A sterling silver caviar spoon, with handle realistically modelled as a sturgeon, made by leading silversmith Sarah Jones. This a a cast spoon, good weight and has a lovely feel in the hand, the grip enhanced with all the detail on the sturgeon, we love this spoon! The hallmarks are excellent, well struck and clear on the back of the bowl. Sarah Jones is one of the 50 leading silversmiths profiled in the book "Designer British Silver, 1930-1985", by Andrew & Styles, a book which we highly recommend. "Her work is quirky and amusing, she is a superb modeller who produces charming animal studies. Her work is in the Royal Collection, a flower study is on Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's dresser table (pages 266-271). This caviar spoon is a great example of her work, it may be a once off made on commission, as we have not encountered another example, much of her past and current work can be seen on her website www.sarahjonessilver.co.uk.

A rare Cape silver condiment ladle, this is only the 2nd one we have encountered. The ladle is Fiddle pattern, similar in shape to a salt spoon, but with a long elegant handle, 3 to 4 cm longer than a salt spoon, the bowl is also more angled, and the handle has a very pronounced turn over for ease of use. The bowl is gilded, the original gilding is in quite good condition, a deep gold colour inside the bowl (note scratches from use), much more faded on the bowl exterior, but still visible. The ladle has 2 notches on the rear of the handle, where an extension was added to the more usual sized salt spoon, but we are confident this is original, as no solder marks are visible, so we imagine it was made on special order. The hallmarks are clear, makers mark LT and 4 pseudo hallmarks (crowned leopards head, date letter a, duty mark and lion passant), this is mark 135 in Cape Silver by Welz. Note: We have sold a previous Cape silver condiment ladle, S11128, by Fredrik Waldek, who took over Twentyman's shop on the He...

A beautiful Norwegian silver replica of a 17th century figural spoon, which makes an ideal Christening present for a girl. The spoon has a well modelled cast finial of a bust of a female warrior, complete with armour, standing on a pedestal decorated with a feeding bird, masks, flowers and scrolls. The traditionally shaped bowl is gilded, the gilding still well preserved. The quality of this spoon is outstanding, clearly made by a master craftsman, and the condition is excellent. The spoon is hallmarked with makers mark MH and grade 830S, so we can date this spoon to prior to 1920, when Norwegian silversmiths moved to the sterling 925 standard. Marius Hammer (1847-1927) was one of Norway's leading silversmiths, employing 130 staff in 1914, they even supplied the Prince of Wales. In addition to high end souvenirs, they produced replicas of notable Scandinavian silver, including this spoon.

A Gorham sterling silver Louis XIV pattern pickle knife, with a pair of matching master salt spoons. The pattern is striking, described as "17 th Century Magnificence", named after King Louis Quatorze of France, who "made his reign famous for it's splendour". The pickle knife (similar to an English butter knife) is bright cut and gilded, with no monogramme, which the 2 saltspoons have goldwash bowls and engraved initials G. The hallmarks are clear on all 3 items, "Patent 1870, Sterling, and the Gorham lion, anchor and gothic G. Gorham Corporation, which still exists today, was founded in 1831, they dominated the solid silver flatware market in the USA for 125 years (Gorham Silver, page 50). Note -We also have a Gorham Louis XIV sifter ladle and suace ladle S 11476.

A beautiful set of 6 art deco gilded sterling silver and enamel coffee spoons, with seal top finials. The gilding is a deep yellow colour, which provides a lovely contrast to the enamel. The back of the spoon bowls are beautifully decorated with fan shaped guilloche enamel, in 6 different bold colours (green, red, yellow, purple and light and dark blue). Guilloche enamel is a technique where a precise pattern is engraved on the silver base using a rose engine lathe, also called engine turning. The hallmarks on all 6 spoons are clear, including makers mark SLd for William Suckling Ltd, who worked between 1922 and 1955.

A stylish set of six sterling silver coffee spoons, with an unusual but attractive shell design, we have not encountered this design before. The spoons are perfectly preserved in their original box, the box reads "James Dixon & Sons, Sheffield, Made in England", we assume the retailer. All 6 spoons are clearly hallmarked. Atkin Brothers was a well known firm founded by Henry Atkin in 1851, it survived over 100 years until it was acquired by C.J. Vander in 1958.

Two interesting 19th century Spanish silver tablespoons, both with excellent hallmarks. Both spoons are 930 grade, so slightly higher grade than sterling (925). Both spoons are the same pattern, similar to Old English, but with a Continental flavour. The bowls have pronounced tips, no drops are present and the stems are flattened with an elegant oval stem. Both spoons have contemporary engraved initials, JL and I with lots of flourishes. Both spoons have 3 distinct hallmarks, denoting town, maker and assay master. The Barcelona spoon has town mark BAR under Maltese Cross in a domate punch, this mark was used circa 1825 (courtesy of Spanish silver website www.munozarce.com). The assay masters mark is P.FLORENSA, with P.FLO above RENSA. The makers mark is JA CARRERAS for Jacint Carreras. The Palma spoon has town mark M under palm tree in Loboid punch for Palma de Mallorca, this mark was used on large items in the 19th century (Tardy pg 108). The second mark is assay master A FORTEZA, the third mark is maker J M...

