An interesting 17th century style silver notched 2 pronged fork and matching spoon, the fork a replica of the earliest known English table fork. Both are faithful replicas of the puritan style, with 3 notches at the top of the flat stem. Both carry 2 family crests, the top a griffiths head and wings, the Montagu family crest, the second is a peacock in pride, the crest of John Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland of Haddon Hall, the owner of the original fork. This fork, made in 1632, is known as the Manners Fork, and is in the V&A museum in London. Frances Montagu was the wife of John Manners. The hallmarks are exceptionally well struck, they could not be better. They include makers mark "GOF Lo under star" for George Lowe & Son of Bridge Street, Chester, who date back to 1770 and who still trade today. They also include the Chester wheat sheaf town mark (struck in the spoon bowl as is usual for 17th century spoons), date letter and lion passant. The original box, marked "Lowe & Sons, Silversmiths, Bridge St Row, Ch...

A lovely set of 6 single struck Kings pattern with shoulders (Kings Front French Shoulder, Pickford, Silver Flatware, pg 123) Newcastle silver teaspoons. The spoons are the larger size teaspoons, and have a good gauge, over 20 grammes each, these are pleasing quality. Single struck flatware is usually found in Scotland, it is unusual in England, where the patterns were usually double struck (pattern on both sides) The hallmarks on all 6 teaspoons are excellent, and include makers mark TS for Thomas Sewell I, who worked between 1846 and 1875. They include an additional 5 hallmarks, uncrowned Victoria duty mark, lion passant, three castle town mark, leopards head uncrowned, and date letter I in circular punch for 1847. It is clear the date letter and makers mark were struck individually, the other 4 marks struck together in a stub (the date letter punch overlaps slightly on 2 spoons). These are interesting hallmarks, the uncrowned leopards head was only used for 5 years between 1846 and 1850, when it reverted b...

A Cape silver basting (or serving) spoon in the Fiddle pattern, by Willem Godfried Lotter, one of the members of the famous Lotter family of Cape silversmiths. The spoon is engraved with initials CIT in fancy script, this is original. This is a good solid spoon, very suitable for use, the bowl is a good gauge and the tip is excellent. The hallmarks are clear, and consist of makers mark WGL between 2 diamond devices (actually square with a cross in the middle), mark 89 in Cape Silver by Stephan Welz. Willem Lotter worked between 1810 and 1835, his work is represented in the Paarl musuem. David Heller (History of Cape Silver) regarded Lotter as one of the top Cape silversmiths.

An interesting sterling silver replica of a Charles II trifid or lace back spoon, circa 1680. The stem is notched and decorated in traditional style, as is the back of the bowl, complete with rat-tail. The spoon is teaspoon sized, and very good quality, quite heavy to hold. The spoon is in it's original Mappin & Webb box, complete with Royal appointments to the Queen and Prince of Wales on the lid interior. The spoon also has it's original card, describing the origin of the spoon, it's decoration and an explanation of the hallmarks, making it an ideal Christening present.

A delightful antique silver Christening present, a child's feeding spoon decorated with a scene from J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, depicting Captain Hook, complete with hook and pistol, running away from the crocodile, with the Jolly Roger pirate ship in the background. The handle, which forms a circle (traditional baby feeding spoon), is also decorated with Peter Pan playing his flute, and 2 scenes with rabbits. The detail is lovely, as can be seen in the photos. The hallmarks are very clear, and include a registration number "Rd No 611912", indicating the design was registered to prevent copying by other firms. Levi & Salaman was established in 1870, and was merged into Barker Brothers in 1921 (Culme, Directory Gold and Silversmiths). They were highly regarded, particularly for good quality souvenir spoons. They made a number of variations of these nursery rhyme spoons, including "this little pig (S 1535) and "hey diddle diddle (S120) featured on our website. They also made a "little miss muffet" version.

A Cape silver salt spoon, in the Fiddle pattern, with original gilded bowl, and original owners initials TB. The original gilding is a light lemon colour, worn and scratched from use, but still clearly visible and quite charming. The hallmarks are clear, and include makers mark PD for Peter Clarke Daniel, alongside pseudo hallmarks date letter B in indented punch and Georgian duty mark (Welz mark 42, page 148, Cape Silver). Peter Clarke Daniel was born in Dublin, he arrived in the Cape with the 1820 settlers as a child.

