Set of 3 gilt spoons (caddy, sugar sifter and jam) with exquisite decoration in the style of the Aesthetic Movement. This movement flourished in the period 1865 - 1885, after the International Exhibition in London led to a an interest in Japanese decorative arts. The decoration consists of abstract patterns of bamboos, birds and butterflies. Original silk lined box, and very clear hallmarks.

Beautiful set of 6 classic Art Deco teaspoons, made by the highly regarded firm of Elkington. The spoons were made early in the Second World War, before production was halted in favour of the war effort. The hallmarks are clear on all 6 spoons.

A rare Dryad Metal Works Arts & Crafts silver jam spoon, made by Collins & Co, the Art metal workers of Dryad Works, Thornton Lane, Leicester, in 1915. The spoon has a stylized Arts & Crafts tree with 7 leaves on a hand hammered background, and also has a rat-tail, the join of stem and bowl is also quite unusual, but has a lovely shape. The spoon is stamped DRYAD with an interesting font (note capital A), alongside the Birmingham hallmarks for 1915 and makers mark for Collins & Co. Dryad, which is a female wood nymph from Greek mythology, was formed in 1906 by Harry Peach and Benjamin Fletcher (head of Leicester School of Arts), it initially produced cane furniture, but branched out to other Arts & Crafts. Dryad Metal Works was established in 1915 when William Pick (of Collins & Co), and a former pupil, joined Harry Peach in partnership. The Collins and Co. mark was used between 1915 and 1919, although it is unlikely much was produced during the Great War of 1914-1918. We believe this spoon is one of the ear...

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 Canadian silver Fiddle pattern teaspoon, with an unusual gilded spoon bowl (gilded back and front of bowl), possibly for use as an egg spoon. The spoon has 2 interesting family crests, a raised fist holding a dagger and an envelope between 2 feathered wings, these are both very clear. The hallmarks are excellent, and include makers mark "SAVAGE.LYMAN & Co", pseudo Lion Rampant in circular punch, and pseudo duty mark in rectangular punch with canted corners. Joseph Savage and Theodore Lyman operated from Notre Dame Street, Montreal, between 1868 and 1879 when they were declared bankrupt. Their turnover suffered a major decline from $ 300000 to $ 90000 after the British Imperial forces were withdrawn from Montreal in 1870, so they must have catered to English clients. The firm was founded in 1818 by George Savage, who originally arrived in Canada as a soldier with Royal Welsh Fusiliers (Canadian silversmiths 1700-1900, John Langdon, pg 125, a book we highly recommend). Henry Birks, who founded the prestigious...

A rare Cape silver marrow scoop, in the Fiddle pattern, by Willam Moore, who worked in the Cape between 1840 and 1863. The scoop is the traditional design, with 2 differently sized scoops at either end, used for eating bone marrow, a "popular delicacy at the Cape" (Welz, Cape Silver and Silversmiths, pg 76, where a similar fiddle pattern scoop by Moore is depicted, but in much worse condition than this one.) The scoop is in excellent condition, no dents, scratches or repairs, it does not appear to have seen much use. The Cape hallmarks are very clear, and include makers mark WM and the Cape Stub mark (see article in our articles section) of 4 pseudo English hallmarks struck in a stub (Welz mark 101). A very similar Cape silver marrow scoop by Willam Moore, but with makers mark struck the other way, can be seen on the Steppes Hill website (http://www.steppeshillfarmantiques.com/silver-and-porcelain/d/rare-19th-century-cape-silver-marrow-scoop/98455/216995).

An interesting Cape silver tablespoon, that appears more Continental than Cape in style. It is Fiddle pattern, but without the shoulders seen in English Fiddle pattern, and the drop has a wide oval shape, another Continental silver feature. The spoon has a single hallmark, makers mark DC, well struck but by quite a crude, home made punch, with flaws in both letters. This punch is a different one from the one depicted in Welz (Cape Silver, pg 146, mark 21), but has been noted on other Cape Silver, so we are confident it is by Collinet (no other Cape silversmiths have initial DC). Collinet was born in Liege, Belgium, he worked in the Cape between 1810 and 1825. We assume he made this spoon early in his career, certainly before 1820 when a number of English silversmiths arrived in the Cape and dictated the style of silver.

An interesting antique military silver trophy spoon, awarded by the NRA (National Rifle Association) of Britain as a shooting trophy. The spoon has a NRA medallion set into it, with a scroll engraved "NRA" above the English Coat of Arms, complete with motto's "Dieu et Mon Droit" and "Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense" above an enamelled badge with 2 running antelope. The spoon is substantial and very good quality, with scrolls surrounding the coat of arms, and a leaf pattern on the stem. The back of the spoon is engraved "Emma Thresh Trophy 1921". The Emma Thresh Trophy belongs to the Natal Carbineers, South Africa's senior regiment. The trophy itself is 16 kilograms of silver, and was donated in 1903 by Emma Thresh, as the shooting trophy for Colonial Forces. The spoon also has a registration number, RD444590, which appears twice on the spoon.

