A rare set of Georg Jensen Beaded pattern ice cream (or sorbet) spoons (6), made in very limited quantities. The spoons are small teaspoon size, and have flat oval bowls for eating ice cream, the bowls are planished (hand beaten marks, hand forged). The beaded pattern (Kugle in Danish, Jensen pattern # 7) has a beaded pattern around the lower edge of the handle, it was designed by Jensen himself in 1916, described as "an elegant composition, that remains contemporary in design while imparting a timeless quality" - Georg Jensen, Tradition of Splendid Silver, page 267. All 6 spoons are hallmarked with Danish marks GJ in circular bead with 925 standard mark, and English import marks for 1925, with importers mark GS for George Stockwell & Co, (imported Jensen silver between 1909 and 1931).
A set of 5 Cape Silver tablespoons in the Fiddle pattern, with initials GHJ which are clearly engraved. The spoons have a chamfered edge (very Continental in style), and all 5 spoons have clear hallmarks (Welz mark 135). The marks include crowned leopards head, date letter a, duty mark and lion passant.
An interesting pair of Cape silver spoons, one tablespoon and one dessertspoon, both by Lawrence Twentyman and both engraved with an original family crest of winged castle turret below circular cross. These spoons are of hallmarking interest, as even though they have the same pseudo hallmarks, the larger spoon has the normal sized LT makers mark punch, and the smaller spoon has the smaller LT punch. The spoons are Fiddle pattern, and are a pleasing quality and weight. The hallmarks are also very clear on both spoons, pseudo duty mark, pseudo castle town mark with flag flying, pseudo date letter C and makers mark LT (mark 140 in Cape Silver and Silversmiths by Welz). Twentyman was the most prolific of all Cape silversmiths, he had the first shop on Heerengracht (now Adderley Street) with a shop window. He worked between 1818 and 1832. Note - These spoons match the pair of tablespoons S11352 and dessertspoons S 11353. Note 2 - With the assistance of a customer, we have now identified the engraved crest as the ...
A Canadian Coin silver tablespoon pair in the Fiddle pattern, with engraved initial H. The spoons have excellent hallmarks, comprising of makers mark IM, NB for New Brunswick, and pseudo hallmarks lion passant, anchor and Georgian duty mark bust (this last one sideways). Canadian Maritime silversmiths of the early 19th century favoured imitation hallmarks, dictated by competition from imported English silver. St John silversmiths adopted the NB hallmark for New Brunswick, following their colleagues in Halifax (Langdon, pg 22). John Munro was born in 1791, and freed in 1813, he took over his father's shop in 1819. His premises were destroyed twice by fire, first in 1837 and again in 1874. He used a number of different pseudo marks, and also used IM and JM as makers marks (Donald Mackay, Silversmiths and Related Craftsmen of the Atlantic Provinces, page 107). Note - we earlier attributed this makers mark to James Melick, see details below, based on the book "Canadian Silversmiths 1700-1900, published 1966, pag...
An interesting antique silver caddy spoon with a camel finial, this is the crest of the Worshipful Company of Grocers, a spice laden camel. The spoon has a pear shaped bowl, the well modelled camel is facing left, to show it is bringing spices from the East. The hallmarks are clear, including makers mark J.N.M for John Newton Mappin, this mark was used between 1887-1897. The spoon is also stamped "Mappin & Webb, London", this is above a cross in circle hallmark, we are not sure the significance of this mark (all assistance welcome). The Worshipful Company of Grocers Company is one of the 12 Great Livery Companies, ranked second in precedence (it was once ranked first, until rumour has it that a camel in a procession released a smell that offended Queen Elizabeth I!) - source Worshipful Company of Grocers website, www.grocershall.co.uk). The Company was founded in 1345 by the Guild of Pepperers, responsible for maintaining spice standards. The 4th Grocers Hall was built in 1890 (unfortunately destroyed by fire...