A set of 6 Irish silver dessert spoons, in the Fiddle pattern with rat-tails, a feature of Irish flatware of the period. The spoons have original owners engraved initials WMH. The hallmarks on all 6 are excellent, and include makers mark IB for James Brady, who worked between 1821 and 1842. The spoons also have the retailer's mark, NEILL, which is very clear on all the spoons. Irish retailers were among the first to mark flatware, early adopters of corporate branding. NEILL was a leading Belfast retailer, first established by Robert Neill in 1803, the firm survived until 1960.

A set of 2 Cape silver Fiddle pattern tablespoons, by a lesser known Cape silversmith whose work does not appear very often. The spoons are a slightly different length (being handmade) and have similar but different hallmarks, so they were probably made at different times. Both have makers mark DC in between two floral or star devices, but both the makers mark and devices have differences, indicating they were struck by different punches. One DC makers mark has separate DC, the other DC appears to be cojoined. The floral or star device was used by a number of Cape silversmiths, including Beets, Hockly, Lotter, Townsend, Twentyman and Vos. The makers mark DC between 2 stars is depicted in Heller's Cape Silver Vol 2 (pg 122), where it is shown as mark NMM15.

A rare pair of Chinese Export silver Fiddle pattern tablespoons, with a good set of pseudo-English hallmarks. The hallmarks include pseudo sterling lion, pseudo crowned leopard's head, makers mark YS and pseudo Georgian duty mark. One spoon has excellent marks, with good detail, the other spoon marks are still good, but have some wear. Chinese Export silver is "stylistically Anglo-American, of the late Georgian period, of fine workmanship and exceptionally heavy weight" - (Kernan, China Trade Silver - Checklists for Collectors Nov 1965) - these spoons are no exception. The website www.chineseexportsilver.com also notes that "Yatshing silver is always of a high standard".

A Cape silver Fiddle pattern tablespoon, with a set of extremely rare Cape silver hallmarks. The hallmarks include makers mark LT, and pseudo marks that include date letter A, lyre and duty mark. These marks are shown by Welz in his book Cape Silver (mark 144, page 156), they are also shown by David Heller in his book History of Cape Silver (mark MM84, page 156). The makers mark, A and lyre mark are well struck and very clear, the duty mark is worn at the top. The date letter A is quite distinctive, with one arm much thicker than the other.

A lovely Georg Jensen sterling silver cream or gravy ladle in the Lily of the Valley (Liljekonal) pattern, with London import marks for 1928. The ladle has a double lip for pouring, and the simple but elegant pattern is struck on both sides. The Lily of the Valley (sometimes called Rose pattern), was designed by Jensen himself and introduced in 1913, it "features a garland that traces the tapering end of the handle, inspired by natural forms". - Georg Jensen, A Tradition of Splendid Silver, Janet Drucker, page 267 - a book we highly recommend. The ladle is clearly hallmarked, makers mark GJ in beaded circle, below 925. The ladle also has clear London hallmarks, with GS for George Stockwell & Co, who imported Jensen silver into London from 1909 - 1931.

A set of six Australian sterling silver souvenir spoons, made by W.J Sanders and retailed by Hardy Bros Ltd. The spoons are coffee spoon size, and have cast finials, 2 kangaroo, 2 koala and 2 kookaburra. The spoons have an attractive cross hatch design to the lower stems, overall they have a lovely arts and crafts feel, we believe they were made by hand. An identical spoon with Koala finial can be seen in the MAAS museum collection, it was part of the Cavill collection. The spoons are all clearly hallmarked with retailers mark "HBrs" for Hardy Brothers, and STG sterling mark. This mark can be seen in the book "Marks on Australian Silver 1950-2005" by Christine Erratt, page 100, which explains this mark was used by WJ Sanders manufacturing for Hardy. The original box reads "By Appointment to her Majesty the Queen, Silversmiths, Hardy Bros Ltd, Jewellers, Australia, Made in England".WJ Sanders was a Birmingham based silversmith who emigrated to Australia in 1911, his business became one of Sydney's leading man...

A rare Cape silver mustard spoon, in the Fiddle pattern with gilded bowl, and excellent hallmarks. The spoon has original engraved owners initials "J&MB". This is a lovely, well made spoon, and has pleasing proportions. The hallmarks include makers mark JT in damaged punch (Welz mark 123), and 4 pseudo marks (Georgian duty, lion passant, date letter a and tree mark). Heller does record Cape made salt and mustard spoons, and depicts 6 salt spoons in his book "History of Cape Silver" (pg 202, plate 67). Cape mustard spoons appear to be be much rarer than salt spoons, none are photographed in the literature. We now know of 4 known examples, S 1818 (sold) and a pair (S 1971), in addition to this one.