A rare Cape silver Kings pattern (with diamond point} dessert spoon, by Fredrik Waldek. The spoon has original engraved initials HMC, and is very good quality and gauge, as is usual for Cape Kings pattern silver, very suitable for use. The hallmarks include makers mark FW with the Cape Stub mark (see article in our articles section) of 4 pseudo English hallmarks struck in a stub (Welz mark 165). Fredrik Waldek was also a chronometer, clock maker and jeweller. Heller (History of Cape Silver) commended Waldek for "excellent workmanship", this spoon is no exception. Only Waldek and Twentyman produced Kings pattern in the Cape.

A pair of Cape silver teaspoons in the Fiddle pattern, with excellent hallmarks. The spoons also have a very faint and crudely scratched owners initial S on the back above the hallmarks, barely visible. The individually struck hallmarks include makers mark JT for John Townsend, pseudo duty mark, pseudo date letter a, pseudo leopards head town mark and pseudo date letter J (Welz mark 122, but struck in a different order). John Townsend (1800-1875) was an interesting character, descibed by Heller as one of the top 5 Cape silversmiths. He arrived in the Cape in 1821 on the ship Duke of Marlboro, and was involved in a number of businesses, including a hotel and auctioneering business, in addition to being goldsmith, silversmith, jeweller and watchmaker. He was embroiled in a number of court cases, mostly due to bad debt, in 1849 he stated "insufficient means to support his 10 children". He moved to Okiep in Namaqualand in 1852 as Manager of Spektakel Copper Mine, but was insolvent by 1868. He died in 1875, and is...

A good set of early Old English tablespoons, with narrow elegant handles characteristic of the earlier Old English pattern. These spoons also have the initial B, and very clear hallmarks. These spoons all have the rare incuse duty mark (George III looking left), which was only in use for 18 months. As can be seen from the photographs, these marks are well struck and remain crisp, with no wear. George Smith was a prolific spoonmaker, this period predates his partnership with William Fearn (1786), the firm later became Eley and Fearn.

A set of 13 sterling silver Apostle spoons, as follows: The Master, St. Peter, St. John, St. Matthew, St. Andrew, St. Philip, St. Jude, St. James the Greater, St. James the Less, St. Matthias, St. Simon, St. Thomas, and St. Bartholomew. The Apostles are well modeled, with lovely detail, as can be seen from the photographs. For example, St. Peter has keys, St. Simon a saw, St Andrew a cross, St. Jude an axe, and St. James a staff and bible. The spoons are from a set (no 97), issued by The Heritage Collection in 1978, limited to 1000 sets. The hallmarks are clear, and include maker mark CM (Cape Mint, part of the Pagliari Group), STG for Sterling silver, antelope head for South Africa, and date letter E for 1978. All the spoons have the Apostle's name engraved on the stem, and the set number 97. They come complete with original signed certificate. The original solid wooden box is also available, this is large and heavy (1.5 kilograms), so will require extra postage if required. Note - We now have another set a...

Unusual set of 6 Arts and Crafts coffee spoons, made by Liberty, each set with different semi precious stones - malachite, amethyst, sodalite, turquoise, garnet and a green stone we cannot identify. The spoons are still in their original box, showing they were retailed by Mappin and Webb, Regent St, London. The spoons were made the year after Liberty closed their Cymric business (1901 - 1926), which was a partnership with William Haseler. The hallmarks are very clear on all spoons.

A Charles I silver seal top communion spoon, which has holes in the bowl for straining communion wine. The seal top has the original initials "C over A=L", which is quite crudely engraved. The baluster seal top has traces of gilding, and is attached with a V-shaped joint, as is usual with London spoons. The hexagonal stem is tapered, joined to the bowl with a small rat tail. The fig shaped bowl is quite deep, and has been punched with holes in 3 concentric circles. The bowl is struck with the crowned leopard's head, the crown is clear, but the face is worn. The 3 hallmarks on the stem are clear, and include sterling lion, date letter B for 1639 and maker's mark D enclosing C for Daniel Cary. Cary was a prolific spoon maker. He worked between 1604 and 1639, he died in 1641. Cary is one of the "First Fifteen London spoon makers 1580 - 1697" As identified by Tim Kent in his book "London Silver Spoonmakers", which we highly recommend. Steven Venables, another notes spoon maker, was one of Cary's appren...

