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.
A Redhill & District Football League silver, gold and enamel fob medallion for the year 1925. The medallion has a central gold panel with 3 footballers and football, with goals in the background, marked with registration number 401749, so this design was protected. This is surrounded with a blue enamel ring with the writing, and decorative silver scrolls and suspension ring surrounding. The original suspension ring is also hallmarked, this is ideal for wear as a pendant. The hallmarks are very clear. The Redhill and District Football League still exists, is a regional English football league formed in 1897. It comprises teams from Surrey, Kent, Greater London and Sussex. It currently has four divisions, the highest of which, the Premier Division, is situated at the 14th level of the English football league system source Wikipedia). I am sure we can be confident that they no longer award such beautiful medallions!
An interesting Guild of Handicraft silver preserve spoon, hand made by the Harts of Chipping Campden. The spoon has a Celtic inspired finial with interlocking raised flowers on a matt background, which gives a nice contrast. The upper spoon shaft has been shaped with 4 notches on either side, which adds to the design, and also catches the light, similar to bright cutting. The fig shaped bowl is planished (hand hammered) with the individual hammer marks visible of the back of the bowl (the front of the bowl is smooth). The spoon also has a diamond shaped rat-tail, which is raised. The hallmarks are clear, including G of H makers mark.
Spot hammered 3 piece travelling shaving brush, the brush screws into the holder when in use. All 3 pieces are individually hallmarked.
A 9 carat gold and enamel RAF (Royal Air Force) sweetheart brooch, beautifully preserved in its original box. The pin and box are both very good quality, the pin has lovely detail. The pin is stamped ? CT gold, the number is obscured, we assume it is 9 carat. The gold in the RAF lettering has a red colour, which contrasts nicely against the yellow gold wings and red and green enamel. The retailer was "T&J Perry Ltd, Jewellers & Silversmiths, 124 Regent St W".
A set of 6 silver Art Deco grapefruit spoons, made in Sheffield in 1939, just before the start of the war. The spoons are classic Art Deco, with flared terminals, with shaped 5 sided bowls, with a strong curved tip for digging into a grapefruit. The spoons are a good weight and quality, perfect for everyday use. The hallmarks on a 6 spoons are very clear, the spoons also have a registration mark, RD 835635, which protected the design, and are also stamped "Made in England".
A sterling silver caddy spoon, with the engraved crest of the Royal Mint of Pretoria. The spoon is good quality, a pleasing weight and the crest is very clear. The Royal Mint of Pretoria was opened in 1923 as a branch of the Royal Mint of London. It broke ties with London in 1941, becoming the South African Mint. The Royal Mint of Pretoria branch was one of 6 Royal Mint branches, the others in Canada (Ottawa), Australia (Sydney, Melbourne and Perth) and India (Bombay). The Pretoria Mint produced British gold sovereigns between 1923 and 1932, these carry the SA mint mark. The caddy spoon hallmarks are clear, being 925, silver and RMP makers mark. We assume the spoon was made in 1923 to commemorate the opening of the Mint. Note: - We now have another example of this Royal Mint Pretoria caddy spoon available, please enquire
A lovely silver and enamel fob, depicting a footballer in early 20th century dress. The fob would have been attached to a silver "Albert" or pocketwatch chain. The hallmarks are very clear.
A silver prize fob medallion, of the Surbiton Motor Club (just outside London), awarded for the London to Barnstaple race in 1927. The medallion is beautiful, and features a maiden in flowing dress holding a laurel wreath, and a shield with 3 fish, we assume the crest of the Surbiton motor club. The medallion is well made, the detail is excellent, this would make an attractive necklace pendant. The rear of the medallion has a laurel wreath, and is engraved "London Barnstaple 1927 A.W. Alliston". The hallmarks are clear.
Beautiful set of heavy, elegant grapefruit spoons with classic art deco design. Cased in original box marked "By appointment, Mappin and Webb Ltd, Oxford Street, London". The hallmarks are very clear.
A set of 12 Dutch silver cake forks, with a threaded border pattern, with the traditional thicker cake cutting tine. The forks are quite dainty, but still good quality, around 18 grammes each. All 12 forks are hallmarked with makers mark V.K. in horseshoe (or capital G), and the Dutch dagger used for small items of silver. Koninklijke Gerritsen & Van Kempen were based in the Dutch town of Zeist between 1924 and 1960, when they merged with Van Kempen & Begeer. Their head designer between 1934 and 1977 was Gustav Beran, a pupil of Josef Hoffman in Vienna (Art Nouveau & Art Deco Silver, Krekel-Aalberse, page 254).
A Tiffany silver bleeding bowl, with flat pierced handle, in the traditional style. This bowl is very good quality, as you would expect from Tiffany. Bleeding bowls (known as porringers in the USA) were used extensively in the 17th century, different themes abound as to their use. Today they are often used as wine tasters, which is probably what this bowl was intended for. The base is stamped "Tiffany & Co, Sterling, 383". They are also popular as Christening gifts.
A very interesting Antique silver Slip-Top jam spoon, dating back to the Great War (World War I), which would have been sold exclusively by Harrod's. The spoon is a replica of an early 17th century slip top spoon, complete with a V shaped rat-tail, these spoons are also called "slipped in the stalk' and "slip-end" spoons. The slip top on this spoon almost resembles a screwdriver head, and could be used practically to open tin lids. The spoon bowl is egg shaped, we think it was originally intended for jam. The quality is very pleasing, you cannot resist picking up and using this spoon, we absolutely love it. The hallmarks are clear, and include makers mark RB for Sir Richard Burbridge, 1st Baronet, who was the Managing Director of Harrods at the time. Harrods today still describes itself as "The World's Leading Department Store". The spoon date of 1915 is interesting, probably made just before silver and other valuable resources were directed at the war effort. An identical spoon is photographed in the book "A...