A set of three Georg Jensen serving implements in the Old Danish # 100 pattern (Dobbelt Triflet) pattern, including serving spoon, gravy ladle and meat fork. The pattern has "undulating outlines and a pair of incised parallel lines, square bowls, the overall proportions are reminiscent of much earlier flatware designs, as the name Old Danish implies" Georg Jensen, A Tradition of Splendid Silver, page 269). The serving spoon is medium sized, the gravy ladle has a deep bowl, and the elegant meat fork has 2 tines. All 3 items are clearly hallmarked "Georg Jensen Sterling Denmark", the mark used after 1945. The Old Danish pattern was designed in 1947 by Harald Nielsen, the Artistic Director who took over from Jensen on his death, "his flatware designs Pyramid and Old Danish remain Jensen favorites (page 57 book above).

A British Bulldog Club antique sterling silver trophy spoon, which is in excellent condition. The spoon features a well modelled bulldog head, above legend "THE BRITISH BULLDOG CLUB". The spoon is based on a single struck Kings pattern, but was specially commissioned by the club who wanted to present a more useful trophy than a medal. The club was established in 1892, and still operates today (although I doubt they still have such beautiful silver spoon trophies!). The hallmarks are clear, this spoon was made in Birmingham in 1906 by J A Restall & Co, who worked between 1881 and 1934.

An interesting coin silver American Fiddle pattern tablespoon, made by Samuel Kirk in 1822. The spoon has original owners script initials JMC. The spoon has 4 hallmarks, makers mark S.Kirk in script in rectangular punch for Samuel Kirk, Baltimore Coat of Arms shield mark in clipped corner rectangle (quality mark), date letter F for 1822 and Head of Liberty mark. This dates to a very interesting period in US silver history, Baltimore between 1814 and 1830 was the only place and date where hallmarks were required on silver in the USA. The State Legislature of Maryland passed the Assay Act of 1814, which set the quality standard at 917, the Act was repealed in 1830 due to opposition by the affected silversmiths, including Kirk, who petitioned for its repeal. Thomas Warner was the Baltimore Assayer between 1814 and 1823, so he would have struck these marks. Samuel Kirk began working as a silversmith 1815, he founded the very successful firm of S. Kirk & Sons in 1846, it became the oldest surviving silversmithing ...

A lovely Art Deco Norwegian silver spoon, made to commemorate the unveiling of the Mor Og Barn (Mother and Child) statue in Sandefjord. The spoon has an embossed copy of the statue, a naked mother holding her baby in front of her, standing on a plinth. The rounded bowl has a stunning embossed view of Sandefjord, the detail is exquisite, complete with boats in the harbour, church steeples, houses and trees, with "SANDEFJORD" underneath. The Art Deco look and feel of the spoon is completed with the 8 pillars at the top of the handle. The hallmarks include silver mark 830S (830 grade silver) and makers mark of a goblet in an oval punch for Thorvald Marthinsen of Tonsberg. The original bronze statue is by Norwegian sculptor Arne Durban (1912-1994), who was known for his naturalistic work, his work is featured in over 30 Norwegian towns. It was unveiled on 17 May 1950 (Norwegian Constitution Day), which celebrates Norway becoming an independent kingdom in 1814. This spoon has been described by the website www.spoo...

A very interesting Norwegian silver Liberation spoon, made to commemorate the liberation of Norway from German occupation at the end of the Second World War. The spoon has a stylised well built male in Art Deco style with arms aloft holding a circular shield, with the Norwegian crown on a radiating 4 leaf clover, the figure has broken the chains of oppression which connect with the bowl. The circular bowl is embossed "NORGE 1945, BRUTT BLEV LENKER BAND OG TVANG", translated "Broken were chains, ties and constraints", a line taken from Ibsen's Peer Gynt. The back of the spoon is plain, and the hallmarks are clear - makers mark NM, 830.S (830 grade silver), goblet (makers symbol), letter N and MADE IN NORWAY. This particular spoon was made in two different sizes, this is the larger (and rarer) version, suitable for use as a serving spoon. Thorvald Marthinsen Solvvarefabrikk was based in Tonsberg. Note - we also have the smaller version of this spoon, S11410.

A rare arts and crafts silver spoon, possibly a jam spoon, made for the iconic Liberty's department store in London. The spoon is very unusual, with a design and decoration we have not seen before. The spoon is hand made, and has a very heavy gauge, this is a lovely spoon to hold and use. The spoon has a "knob" on the stem, which adds to the attractiveness but which also has a practical use in increasing the grip. The engraved decoration is very simple floral design, the circles have been punched in. The small circles, both on the handle and in the bowl, were used to simulate rivets. The hallmarks are very clear, the L&Co makers mark in diamond punch is clear but slightly worn. The spoon also has it's own unique design number, 2339, perhaps some-one with access to the Liberty archives will be able to do further research. It is also interesting to note that this spoon was made early on during the First World War, before production was diverted to the war effort. Liberty used his shop to showcase the work of le...