Bidspirit auction | Laurindo Costa

Laurindo Costa - As Contrastarias em Portugal, 1ª Edição - Laurindo Costa, 1926-1927. Published in 1926 in Porto, with meticulous and careful printing at the historic Tipografia Fonseca (and distributed in 1927). This is the extremely rare, highly sought-after, and fundamental first edition of this extraordinary historical, legal, and heraldic reference study on the development of the control, assaying, and taxation of precious metals in Portugal, entitled ”As Assartorias em Portugal (Com Inéditos e 470 Gravuras)” (The Assay Offices in Portugal (With Unpublished Documents and 470 Engravings)), authored by the illustrious expert and Chief Assayer of the Lisbon Mint, Manuel Gonçalves Vidal. An exhaustive and essential reference work, enriched with abundant unpublished legal documentation and profusely illustrated in the text and in extra-text with photogravures, facsimiles of old documents, and 470 detailed reproductions of the historical marks of assayers and goldsmiths of the Portuguese jewelry industry (highlighting the important manufacturing centers of Lisbon, Porto, Braga, Gondomar, among other important towns and cities). Octavo format copy, comprising 256 pages of text, presented in its original paperback condition with a soft cover of thick publisher's paper illustrated with a sober geometric border. The text block and prints are in extraordinary mechanical condition and remarkably fresh, with clean pages and generous original margins yet to be trimmed. An authentic and coveted gem of reference for collectors and experts in national heraldic goldsmithing.