An interesting sterling silver Puritan spoon made by the celebrated Arts & Crafts jewellery designer and silversmith Amy Sandheim. This is a replica of a Commonwealth period (1649-1660) Puritan spoon, when the United Kingdom was run as a Republic under Oliver Cromwell, after the execution of King Charles I in 1649. The spoon has a plain rectangular stem and ovoid bowl, without adornment, reflecting the Puritanical nature of the period. The hallmarks are clear for London 1933, the AS makers mark is only lightly struck, but still clearly visible, with some scratch marks over the punch. Amy Sandheim worked between 1923 and 1943 from Notting Hill Gate, she is primarily remembered for her Arts & Crafts jewellery, where she was regarded as a pioneer, alongside Sibyl Dunlop and Dorrie Nossiter, She also made silver spoons in the Arts & Crafts style (see Artists Spoons by Simon Moore, pages 391-396), but was clearly also interested in 17th century styles.

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...

A sterling silver trophy spoon for the Bull-Terrier Club, which would have been commissioned by the club to present a more useful trophy than a medal. The spoon is teaspoon size, the quality and condition are excellent, the front of the bowl still has it's original gilding. The spoon has a well modelled bull-terrier, surrounded by "THE BULL-TERRIER CLUB". The hallmarks, which are struck in the front of the bowl, are very clear. The Bull-Terrier collar has initials BH, we assume the artist who designed the spoon. The Bull Terrier Club of the UK still exists today, it was founded in 1887, it's website describes it as the oldest and largest of it's type in the world. I doubt they still have such beautiful silver spoon trophies!

A fabulous set of 2 serving spoons with matching sifter ladle, with magnificent cast terminals featuring Mr. Punch with truncheon, jesters hat and humpback, and Judy his wife, holding the baby, the 3rd character is Toby the dog, complete with ruff and feathered hat. The cast figures sit on a seal top pedestal, the spiral twist handles are hollow, with a central ball grip, joined to the bowls with acanthus leaf drops. The serving spoons have oval shaped bowls, please note the spoon bowls have been re-gilded. The sifter bowl has scroll, diamond and circular piercing, the original gilding both inside and outside the bowl is still in pristine condition. Overall these are fine quality spoons, amongst the best figural castings we have seen on a spoon, we love these spoons. All 3 spoons are clearly hallmarked for London 1895 by Horace Woodward & Co. Ltd, they worked between 1875 and 1916, primarily from Birmingham but also from Hatton Gardens, London. In addition both serving spoon bowls have pattern number 9685 on ...

A beautiful Victorian silver sifter ladle in the style of the Aesthetic Movement, made by the important firm of Silversmiths Edward Barnard & Sons. The quality and condition are outstanding, the bowl has a pattern of 2 different types of leaves, each individually pierced and engraved by hand, clearly by a master craftsman. The bowl, which is gilded on the interior, also has a wreath around the edge, with the leaves and wreath repeated on the handle, the wreath forming a cartouche which has not been engraved. The hallmarks for London 1881 are clear, as is makers mark WBJ in shaped shield for Walter & John Barnard, who ran the firm between 1877 and 1895. Edward Barnard & Sons are the oldest manufacturing silversmiths in the world, having been founded in 1680 by Anthony Nelme, they still operate today as a subsidiary of Padgett & Braham (source Directory of Gold & Silversmiths, John Culme, page 29). The Aesthetic Movement flourished in the period 1865 - 1885, after the International Exhibition in London led to a...

An interesting and pretty Georgian silver caddy spoon, with an unusual pierced bowl. The bowl is circular, and has 16 nail shaped piercings surrounding a central circular piercing, the design complemented with bright cut engraving, which continues on the handle, with a blank cartouche which has not been engraved. The spoon is clearly hallmarked, with a very clear lion passant, date letter A for 1796, and Georgian duty mark, the latter partially covers the makers mark GB in rectangular punch which was struck earlier. A small crescent moon journeyman's mark is also present, their is no town mark, although we are confident this is a London spoon. A very similar pierced caddy spoon with a different design, also by George Burrows but dated 1793, can be seen on the Steppes Hill Farm website, www.steppeshillfarmantiques.com, note this spoon also has the crescent moon mark and no town mark. Pierced caddy spoons are known but quite rare, most seem to date between 1790 and 1800, by a few London and Birmingham makers. ...