A rare Cape silver salt spoon, in the Fiddle pattern, struck twice with a makers mark not depicted in any of the Cape silver reference books (although Ince is recorded in both Morrison and Welz). The spoon is struck twice with makers mark INCE, which is very distinct. The spoon is quite crudely made, slightly out of shape, it appears hand made in primitive conditions, it has a strong Colonial feel. The makers mark INCE is recorded by Turner as unascribed Scottish Provincial (Directory of Scottish Provincial Silversmiths, pg 84). It was also recorded as "unascribed Scottish" by Jackson (2nd edition, pg 557, on a tablespoon circa 1770, owned by The Marquess of Breadalbane) - this had been corrected by the third edition. We believe that the possible Scottish attribution is incorrect, and should be corrected to Cape. A number of other Cape silver items made by Joseph Ince are known, including 3 items in the Mullne collection, now in a museum in Pretoria, all struck twice with INCE. In addition, a South Africa...

A rare Scottish provincial soup ladle, made by John Heron in Greenock. The ladle is the attractive Celtic Pointed pattern (Old English pointed, Pickford, Silver Flatware, pg 96), which was only made in Scotland and Ireland. The ladle has original engraved initial E, in traditional Scottish style. This is a large, substantial and heavy ladle, with a generous circular bowl, a pleasure to use. The hallmarks are excellent, very clear, just a portion on the right of the sailing ship not visible, it was not well struck on that side. The hallmarks include makers mark JH, anchor, 3 masted sailing ship complete with sails, rigging and flying pennants, initial C and oak tree (Turner, Directory of Scottish Provincial Silversmiths, pg 68, and Jackson pg 605. The anchor and sailing ship relate to Greenock's history as an important port and shipbuilding centre, the oak tree refers to the town's original name (Green Oak).

A very interesting and beautiful German silver spoon made by J. F. Nicolassen in Hamburg, Germany, circa 1820. The spoon is well made and has lovely decoration, it has a deep fig shaped bowl, connected to the stem with a rat-tail. The handle is most unusual, with irregular scrolls finely engraved with a leaf pattern, with a tight scroll at both ends. This has been termed the auricular style (resembling ear lobe or conch shell) or lobate style, it originated from German Mannerism in the early 17th century, later adopted by the famous van Vianen Dutch silversmiths (Newman, Illustrated Dictionary of Silverware, pg 28, a book we highly recommend). This style was adopted by a few 17th century German and Dutch silver spoonmakers, but these spoons are rare today (see S 1181, Dutch silver Memorial spoon and fork set, for a similar example). This spoon is a 19th century replica of this earlier style, but still we believe a rare item, we cannot recall seeing similar examples. The hallmarks are very clear, and include t...

A rare pair of Cape Silver lemoen lepels (orange spoons), with an interesting provenance, they featured in the book Cape Silver and Silversmiths by Stephan Welz, pg 93. The spoons are the traditional lemoen lepel shape, with narrow, pointed boat shaped bowl, and triangular terminal, and Cape prick engraving. The spoons have a very elegant shape, the bowls deep and curved, the drop is distinctly v shaped, they have a lovely feel in the hand. Both spoons are clearly hallmarked with makers mark IL in rectangular punch for Jan Lotter, and also are punched with initials HB, we assume the original owner. Welz describes orange spoons as"probably the most attractive type of spoon made at the Cape, derived from Dutch spoons", pg 95. He also notes that all known examples are by Cape born silversmiths of the early 19th century (so not made by the more prolific English immigrants who arrived after 1815). Jan Lotter, who died young after a short career (1813-1817), was part of the Lotter family of Cape silversmiths, he ma...

A rare pair of Cape silver teaspoons in the Fiddle pattern, with excellent hallmarks. They include the rare Masonic "Square and Compasses" symbol, the single most identifiable symbol in Freemasonry. This hallmark is very well struck on both spoons. The other hallmarks include makers mark TT for Thomas Lock Townsend (struck twice), and pseudo Georgian duty mark (Kings head) - see Welz, Cape Silver, mark 126. Thomas Lock Townsend arrived in the Cape in 1815, the first of the English silversmiths to arrive. He was followed in 1819 by his half brother John Townsend, who joined him in a brief partnership between 1824 and 1825. Thomas Lock Townsend found business difficult in the Cape, he was declared insolvent in 1819, and when he died in 1849 left insufficient estate to cover his funeral costs. Besides being registered as Goldsmith and Jeweller, he practised as mechanical dentist, lodging house keeper, and had an equipment store and fitting out warehouse (Welz, pg 141) We are selling these 2 spoons individually...

An early Cape silver Hanoverian pattern soup ladle, by Daniel Heinrich Schmidt, described as the greatest of Cape silversmiths by David Heller (History of Cape Silver). The ladle is a very pleasing gauge, very heavy to hold, and has a long drop. It also has the central Hanoverian rib on the front, and a strong turn up. The ladle is hallmarked with makers mark DHS, which is clear, but struck by a worn punch (mark 174 in Welz, described as unknown by Welz, but now known to be Schmidt's mark). Schmidt had a long career (1768-1811), his makers mark punch must have become worn over time. The second hallmark is larger and circular, but worn, probably the bunch of grapes hallmark often used by Schmidt. the third mark nearby does not appear to be a hallmark, but an imperfection in the silver.