2 large and very rare 17"x17" Batchelder tiles depicting Viking ships at full sail. Both tiles maintain the original "Batchelder Blue" color. One tile has a minor chip on the left of the tile which can be seen in the photo, and each is signed "BATCHELDER LOS ANGELES" on the edge of the tile. Tile of this size by Ernest A. Batchelder are very hard to find.

Recently the tiles were appraised conservatively at $6,000.00 apiece and could bring considerably more at auction, but I'm asking a very reasonable $5,500.00 each for the tiles.

Anyone interested?

**UPDATE**

After visiting with Robert Winter this past weekend, I've decided not to sell these tiles. For anyone that is not aware who Dr. Winters is, check this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Winter

I went to his house unannounced to share the 9 tiles I have with him and to get his advise on possible avenues to find buyers for them.

Needless to say, his reaction to the tiles convinced me they should not be sold. He has often said about the house he lives in which was designed and built by Ernest Batchelder, "I'm not the homeowner of this house, but merely the caretaker". Robert Winter instilled in me an awesome sense of responsibility with these tiles, and I feel exactly the same way about these incredible works of art.

If anyone is interested in me posting pictures of the rest of the tiles, let me know!

Yes, post as many as you like. As for the price, I'm not sure they would fetch that much right now. As for keeping vs. selling, if you were to sell, they would go to a collector who would obviously take very good care of them. And in the end, it is just "stuff." I fall in love with certain pieces only to find a few months down the road that I either need the money for something mundane( like painting my house ) or to put toward another antique. Also, if these were installed in your house, that would be another matter entirely; I don't advise anyone to rip out original tiles for sale.

These tiles were never set. I agree that tiles should never be ripped out to sell
I'll post pictures below. I hope to take better quality pictures soon.

Another of the Nursery Rhyme series

and another

and my favorite. Do the 2 King Horsemen in the foreground look familiar? I think it's Laurel & Hardy

The following are more common tiles and not as rare as the others

the last one

Very nice tiles! Where did you get all these?

My Mother had a children's bookstore for many years, and back in the 1970's a fellow merchant asked her if she would be interested in purchasing them because of the nursery rhyme theme. He had a big box which included the Viking ship tiles and his asking price for the entire box was $100. They had been in my parents attic since then until I dug them out last year to take to the Antiques Roadshow.