A pair of antique silver serving spoons, with beautiful pierced and engraved handles, in pristine condition. The detail of the piercing is excellent, an architectural feature surrounded by foliage. The spoons are a useful size, ideal for serving. The spoons appear to have never been used, such a pity for such beautiful items. The hallmarks on both spoons are clear, and include makers mark for the Sheffield firm of Hawksworth & Eyre, who worked between 1841 and 1932, when they were taken over by Ellis of Barker Brothers. Charles Hawksworth and John Eyre exhibited a wide variety of goods at the Great Exhibition of 1851, they had showrooms in London Fleet Street and Montreal, Canada. (Culme, Directory of Gold & Silversmiths, page 222).
A set of six Art Deco sterling silver grapefruit spoons, in perfect condition. The spoons have fluted bowls, with strong tips for digging into grapefruit, the bowls are also gilded. The finials are pierced, the design looks like a stylised Fleur-De-Lys, reminds us of a Gothic arch. All 6 spoons have clear hallmarks.
An interesting set of 4 Cape silver Fiddle pattern tableforks, by Lodewyk Beck. They have no initials, although 1 fork has the remnants of an initial just visible. It appears 1 fork was made at a different time, as the hallmarks are struck differently from the other 3. The hallmarks include makers mark LB with 4 pseudo English hallmarks, including lion, duty mark, castle town mark and date letter a. What is interesting about the hallmarks is that they are all individually struck, with not too much care, both the sterling lion and the date letter have been struck upside down on one, it appears the order and orientation of hallmarks was not important to Cape silversmiths. The 4th fork, has the same hallmarks but struck further apart. Lodewyk Willem Christiaan Beck worked between 1847 and 1867, from Shortmarket street and Greenmarket Square.
A rare and lovely early Scottish Provincial Hanoverian tablespoon, with excellent marks. This is a very fine spoon, good weight and condition, a pleasure to hold. The spoon has a long drop, and quite a wide end with an oval shaped bowl. The spoon is initialled with script letter K, this is contemporary, and is engraved on the back of the spoon. The spoon has four very clear hallmarks, makers mark IS struck twice in a distinctive shaped punch, with two indentations on each side of the punch. The third hallmark is the Dundee "Pot of Lilies" town mark, the shape of each lily clearly visible. The forth mark is a letter "M" with unusual shape, occasionally used by John Steven (Turner, Directory of Scottish Provincial Silversmiths, pg 62, and Jackson, pg 600). A similar spoon by John Steven, without "M" mark, was sold as Lot 192 of "Private Collection of Scottish Provincial Flatware, Woolley & Wallis, January 2009, pg 34". John Steven was a very fine silversmith, we have just seen a pair of cast candlesticks...
A set of 6 Georg Jensen sterling silver Cypress pattern fruit spoons with triangular bowls, these would be called grapefruit spoons by the English. This is a fabulous set of grapefruit spoons, stunning design and very practical for use, strong bowl tips. This is a vintage set dating from 1960, all 6 pieces are fully hallmarked. The hallmarks include "GEORG JENSEN" in oval dots, above "STERLING DENMARK". All 6 pieces also carry London import marks, sponsors mark G.JLd for Georg Jensen (their London branch), oval U import mark, .925 sterling mark and date letters e and f for 1960 and 1961. The Cypress (or Cypres) pattern is #99 in the Jensen catalog, it was designed by Tias Eckhoff in 1954. The Cypress pattern won the design competition held for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Georg Jensen company (Georg Jensen, A tradition of Splendid Siulver, page 282). Tias Eckhoff, a Norwegian, has been described as one of Norway's most versatile designers. Note: - We also have a Jensen Cypress pattern flatware...