A rare Straight Tudor pattern sifter ladle, made by Chawner & Co, the leading flatware maker of Victorian England. The ladle is fabulous quality, and in excellent condition, without engraving. The piercing in the bowl is lovely, a central flower surrounded by scrolls, changing to leaves on the side. The Straight Tudor pattern is a Gothic Revival pattern, note the omission of 2 small scroll circular projections on each side of the stem, this differentiates it from the "Tudor" pattern. The sifter ladle is clearly hallmarked, it also carries the British Registry design number and date chart diamond, which rarely occurs on silver flatware - class I for metal, date letter v for 1850. The presence of the design mark indicates that Chawner protected the design to protect it being copied. Tudor is described by Pickford (Silver Flatware page 150) as "a rare Chawner & Co pattern registered August 14th 1850, along with Straight Tudor, it appears in the Chawner Pattern book (page 218). Odd pieces may on rare occasions, ...

An interesting 9 carat gold bar brooch, featuring a well modelled monkey sitting on bamboo, holding a stack of gold coins in his hand. The detail is lovely, the monkey's tail wraps around the bamboo. The brooch also has a gold safety chain with coat hanger hook, to prevent the brooch being lost. The brooch is clearly hallmarked "9Ct" for nine carat gold. This is a well made brooch with fine detail, the addition of the gold safety chain reminds us of gold brooches made in London in the first half of the 20th century. A monkey holding gold coins is considered by some as a lucky monkey, a symbol of prosperity and wealth.

An interesting pair of small circular dishes or pin trays, made by the most famous of all Birmingham silversmiths, Matthew Boulton. The dishes are plain except for a gadrooned border, the quality is excellent, surprisingly heavy for such small dishes. The condition is very pleasing, and there is no engraving. They are similar in shape to larger dinner plates, but with a deeper well, hence our description as dishes, we assume for a small delicacy like bon-bons, a modern version of this dish would be called a pin tray. The hallmarks on both dishes are clear, the MB makers mark has clear indentations to the punch above the M and below the B. One dish has date letter i for 1806, the second has date letter j for 1807, the earlier dish is 9 grams heavier, otherwise they are an identical pair, so we assume they were made by hand just as the date letter was changing. Matthew Boulton (1728-1809) took over his father's silver business at age 21, the first step in a remarkable career as one of the leading entrepreneurs ...

A World War 1 Royal Artillery 15 carat gold and enamel sweetheart regimental bar brooch, clearly hallmarked 15 CT for 15 Carat gold, both the badge and the bar. The detail is lovely, red enamel crown above blue enamel "UBIQUE" (Everywhere), above a gold cannon, above blue enamel motto "QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT" (Wherever right and glory lead). The bar, pin and clasp are also 15 carat gold, the clasp has a clever locking mechanism to prevent loss, this was an expensive quality item when originally purchased. 15 Carat gold was discontinued by Britain in 1932, hence we can date this brooch to the Great War. The Royal Artillery, commonly referred to as "The Gunners", was formed in 1799, and comprises of 13 regular army regiments today.

A Georgian silver loving cup which has been used as a horse racing trophy, the cup has a beautiful engraved race horse with jockey in full flight. The loving cup is the plain standard design, with a banded girdle, sitting on a banded spreading foot, with 2 scroll handles with thumb piece for easy grip, and heart shaped ends to the base of the hollow handles. The engraving is superb, and still in crisp condition, the detail of the jockey and horse racing between two posts is very pleasing. The cup is in very good condition, and has no engraving besides the horse. The Georgian hallmarks for London 1808 are clear, the makers mark WB in rectangular punch has partial wear to the W, but still legible. William Bennett worked between 1796 and 1825, he specialized in trays and salvers, but made numerous other items of hollowware as well. His mark is often confused with William Bateman, but as Bateman only entered his mark in 1815 we can be certain this cup was made by Bennett.