An antique sterling silver napkin ring with an applied cast silver bulldog, very realistically modelled, and engraved "S.A. Bull Dog Club", for South African bulldog club. The napkin ring is circular, and is clearly hallmarked with makers mark M&W for Mappin & Webb, with Sheffield hallmarks for 1909. The South African Bulldog club was formed in May 1908 and still exists today, see their Facebook page. We assume this napkin ring was commissioned by the original members as prizes.
A National Rifle Association 1860 Silver trophy medallion, which would have been awarded as a rifle shooting trophy. The obverse has 2 soldiers, the first a British longbow man with dates 1300-1500, the second a rifleman dated 1860, above motto "Sit Perpetuum" - translated "May it last forever". The reverse has a laurel wreath surrounding "The National Rifle Association 1860". The medallion is excellent quality, and in excellent condition, without any engraving, so perhaps it was never presented. The hallmarks are clear, and include makers mark E&Co for Elkington, who are known for their superb quality. The National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom is a registered charity with a Royal Charter, whose charitable objectives are to promote and encourage marksmanship throughout the Queen’s dominions in the interest of defence and the permanence of the volunteer and auxiliary forces, naval, military and air. The formal purposes of the charity are to promote the efficiency of the armed forces of the Crown, ...
A delightful pair of sterling silver rat-tail trefid spoons, coffee spoon size, these spoons were Christmas presents from the Grand Pump Room Hotel in Bath in 1923. The spoons are engraved with the hotel armorial, the stems engraved "Grand Pump Room Hotel, Bath", and the bowls engraved "Xmas 1923". The rat-tails are ribbed, these are perfect replicas of 17th century trefid spoons. The hallmarks are clear on both spoons. "The Grand Pump Room is a historic building in the Abbey Church Yard, Bath, Somerset, England. It is adjacent to the Roman Baths and is named for water that is pumped into the room from the baths' hot springs. Visitors can drink the water or have other refreshments while there. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building since 1950. The building now also houses a restaurant, where afternoon tea can be taken. Music in the restaurant is provided by the Pump Room Trio — the longest established resident ensemble in Europe — or by a pianist. There has been music in the Pump Room since ...
An Edwardian replica of a mote skimmer spoon, made by the leading firm Elkington. The oval spoon bowl has a pierced pattern of foliated scrolls and holes, the rounded handle is attached to the bowl with a rat-tail, the finial is a three sided triangular spearhead, which is very sharp. This spoon is excellent quality, as you would expect from Elkington, it has a lovely feel in the hand. It is teaspoon sized, most mote spoons were longer. Mote spoons originated in the early 18th century, and were used to skim off floating particles of tea leaves and motes (tea dust) from a cup of tea (Newman, Illustrated Dictionary of Silverware, page 217). The long thin handle with sharpened point was used to clear the spout of a teapot (when spouts were still straight) where tea leaves clogged it (remember tea leaves were coarser then than we are used to today). In the Plate Offences Act of 1738 these spoons were called tea strainers, but mote spoon or skimmer is the more popular description. There has been controversy over t...
A set of 6 interesting Dutch silver mocha spoons, these spoons are replicas of medieval daimond point spoons dating between 1350 and 1560. The spoons are 835 grade, and have a pyramid or diamond shaped finial mounted on a pedestal, with a 4 sided tapered stem. The fig shaped bowls have a pronounced drop from the stem, as is usual in diamond point spoons, but the bowls have a more pointed end. All 6 spoons are clearly hallmarked with makers mark B2V* for JM Visser of Bijkamps & Co of Steenwijk, this mark was used between 1946 and 1975 (Netherlands Responsibility Marks since 1797, mark 2790. The spoons also have 835 grade mark. Bijkamp & Co is a respected Steenwijk silversmith, founded in 1835. The Visser family married into the Bijkamp family, Jan Visser whose mark is on these spoons died in 1950. We really like these spoons!
A pair of octagonal engine turned napkin rings, with applied armorial of the city of East London, South Africa. The armorials are lovely, with 4 colours of enamel, and good quality and gilded, we assume a metal, possibly silver, but no hallmarks are visible (possibly hidden on the back which is glued to the napkin rings. The rings are a pleasing shape, with 2 engine turned panels each, both are clearly hallmarked. The armorial depicts the cross of St George, as with the original London, with sheaves of wheat and sheep depicting agriculture, below a rising sun signifying the east. The shield rests on a gold anchor, as per the Cape Colony arms. This armorial was granted in 1892, it was replaced in 1959 by a more heraldically correct version.
A Clan MacGregor (or Gregor) Scottish sterling silver clan badge, with pin to be worn as a brooch or kilt pin. The badge is the traditonal shape, with cast silver crowned lion erased, surrounded by belt with motto "'S RIOCHAIL MO DHREAM", translated "Royal is my Race". The badge is lovely quality and is in excellent condition. The badge is clearly hallmarked for Edinburgh 1950, with makers mark H&I for Hamilton & Inches, the leading Edinburgh silversmith from Princes Street, they worked between 1870 and 1977. The current MacGregor clan chief is Sir Malcolm Macgregor, 7th Baronet of Lanrick and Balquhidder. The clan dates back to the early 800's, they were amongst the first clans to play bagpipes, and their most famous member was the outlaw and folk hero Rob Roy MacGregor.