A matching set of crested Georgian silver flatware, including 12 tablespoons, 2 sauce ladles, 2 saltspoons and butterknife, all of very good gauge and quality. The pattern is Fiddle and Thread, and all pieces have an interesting double crest, indicating a marriage between 2 noble families. The first crest is of a head and shoulders of a bearded man with unruly hair, the second a raised fist holding a halbeard. The saltspoons have gilded bowls to prevent corrosion. The butterknife is a later addition to the set (made in 1895), and only has the bearded man crest. The makers mark on the butterknife has been removed, possibly to allow the retailer to overstamp. Chawner was a prolific spoonmaker, he ran a large workshop of journeymen, whose individual marks can be seen on the spoons (devices include stars, bars, circles and triangles).

A rare Philadelphia coin silver teaspoon, in the American Fiddle pattern, made by John Townsend. The spoon has original owners script initials engraved on both sides, ALH on the front and AH on the back. The makers mark J.TOWNSEND in rectangular punch is clearly struck, this is a rare makers mark, not illustrated in the book "Philadelphia Silversmiths and related Artisans to 1861", by Catherine Hollan, which has over 3800 entries. The punch itself is interesting, the letters are not quite properly aligned, with the E lower than the S, so perhaps the punch itself was home made. John Townsend was born in 1789 in Pennsylvania, he was listed as a jeweller, clockmaker and watchmaker, he worked between 1811 and 1860. His son John K Townsend was born in 1809, he practised as a watchmaker and dentist, first in Philadelphia and later in Washington. Philadelphia was the largest silver market in the USA between 1760 and 1820. Our interest in this particular spoon is that Townsend shares a name with Cape Silversmith John...

A mixed set of 6 Cape silver dessert spoons, all in the Fiddle pattern. 2 spoons have original owners engraved initials (HR and WFS), one has the very faint remains of a family crest and engraved initial B, and 3 have no initials or crests. All 6 spoons have very clear Cape silver hallmarks, with no wear, showing quite a lot of different pseudo hallmarks used by Cape silversmiths, so an interesting collection. The first spoon is by Peter Clarke Daniel (PD, pseudo duty, pseudo date letter B, mark 42 in Welz), Daniel was born in Dublin but arrived in South Africa with the 1820 settlers as a child. The second is by John Townsend (JT, pseudo duty mark, date letter a, lion passant and duty mark, mark 123 in Welz). The next 2 are by William Moore (WM, Cape stub mark, Welz mark 100, one spoon also has an incuse D mark, either a journeyman or owners mark). The last 2 are by Lawrence Twentyman but with different hallmarks and made at different times (the Fiddle pattern noticeably different on these 2 spoons). The firs...

A lovely set of replica lace back trefid coffee spoons, perfectly preserved on original box, they do not appear to have been used. They are decorated in traditional style, both on the front of the stems and back of the bowls. The rat-tail is ribbed, the floral scrolls in relief are elaborate, with the pattern on the front matching the lace back back of bowl. The spoons ends also have the traditional notched pattern. All 6 spoons also have clear hallmarks, with FH makers mark for Francis Howard Ltd, who worked between 1900 and 2012. They are in their original box marked "H Perovetz Ltd, 51 Chancery Lane, London WC 2", Perovetz were leading London silver dealers until 1995. The set is also accompanied with its original explanatory card, "Sterling silver Charles II Trifid Lace Back spoon c1680", with notes on the spoon history, description, and explanation of all the hallmarks.

A set of 8 Fiddle pattern Russian silver teaspoons, with engraved contempory initial W, by the famous maker Sazikov. The spoons are of exceptional quality, and are in excellent condition, with perfectly preserved tips, and no scratches or dents at all. Sazikov was founded in 1793 by Pavel Sazikov, they received the Imperial warrant in 1846, meaning they were one of a few select firms chosen to supply the Russian Imperial family. All 8 teaspoons carry the Imperial Warrant double headed eagle hallmark, which is well struck. Sazikov produced very high quality silver until the Russian revolution of 1917, the firm being run first by Pavel's son Ignaty, later by Ignaty's sons Pavel and Sergei (Watts, Russian Silversmiths Hallmarks, pg 27). The hallmarks are very clear, and in addition to the Imperial eagle include Sazikov makers mark in Cyrillic, assay masters mark B.C. for Victor Savinkov, date letter 1862, standard mark 84 (zolotniks) and city mark for Moscow (St George killing dragon).

A Cape silver Basting spoon in the Fiddle pattern, with original owners engraved initials LIA in script. The spoon is a pleasing weight, and is in excellent condition, this spoon has not seen much use at all. The tip of the bowl has a strong lip, this is more a Continental than English feature, and the long rounded drop is also more Continental in style than English. The hallmarks are excellent, makers mark JT and 3 English pseudo hallmarks, duty mark, date letter a and leopards head town mark (Welz mark 121, Cape Silver). 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 Nam...

