A rare and lovely set of Fiddle pattern Cape silver tablespoons, by a rare maker whose work is seldom seen. The spoons are very good quality and weight, and are well preserved, these are substantial spoons. The drop is an unusual shape, has a colonial flavour. The hallmarks are excellent on all 4 spoons, makers mark JH in script and a device that looks like a bishops hat (mark 50 in Welz, Cape Silver). Heegers was born in the Cape in 1778, and worked between 1814 and 1830. In 1814-1816 he was recorded as a silversmith at 6 Roze street, and in 1829-1830 he was recorded as a silversmith in Graaff-Reinet, working with his brother Theodorus. A covered sugar bowl by Johannes Heegers is in the National Cultural History museum, depicted on pg 101 of Cape Silver by Welz.

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 117), 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 117. They come complete with original signed certificate and explanatory booklet, with information on all the apostles, origin and how they were made, also the original advertising letter. Note: We have sold a previous set...

A rare and interesting pair of Irish Georgian silver Bright Cut tablespoons, engraved "Wicklow Reg", for the 37th Wicklow Regiment, part of the Irish Militia. The spoons are Old English in shape, with the traditional "Dublin Star" engraved at the top above the oval cartouche with the regimental engraving, and traditional bright cut engraving. One spoon is in good condition with one small dent, the second has small pinhead dents to the bowl, overall quite pleasing for Regimental silver spoons which often are in poor condition. One spoon has excellent hallmarks, the second spoon has clear makers mark and date letter but worn Irish marks, still visible (spoon with good hallmarks has the dents to bowl). John Shiels (or Sheils) had a long career between 1762 and 1790, given these spoons are 1797is is possible a son took over his punches. 38 Regiments of Irish Militia were established in 1793 (one from each county) after the outbreak of war with France, to free regular soldiers up and to control the Irish rebellion...

A cast silver reproduction of the Lady in Crinoline caddy spoon, originally made by John Figg in 1844. The spoon depicts a lady in a crinoline dress carrying a parasol, the bowl is a matt chased rocaille shell. Being cast, this is an extremely heavy caddy spoon at 42 grammes, it is superb quality. The original is a highly important and extremely rare caddy spoon, it is depicted in John Norie's Caddy spoon book (plate 10) and also in the book "Investing in Silver" by Eric Delieb, pg 31, where it is pictured and described as "the superb little lady in the crinoline of the chinoiserie revival period". A similar spoon was part of the John Norie collection of caddy spoons, sold as lot 99, part 1 (Woolley & Wallis, April 2004). The hallmarks are clear. Note - The Society of Caddy Spoon Collectors (http://www.caddyspoonsociety.org) has just published a very interesting article about this caddy spoon in it's October 2020 bulletin, entitled "Lady in a Crinoline". It states that in "1967 a rogue silversmith chanced his...

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.

A fabulous pair of Rat-tail Hanoverian Pattern serving implements, consisting of a basting spoon and 3 pronged serving fork. These are modern reproductions of an 18th century design, but the quality is superb, they are a pleasure to hold and use. No engraving is present on either item. Both are clearly hallmarked with 5 hallmarks, these are large hallmarks and have been carefully placed, to be part of the overall design. The hallmarks include makers mark AHN in inverted heart punch for Anthony Haviland-Nye, he worked between 1968 and 2003, "specialising in high class 18th century reproduction silver" (source William Walter Antiques). The remaining marks include lion passant, London leopards head town mark and 925 sterling standard mark, note the hallmarks have been struck in a different order, and one 925 mark is struck at right angles. The last mark, which shows the bust of Queen Elizabeth wearing a crown looking right, in a dome topped punch, could be mistaken as a duty mark, but is actually the Golden Jubi...

A very worn late 17th century Lace Back Trefid spoon, of interest as is has some very rare features, so despite the poor condition of the spoon we have added it to our website. The spoon has a rounded terminal with no ears, sometimes called a spatula end, this is a feature of early Scottish trefid spoons, hence our tentative description as Scottish. The spoon has a reeded rat tail, the lace decoration on the front of the terminal is worn but distinct, the lace decoration on the back of the bowl is very worn, almost gone on one side of the bowl, with some features faintly visible on the other side. The spoon is engraved on the back with owners initials TK surrounded by arrows, this engraving is lovely. The front has another very faint set of scratched initials CS, also with arrow, only visible in strong light. The spoon has 3 partially struck or worn hallmarks, the first a crown above (leopard head?), the second possibly a date letter (C?), the third is just a squiggle. The book "Silver Spoons of Britain 1200...

Fabulous matching set of 24 spoons (table and dessert) with griffon crest. The tablespoons are large and heavy enough to use as serving spoons. Very clear hallmarks and crest on all 24 spoons.