A rare Sampson Mordan silver hatching chick spoon, it has previously been described as a baby feeding spoon, but could also be a castor sugar spoon. The hatching chick will be familiar to Sampson Mordan collectors, it is often seen as a pincushion. The detail and quality are excellent, the chick has open mouth and open eyes, and a gilded interior. The chick has an Albany pattern handle, which was a popular pattern at the turn of the 20th century (also called Queen Anne pattern by Francis Higgins). We believe this is a rare item, we have not seen it described before in the literature. We have noted another similar example that appeared on auction, this one had greenstone eyes, and was described as a baby feeding spoon - but given the gilded interior, it could have been designed for spreading castor sugar - all thoughts welcome. The spoon has clear SM&Co makers mark (this mark used between 1903-1914 by Mordan), and worn but legible hallmarks for Chester 1906 (date letter clear). The spoon also has a clear desig...
A private die Scottish silver tablespoon, a rare spoon of fabulous quality, made by leading Glaswegian silversmiths Robert Gray & Sons. The spoon has a die stamped family crest of a stag above a knights helmet, this is beautifully struck. The spoon is a variant of Kings pattern, with hourglass shape and honeysuckle, but the shell on the front has been removed to make place for the family crest. The spoon is double struck, which is unusual for Scottish silver, and the spoon has no shoulders. The spoon is over 100 grammes, so a pleasure to hold and use. The hallmarks are clear, and are accompanied by a star, possibly a journeyman's mark. Private die flatware was individually commissioned with the family crest die-stamped rather than engraved on a stock pattern (Pickford, Silver Flatware, page 173). Most 19th century private die patterns were supplied through Hunt & Roskell to members of the peerage and other wealthy clients. Pickford describes these as "fascinating, but obviously impossible to build into servic...
A magnificent 950 grade French silver coffee spoon in the Renaissance pattern, that carries the mark of one of France's greatest silversmiths - Cardeilhac. The spoon has a pierced trilobe finial, with a smiling cherub's head in the centre, surrounded by very ornate scrolls. the centre of the stem is decorated with a reverse baluster design, and the stem is rectangular, with 90 degree angles. The bowl is connected to the stem with an ornate rat-tail. Needless to say, the quality and feel of this spoon is fabulous, and it is made of the higher grade 950 silver (as opposed to Sterling which is 925). The Renaissance pattern honours the Renaissance period, and has been described as one of Cardeilhac's most prestigious models. It was created in the Nineteenth century in the Neo-Gothic style. The spoon has 2 hallmarks, both very clear - the first is the Cardeilhac makers mark (crowned medal of Honour cross above crescent, in shaped punch, with initials JC for Jacques Cardeilhac, who worked 1945-1951). The second i...
A set of 4 Irish Georgian dessert spoons, bottom marked, with excellent hallmarks on all 4 spoons. The spoons are Old English pattern, and have an engraved family crest of an armoured arm holding a dagger, this engraving is crisp and clear. Bottom marked hallmarks, used before 1790, are seldom clear, they are often squashed, these marks are excellent. They include makers mark IK in rectangular punch with rounded corners, and without dot, according to Douglas Bennett, in his book Collecting Irish Silver, this mark could belong to 3 different silversmiths, John Kavanagh (1783-1819), John Kelly (1780-1794) or James Kennedy (1768-1803), all three of which fall in the date range. More research is required on these makers, the makers mark on these spoons are very clear.
A beautiful pair of miniature antique silver pastry servers, perfectly preserved in their original box. The servers are in the Kings Husk pattern, single struck, this is a variant of the Kings pattern without the central honeysuckle decoration, and a husk shell. Both servers are a similar size and shape, one had a flat spade shape blade and the other has a serrated prong front, so quite versatile. The hallmarks on both are very clear. The box reads "By Appointment to his Excellency The Governor of Cape Colony, Morris Bros, Jewellers & Silversmiths, Kimberley & Johannesburg". We have not been able to trace any information about Morris Brothers, all assistance welcome. Note - We have now traced a 1905 advert for John Round & Son, they claim to be "The largest spoon and fork makers in the world".
