Description
This piece SOLD for AU $219 back in 2012. Today in 2019 I’d price the exact same piece at AU $240.
Background Info and Provenance
This listing is for ONE Perspex (lucite) animal only- the squirrel. These Guzzini animals are valued at more than this. I have a magazine ad from 1971 that advertises them. They cost $11 each back then. (Houses that were worth $11 000 back in 1971 are now worth around $300 000.) I’ve trawled the internet worldwide for five months in the hope of finding some more of these but I’ve basically given up- I’ve seen one or two only at much more than this. Because these were made in Italy they are virtually impossible to find here in Australia (they were never retailed here).
These animals were released by (Team) Guzzini, an Italian firm, in the 1970’s and caused a real sensation back then- people are still captivated by them today. The concept appears fairly simple but the construction is obviously not otherwise we would see more around. The only others I’ve seen in the flesh was in 2005 in a Sydney shop- they were asking around $300 each for them- they had four) and within weeks they were all gone. This squirrel doesn’t have the tag but I’ve had two with tags in the past and still have one with a tag today. The construction is IDENTICAL to all the ones I’ve seen. I’m 100% convinced it is Guzzini from the 1970’s. The light wear and aging of the piece further confirms this.
I have done a decent amount of research on Guzzini over the past year and can’t uncover anything definitive about the construction. From my reading and from my examination of these pieces I believe that at least part was done by hand (or hand-eye coordination). (The curved section behind the head on this squirrel is not 100% perfect- only noticeable when you run your finger around this section.) This is why there aren’t many around and why they attracted a hefty price-tag back when they were first sold. Guzzini did all types of animals- some are more common than others. I’ve seen a Marlin for the first time while researching this listing. The squirrel is one of the less common animals. (The lion, elephant and camel seem to be slightly more common but in saying that ALL Guzzini animals are still one of the rarest decorative items around.)
This is a piece to tell stories to future generations. There’s very little chance this piece will end up as landfill and you’ll be one link in a chain that might go on centuries. If there does come a time to part with it, I believe this piece will hold the same investment appeal in the future as it does now (if not more). THIS LISTING IS FOR THE SQUIRREL ONLY!
PICK-UP . . . from 30 or 40 minutes North of BRISBANE city is accepted but postage is preferred as my home is hard to find. Because of this I will nominate a friend or family member for you to collect the item from if you need collection. Pick-up in person must be worked out prior to purchase- thank you. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ POSTAGE is offered internationally. All our Decorative Arts pieces are delivered through AUSTRALIA POST. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ POSTAGE ESTIMATES. . . . ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ To BRISBANE- most of our pieces cost $15 - $18 to send. . . To SYDNEY or MELBOURNE- Small Vase- around $20 - $23, Medium Vase- around $20 - $25, Large Vase- around $24 - $30. Let us know if you need an EXACT COST for postage prior to purchase. The above postage estimates include $2.95 for a signature on delivery. . . INSURANCE against being lost or broken in transit up to the value of $200 is included in the estimates above. If your vase is cheaper or more expensive than $200 this will effect your postage fee slightly. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A BOXING FEE of $3.00 is included in the fee above to cover the cost of searching for and storing used packing materials. With the millions of cardboard boxes that end up as landfill every year we don’t believe in supporting the manufacture of boxes for post. Instead of buying new boxes and packing materials and passing this cost onto our customers we spend considerable time sourcing used boxes and then fashioning boxes to fit each item. We do the same for bubble-wrap and foam pieces. This requires a large investment of time, energy, ingenuity, organization and storage space- it is much easier and cheaper to buy new packing materials but I can’t justify taking the easy way out when so much packing material ends up polluting our earth. Our $3.00 charge does little to pay for the time (and storage) needed do this and to pack your item (there is also the time needed to get your package to the post office). This is something we’re happy to do for our customers and the environment. We appreciate your support in this area.
We accept DIRECT BANK DEPOSIT. We send photographic ID of the store owner (Michael Grealy) to all customers at the point of sale, along with media articles about iNVISeDGE with photos of Michael Grealy in them (most of these articles are about 10 years old). Your payment will be paid into an Australian ANZ bank account under the name Michael Grealy (or iNVISeDGE). Please read our ebay feedback spanning more than 15 years for irrefutable proof of our online trading history and reputation. Ebay feedback can ONLY be left by LEGITIMATE PAYING customers! Additionally please be aware that in Australia ALL consumers are protected BY LAW if the goods or services they buy are not as described. (But this should be of no concern- in our first 15 years of trading we have over 1150 positive ebay feedback comments and ZERO negative feedback comments.) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On occasions a DIRECT BANK DEPOSIT can be made at the time of collection. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On occasions CASH payment when you collect your item may also be available. Confirm prior to purchase if you need this. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Other payment methods are available but problematic and may incur additional fees. Tell us prior to purchase if you are unable to feel 100% confident with our trading history and payment methods so we can negotiate something else with you.
Click on "About iNVISeDGE" at the top of this page to find out more about iNVISeDGE.