A rare pair of Cape silver mustard spoons, in the Fiddle pattern with gilded bowls, with pseudo English hallmarks. The hallmarks include makers mark JT in damaged punch (Welz mark 123), and 4 pseudo marks (Georgian duty, date letter a, leopards head and date letter J, Welz mark 122, page 153). One spoon has excellent hallmarks, the second has good hallmarks, some slight wear. 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 known in any of the Cape silver reference books. We have sold a similar Cape mustard spoon by Townsend, (but slighty longer and different combination of pseudo marks), see S 1818.

A Cape silver salt spoon in the Fiddle pattern, with original gilding to the spoon bowl. The gilding is a lemony colour, and quite well preserved, some scratches from use. The hallmarks are very clear, Welz mark 121, 3 pseudo English marks (duty, date letter a and lions head town mark) are individually struck. The makers mark JT looks like it has been double struck, this is still clear. 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 buried in the Springbok cemetery....

A rare Dutch silver Hanoverian tablespoon (porridge spoon) made by Hendricus Johannes Wolterbeek in Nijmegen in 1770. The spoon has the usual central Hanoverian rib with strong turn-up, and a very wide circular drop, and a larger bowl than is usually seen. The spoon has an original engraved family crest of a well engraved crown above a stylised X, with flowing scrolls, this is on the back of the spoon, when spoons were displayed bowl down. The spoon's main delight are it's well struck and very clear hallmarks, including makers mark of crowned tree in irregular shaped punch for Hendricus Wolterbeek (1730-1805, he worked between 1755 and 1788). The second mark is a crowned double headed eagle city mark for Nijmegen, the third is a intricately crowned N 1st Standard (Grote keur, sterling 925 standard) mark for Nijmegen, the last mark is a crowned O date letter for 1770.

An interesting pair of cast silver acorn spoons, very good quality, with lovely naturalistic detail. The spoons have cast acorn bowls, the bowls are quite deep, the stems are modelled as a textured branch with nodes of baby acorns, the finial is also an acorn between 2 leaves. With the texture these spoons are pleasing to hold, they could be used for condiments, they could also be used as coffee spoons (although they are quite long). The hallmarks on both spoons are very clear, including makers mark G.W in diamond punch for Graham Watling. Watling began his career as a Royal Marine Commando, then moved to teaching Arts & Crafts, before becoming a silversmith around 1970, based in the National Trust village of Lacock in Wiltshire. He died in 1996, his children have continued the business in Lacock (www.watlings.com). Watling is represented by no less than 8 pieces in the Pearson Collection of post war British silver (www.pearsonsilvercollection.com), a testament of his ability. Watling features in the newly pu...

Lovely Colonial condiment spoon, complete with pseudo English hallmarks, which are clear, and engraved initials WJ. Condiment spoons are a similar size to English saltspoons, but the bowl is at right angles to the spoon stem, similar to English cream or sauce ladles. This spoon also has a half moon tally mark, which identified the indigenenous workman who finished the piece (see Wynyard Wilkinson's book on Indian Colonial Silver). The Lattey Brothers worked from 10 Government Street in Calcutta.

An extremely rare Cape silver dessert spoon in the Fiddle Thread without Shoulders pattern, to our knowledge Cape silver in this pattern is unknown, we have not encountered it before and cannot find an example in any of the known literature. The spoon is double struck (pattern on both sides), and has a single thread, but notably without the usual shoulder where the bowl joins the handle. The spoon also has a long drop, slightly different from it's matching partner, showing this spoon was hand made. The spoon is lovely quality, a pleasing weight, and in excellent condition. The hallmarks are excellent, a variant of mark 138 in Welz, Castle, date letter C, and Georgian duty mark, with makers mark LT, all well struck. We have a matching spoon, S 11120.

A rare Cape silver sauce ladle, in the Old English pattern, made by Johannes Combrink circa 1820. The ladle has a long drop, which given the date shows it's Colonial nature, and has nice proportions. It is engraved with an attractive family crest, a bent raised arm holding a dagger, this is very crisply engraved. The ladle has 2 makers marks, both clearly struck, (Welz mark 31). Johannes Combrink was born in the Cape in 1781, he married Aurelia Lotter in 1807 and died in 1853. He worked from Dorp Street.

A Cape silver sauce ladle in the Fiddle pattern, by Peter Clarke Daniel. The ladle has original owners engraved initials JEB, and has excellent hallmarks - makers mark PD, pseudo date letter B and pseudo duty mark with notable cusp (Welz mark 42, but struck in different order). Daniel was an Irish immigrant to the Cape, one of the original 1820 settlers. His father, who has the same name, was also a silversmith, he worked as a jeweller in Grahamstown.