A beautiful pair of Salters Company silver spoons, with the Salters Company coat of arms, and motto "Sal Sapit Omnia" (salt flavours all) on a banner wrapped around the stem. The bowls have a traditional shell design, these are very attractive spoons. The back of the armorial is embossed with the date "May 12 1853", which commemorates the date the Salters Company acquired ownership of it's Irish estates. The spoons are very good quality, are a good weight, and are perfectly preserved in their original box. The box reads "Carrington & Co. To his Majesty the King and Her Majesty Queen Alexandra, 130 Regent St W". Carrington & Co was established in 1873 by John Bodman Carrington, it still trades today. They were a very prestigious firm when these spoons were made, they had Royal warrants from Queen Victoria, Kings Edward VII and George V, as well as Czar Nicholas of Russia. The Salters Company is one of the 12 great livery companies of London, ranked 9th in order of precedence. Their origins were in the salt tr...
A rare Regency rose pattern punch ladle, this is a beautiful ladle. The ladle is gilded, and has an engraved rams head family crest on the back. The ladle is the shape of a soup ladle, but is noticeably smaller, hence our description as a punch ladle (bowl is 7.0 cm by 5.5 cm). The pattern is double struck, and has good detail, with trailing roses, and Anthemion heel (Pickford, Silver Flatware, pg 131). The hallmarks are clear, the makers mark is slightly obscured, but the Script H used by Hayne is identifiable. Jonathan Hayne was freed in 1804, he had a flourishing business, and was Prime Warden in 1843, he died in 1848. Pickford describes the Rose pattern as rare, and he notes 2 different types (different heels). Close examination shows that these spoons have a slightly different design from the one depicted in Pickfords Flatware book (pg 131), with more leaves, so different dies must have been made.
Two interesting early 20th century American sterling silver hand forged Arts & Crafts silver spoons, by 2 of the leading silversmiths of the period. The first is by Old Newbury Crafters (ONC), in the panel antique pattern, with long narrow handle, fiddle handle and teardrop shaped bowl, with a pronounced rim around the back edge of the bowl. It is hallmarked "STERLING ONC", clearly struck, this mark was used before 1955. Hammer marks can be seen on the back of the bowl. The second is by Stone Sterling, founded in 1901 by Arthur J Stone, the "Dean of American Silversmiths". This spoon is slightly larger, it has an almost heart shaped bowl, and long elegant handle with pointed terminal. It is hallmarked with the STONE hammer mark, STERLING, and letter E, which denotes it was made by one of Stone's assistants, George C Erickson, between 1915 and 1932. Old Newbury Crafters was established in 1915, and still operating today, with 2 silversmiths, using traditional hand forging. The Boston Globe wrote "Paul Revere w...
A rare set of Old English Military Thread and Shell pattern (also called Military Shell) tableforks and dessertspoons (3 of each). These are good quality, the forks around 90 grammes each and the spoons over 60. All 6 have an engraved family crest, a raised lion facing right between 2 horns. The pattern has the regular Thread and Shell pattern, double struck (on both sides), but with scrolls instead of shoulders, as with all Military variants (Pickford, Silver Flatware, page 117). Pickford describes this pattern as "a rare pattern illustrated in the Chawner & Co Pattern book, Appendix page 218", where the Chawner book shows this pattern, termed as "Military Shell". Pickford did not illustrate a photographic example of this pattern , a further indication of its rarity. The hallmarks on all 6 items are very clear, makers mark GA for George Adams of Chawner & Co, and London date letter P for 1870. In addition, all pieces carry additional journeyman's marks (Y, K, 3 petal flower, O), so the particular silversmit...
A pair of Art Deco silver serving spoons, made by the German firm of Lutz & Weiss in Pforzheim, circa 1930. The spoons have the classic Art Deco pyramid pattern design, repeated on both sides, and an unusual but very practical 4 sided bowl, with rounded edges and a pointed front. The hallmarks include 835S indicating silver of 835 purity, makers mark of intertwined LW in a shield, and a Dutch import mark used since 1906 (V in shaped shield with shaded background), indicating the spoons must have been imported into the Netherlands at some stage. Both sets of hallmarks are clear. Lutz & Weiss Silberwarenfabriek was founded in 1882.
