacturer or maker, provenance, condition, rari...

Marine Sculptures by Virginia Artist Larry Bage

Here are 10 proven winners for creating your very best nautical inspired room in your coastal home. Any or all of these design ideas will go a long way toward the realization of your space. Give these nautical design ideas a try: 1.  Proper lighting plays a key role in any successful space.  For a nautical inspired space choose table and Vintage aluminum ships window re-purposed into a nautical mirror. Aluminum 90 degree passageway lights light-up the space. . floor lamps that are functional, not just decorative. Place them near the task at hand. One of the best ways to create that old seafaring look is to select ship navigational and space light fixtures re-purposed into functional lighting. Rewired nautical wall sconces positioned on either side of a bathroom mirror can be very effective. Old re-purposed ship lanterns make great table lamps , and ship pennant lights, cage lights and passageway lights are top choices to light both your interior and exterior spaces. 2. Repeti...

A customer recently visited our gallery searching for items to use in a house that he was in the process of remodeling. The theme of the interior he said was "steampunk" and he was searching for items that related to the Victorian era, the days of steam power and industrial technology. Authentic 19th century  ship's binnacle in steampunk interior. "You're in the right place, I said. That would certainly include the age of steam powered ships and that is the type of items that we carry." It didn't take long for him to grasp what I was talking about.  I left him to browse around and I could tell that he was quite excited about his discovery and started taking pictures of items of interest. He left an hour later with numerous ideas and images of items well suited for his new interior.  Not knowing much about the design concept steampunk, I decided to do a little research to become familiar with what it is. I looked up the word on Wikipedia and the short def...

Carved oak tiller, England or NW Europe, late 17th-early 18th century. A fine oak tiller arm carved with the head of a sea serpent and ball terminus. 45 1/2 inches in length. As a maritime dealer and collector, I am always seeking to acquire exceptional examples of wood carvings that were produced during the "Age of Sail."  Wood carvings which decorated ships during the 17th, 18th and 19th century are sometimes all that remain from the vessels built during that time.  We know that ship carvers specialized in producing quality decorative work for maritime environments on ships, boats and yachts were a trade in to itself and different from those that built ships.Typical examples of their work would include figureheads, nameboards, trailboards for boats and unique yacht interiors out of wood. In this article we will take a look at the art of the carved tiller arm that sometimes embellished great yachts and naval gigs that carried wealthy merchants and ship captains from ...

Recently moved from the riverfront, Skipjack Nautical Wares new showroom is larger and features a more visible storefront. R eferred to by our customers as Skipjack 4.0, this is the fourth store location in Coastal Virginia and is  now located at 620 High Street in historic downtown (Olde Towne) Portsmouth, Virginia.  Skipjack Nautical Wares previous riverfront store located at 1 High Street adjacent to the High Street basin and the Hog Island Lighthouse Lens Pavilion in historic Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia. The number one question asked today by visitors and customers alike is "Why did you move from your riverfront location?" For those that are knowledgeable of our history, it does make sense to wonder why. The simple answer is, the building was sold and the new owners are renovating the building and converting into luxury apartments. Our lease was until the end of September 2015 which gave us 6 months from time of notice to find a new location and move. With numerous tr...

Recently, I was hunting around on Pinterest (nautical furnishings and furniture) and came across an image of an aluminum ship's window re-purposed into a nautical mirror. This picture was linked to a blog written by Courtney Price titled "The Hampton Designer Show-house"  where top interior designers turn a New England home into a, as the author describes it, "decorating masterpiece." The house located in Bridgehampton, New York was certainly dressed up in top fashion. Authentic ship fixtures re-purposed and used to create this beautiful nautical bathroom. By New York design company Melanie Roy Design. Part of the first floor (bath and mudroom) was designed by New York designer Melanie Roy of  Melanie Roy Design  selecting a strong blue and white striped wall covering and navy blue walls contrasting white painted wood trim and bathroom cabinet with polished steel drawer pulls and bath fixtures. The mirror and lights above the bathroom sink were re-purposed ship...

October 13-19, 2014  From Baltimore, Maryland, to Portsmouth, Virginia Schooners underway at the beginning of the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. There are schooners here, there and just about everywhere participating in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race (GCBSR). The 25th annual race begins Thursday, October 16th on the south side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Annapolis, Maryland. The schooners race throughout the afternoon and night into the next day to their designated finish line. For classes A and AA, the finish is an east-west line at Thimble Shoal Light and classes B and C finish at Windmill Point. Then they proceed on to docking in Portsmouth, Virginia along the quaint historic seaport's basins and seawall. Schooners rafted together at the High Street Landing at the end of the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. Photo by Joe Elder. With 34 entries in this year's race represented from all around the Chesapeake Bay and as far away as Key West, Florida, they...

It’s a folksy collection of whales, mermaids, fish, fowl, carvings, paintings, models, trade signs, weathervanes, folk and sailor art representing some of the finest American folk artists working today combined with with examples made in the past. Some are whimsical, others memorable, but they are all simply delightful! Swimming mermaid wood carving by Virginia artist Jac & Patricia Johnson. Welcome to Skipjack's Annual American Marine Folk and Sailor Art Show! This year once again features a select blend of marine marine art from some of the best marine folk artists working today together with a selection of vintage and antique examples.  This year, we have the privilege of introducing New England folk carver John Shaw to our show. His carvings represent a traditional rustic folk art style similar in composition to carvings created during the early days of whaling. Each whale is hand-carved and painted in a style that replicates an antique example. John's carvings are crea...