A rare Cape silver basting spoon with exceptionally clear hallmarks, they could not be better. The spoon is Old English pattern, but more European than English in style, with a deep bowl and strong tip, it also has a double drop, and no engraving is present with no signs of removal, we think this spoon was never engraved. The spoon is hallmarked with a flower in oval punch, flanked by 2 makers mark IL, with an indent in the top of the punch, this is makers mark 74 in the book Cape Silver by Stephan Welz. Jan Lotter, who was regarded by Heller as "a highly skilled craftsman", only worked for 4 years between 1813 and 1817, so he probably died young. He made most of the prized Cape silver "lemoenlepels" (orange spoons) known to exist today. He worked from 22 Keerom Street.

A rare and interesting pair of Irish Georgian silver Bright Cut tablespoons, engraved "Wicklow Reg", for the 37th Wicklow Regiment, part of the Irish Militia. The spoons are Old English in shape, with the traditional "Dublin Star" engraved at the top above the oval cartouche with the regimental engraving, and traditional bright cut engraving. One spoon is in very good condition, the second has small dents to the bowl, overall quite pleasing for Regimental silver spoons which often are in poor condition. One spoon has excellent hallmarks, the second spoon has clear makers mark but worn Irish marks, still visible (spoon with good hallmarks has the dents to bowl). John Shiels (or Sheils) had a long career between 1762 and 1790, given these spoons are 1797 it is possible a son took over his punches. 38 Regiments of Irish Militia were established in 1793 (one from each county) after the outbreak of war with France, to free regular soldiers up and to control the Irish rebellion. The 37th Wicklow Regiment first saw ...

A set of six Cape silver teaspoons in the Fiddle pattern, by Daniel Beets. All 6 spoons have original owners engraved initials JMB. All 6 teaspoons are clearly hallmarked in the same way, with makers mark DB struck twice, alternating with a pseudo Lion passant standard mark, also struck twice. This is a rare combination of marks, not recorded in Cape Silver by Welz, where he shows Beets with star and circular devices, but not with the lion passant punch. Heller shows a Beets mark interspersed with pseudo kings head duty marks, also not shown in Welz, which shows Beets dis also occasionally use pseudo punches. Daniel Beets worked between 1812 and 1828, he was the illegitimate son of German Balthus Beets and Cape slave Angana. His son, also Daniel Beets, also practised as a silversmith, but as he probaly used his fathers punches, no marks are recorded for him. We postulate these could possibly be Daniel Beets Junior, sharing pseudo punches with fellow silversmiths, a practice that is known to have happened.

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 rare set of 3 Scottish provincial toddy ladles (Fiddle pattern) made by James Pirie of Aberdeen. All 3 ladles have an interesting crest, a dexter hand holding a kings crown, which is well engraved. This is the crest of the Cheeseman family, it is also used by the Robertson family. The hallmarks JP, ABD, JP are very clear on all 3 ladles. The makers mark JP is quite rare, in fact it is not depicted in Jackson's, although it is recorded in Turner's Scottish provincial silversmiths.

A fabulous Arts & Crafts silver child's spoon, with a hedgehog finial, made by Francis Cooper, son of the famous John Paul Cooper, who was one of the leaders of the Arts and Crafts movement. Silver by Francis Cooper is quite rare, and is seldom seen (see www.antiquesilverspoons.co.uk for a beautiful tea strainer by Francis Cooper). The spoon has a well modeled hedgehog finial, mounted on a disc with 6 supports, one support is part of the spoon stem detail. The bowl is hand hammered at the back but smooth in front, with the drop and rat-tail part of the bowl. The spoon is exceptionally well made, and given it's superb gauge is a delight to hold (if you have small hands!). The hallmarks are very clear, and include gothic script FC makers mark and the Queens head Silver Jubilee mark for 1977. Francis Cooper (1906-1980, so this spoon was one of the last he produced) worked for his father as a metalworker from 1924 until his death in 1933. John Paul Cooper was an architect turned metalworker, who headed up metal...

A Scottish Provincial Fiddle pattern soup ladle, with exceptionally clear and distinct hallmarks, deeply struck with no wear - these hallmarks are rare. The ladle is a good gauge, very solid, and fit for use, and is engraved with the initial I in contempory style. The bowl has a good shape, with raised edges, a feature of earlier ladles. The hallmarks are makers mark CF, ELGIN, cathedral wall and St Giles. The cathedral hallmark represents the west front of Elgin Cathedral Church (Jackson, pg 601), St Giles is its patron saint. The detail of the hallmarks is very good, with windows, door, double roof and battlements visible in the cathedral, and cloak, nimbus, staff and book visible in St Giles. Charles Fowler worked from 1809-1824, most of his silver is marked ELN (as opposed to ELGIN in full), the combination with the cathedral wall and St Giles is scarce.

