Victorian gold mounted nut charm, believed to be a lucky conker, now with a dark patina from age and mounted in a gold collar.
The first known mention of the traditional British game is in the memoir of Robert Southey from the 1820s who describes attaching snail shells or hazelnuts to a string and smashing them together until a victor is produced. It is known that the more widely known horse chestnuts were used by the 1850s.
Although the game is enjoyed mostly by children, we all know that men are just large children at heart. This winning conker obviously brought its first owner such luck that they were fortunate enough to get it mounted in gold to be kept safe.
Marks:
Apparently unmarked.
Mount electronically tests as approximately 9ct gold.
Date:
Circa 1870-1880s.
Length:
(including surmount) 4cm.
Condition:
General slight discolouration and wear.
The mount has pulled away slightly from the seed/nut but is stable with the original pins holding it in place.
By clicking to ‘Purchase’ you agree to having read the Important Information for Purchasers.
Our primary concern is that you are pleased with your purchase. Please feel free to ask as many questions as you like about a product before clicking purchase. We appreciate patina and the ‘age’ that older pieces acquire, because of this we do not polish pieces to strip away the age (though your local jeweller may be willing to do this for you for a small fee). Secondhand, vintage and antique pieces will naturally show scratches and small marks, these will often appear more noticeable in the enlarged images that we have made available for you. Our images are as realistic as they can be. Although any appreciable defects/damages will be mentioned please do inspect the images as they do form a part of the condition report.
Antique items may longer not be suitable for everyday wear or may benefit from thoughtful consideration when worn with care.
Victorian gold mounted nut charm, believed to be a lucky conker, now with a dark patina from age and mounted in a gold collar.
The first known mention of the traditional British game is in the memoir of Robert Southey from the 1820s who describes attaching snail shells or hazelnuts to a string and smashing them together until a victor is produced. It is known that the more widely known horse chestnuts were used by the 1850s.
Although the game is enjoyed mostly by children, we all know that men are just large children at heart. This winning conker obviously brought its first owner such luck that they were fortunate enough to get it mounted in gold to be kept safe.
Marks:
Apparently unmarked.
Mount electronically tests as approximately 9ct gold.
Date:
Circa 1870-1880s.
Length:
(including surmount) 4cm.
Condition:
General slight discolouration and wear.
The mount has pulled away slightly from the seed/nut but is stable with the original pins holding it in place.
By clicking to ‘Purchase’ you agree to having read the Important Information for Purchasers.
Our primary concern is that you are pleased with your purchase. Please feel free to ask as many questions as you like about a product before clicking purchase. We appreciate patina and the ‘age’ that older pieces acquire, because of this we do not polish pieces to strip away the age (though your local jeweller may be willing to do this for you for a small fee). Secondhand, vintage and antique pieces will naturally show scratches and small marks, these will often appear more noticeable in the enlarged images that we have made available for you. Our images are as realistic as they can be. Although any appreciable defects/damages will be mentioned please do inspect the images as they do form a part of the condition report.
Antique items may longer not be suitable for everyday wear or may benefit from thoughtful consideration when worn with care.