A set of 4 Scottish silver Hanoverian pattern tablespoons, made in Edinburgh in 1773 by William & John Taylor. The spoons have the Hanoverian central ridge, and have double drops on the back of the bowls. The spoons are engraved with an interesting family crest of a hand holding an Imperial Crown, below motto "Corde et Animo", translated "With heart and soul", this is the crest and motto of the Scottish Clayhills-Henderson family. The engraving is on the back of all 4 spoons, as is usual for the period, when flatware was placed on the table facing down. The engraving has some wear, but still clearly visible on all 4 spoons. All 4 spoons are bottom marked, and have 3 clear hallmarks - Edinburgh castle, Scottish thistle and date letter gothic T for 1773. The spoons also have a poorly struck makers mark, only partially visible on 1 spoon, just enough to see it is WT over JT for William & John Taylor (Jackson page 549). William Taylor worked from 1753, and produced good quality silver, we assume he was joined b...

A fabulous set of 12 Victorian sterling silver teaspoons with matching sugar tongs, each of the 13 items has the UK Patent Office Lozenge Diamond registration mark, showing this design was patented. The pattern is a bright cut shell pattern, and is double struck (on both sides), this is a beautiful pattern that will glitter in candlelight. The quality is superb, the spoons around 25 grammes each. The set is perfectly preserved in it's original box, they do not appear to have been used. There is no engraving, these spoons are as pristine as the day they were made. All 13 items are clearly hallmarked with Sheffield Crown, Sterling Lion, date letter Gothic F and makers mark RM/EH in diamond punch, for Richard Martin and Ebenezer Hall, they used this mark between 1881 and 1911 (the firm was established in 1863). In addition, all 13 items have a clear diamond or lozenge registration mark for the British Patent office, this was used between 1842 and 1883, this is the second version of the mark used between 1868 and...

A set of 6 Scottish Provincial Oar pattern teaspoons made in Banff circa 1820, 4 by John McQueen and 2 by William Simpson I. The Oar pattern is also called Fiddle without Shoulders (Pickford Silver Flatware page 111), it is a scarce variant only found in Scotland. All 6 teaspoons are engraved with original owners initials JJR, but close inspection of the engraving shows the 2 spoons by Simpson were engraved by a different hand, we presume this was done later to complete a set of Banff teaspoons. You can also see slight differences in the shape of the bowl and Fiddle in the 2 Simpson spoons when compared to the Mcqueen spoons, showing they were all made by hand. The hallmarks on all 6 spoons are good, the 4 McQueen spoons have the stub mark of McQueen - B, A, Scottish Thistle, McQ - mark BF35 in the Directory of Scottish Provincial Silversmiths by Richard Turner, a book we highly recommend. 2 spoons have wear to the B, and one spoon has wear to the McQ, probably a result of uneven punching. The 2 Simpson spoon...

A Cape silver soup ladle in the Fiddle pattern, it is quite large and of good weight, with a substantial bowl size, definitely larger than usual. In addition to it's large bowl, the handle is wider than usual, and the drop is large and rounded, more European in style than English. Overall it has a very appealing Colonial charm, quite different from English examples of the period, so probably from early in Twentyman's career, before his flatware more closely resembled English examples. The ladle has an original engraved owners crest, a running stag, the engraving also Colonial in style, the body of the stag a little too long, the engraving still crisp and clear, we really like it. The crest can be described as "Argent, a stag trippant attired and unguled", this is the South African crest of the McCarthy family (Pama, Heraldry of South African Families, page 205). The hallmarks are very clear, makers mark LT for Lawrence Twentyman, and pseudo English hallmarks (duty mark, castle town mark, and date letter C) -...

A set of 6 Old English pattern Cape silver tablespoons, made by Johannes Combrink. All 6 spoons have engraved owners initials G, we assume the original owner. This set has been made by hand, there are slight differences in length, also differences in the shape of the handle, with some having narrower ends. One spoon also has a noticeably larger bowl than the other 5, so perhaps made at a different time. The drop on 2 spoons is also slightly longer, overall interesting but subtle differences between the spoons. The hallmarks also exhibit differences, three spoons are struck with makers mark IC three times, the other three are struck with makers mark IC four times (similar to the English duty dodgers). The orientation of the marks also differs, some are struck vertically and some sideways, so it appears the silversmith struck marks quite randomly. This mark is 29 or mark 30 in the book Cape Silver by Welz, the C is quite close the the I, and has short arms, almost looks like a K. The slightly larger spoon, whic...