A rare Tudor pattern Child's size spoon and fork, made by Chawner & Co, the leading flatware maker of Victorian England. They are not an exact set, the spoon was made in 1850 and is engraved with owners initials WM in flowing script, the fork was made in 1851 and is engraved with owners initials FB in Gothic capitals, but otherwise they match well and make a useful set, very suitable as a Christening present. The Tudor pattern is a Gothic Revival pattern, it has 2 small scroll circular projections on each side of the stem, this differentiates it from the "Straight Tudor" pattern. Both are clearly hallmarked, and both have a journeyman's mark - R on spoon and I on the fork. In addition, both also carries the British Registry design number and date chart diamond, which rarely occurs on silver flatware. The presence of the design mark indicates that Chawner registered the design to protect it being copied. Tudor is described by Pickford (Silver Flatware page 150) as "a rare Chawner & Co pattern registered Augus...

An early Georgian silver lemon (or orange) strainer, distinguished by a large bowl, a simple circular pierced design with 7 circles, and solid shaped handles. The strainer is engraved with a beautiful Scottish family crest on one handle, with motto "Audeo Quid Audeo" (translated I dare what I dare), above a rampant lion crest holding a shield (possibly with unicorn) and a bust of a man wearing head dress above a Ducal crown with strawberry leaves. The 7 circular piercings all have a pattern of 7 pierced holes in the centre, and in between on the sides of the bowl, overall simple but attractive and functional. The strainer is hallmarked with 4 hallmarks in the bowl, these are partially obscured by the piercing which was done after hallmarking. The date letter Q for 1731 is still clearly visible, the lion passant and crowned leopard head are still legible, the makers mark is partially struck, but the crown above rose in a shaped punch is clearly visible, above a partial L, so we can be confident this is the mar...

A British Bulldog Club sterling silver trophy table fork, which is in good condition. The fork features a well modelled bulldog head, above legend "THE BRITISH BULLDOG CLUB". The fork 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 trophies!). The hallmarks are clear, this fork was made in Birmingham in 1936 by Fattorini & Sons, who specialized in medals and trophies. Note: We have another example of this Bulldog Club fork, S 11402.

A rare Tudor pattern sugar spoon, made by Chawner & Co, the leading flatware maker of Victorian England. The sugar spoon is a pleasing quality, and is in excellent condition, it has no engraving. The Tudor pattern is a Gothic Revival pattern, it has 2 small scroll circular projections on each side of the stem, this differentiates it from the "Straight Tudor" pattern. The sugar spoon is clearly hallmarked, it also has a double dot journeyman's mark. In addition, it also carries the British Registry design number and date chart diamond, which rarely occurs on silver flatware. The presence of the design mark indicates that Chawner registered the design to protect it being copied. Tudor is described by Pickford (Silver Flatware page 150) as "a rare Chawner & Co pattern registered August 14th 1850, along with Straight Tudor, it appears in the Chawner Pattern book (page 218). Odd pieces may on rare occasions, be found, but building a service would be extremely difficult". The Tudor pattern is showcased in the V&A ...

A set of 12 ribbed rat tail trefid teaspoons, reproductions of a 17th century style, these spoons have just reached the 100 year milestone so are now classified as antiques themselves. The spoons are in good condition, they do not appear to have seen much use. The spoons have no engraving. Reproductions of earlier styles was common in the early 20th century. All 12 spoons have clear hallmarks, including makers mark W.H.H for William Hair Haseler Ltd, who worked between 1882 and 1941. Haseler is remembered as the manufacturer for much of Liberty's Cymric silver and Tudric pewter, including pieces designed by Archibald Knox.

A Victorian miniature silver brandy saucepan in the traditional shape, with turned bone? handle. The saucepan has an engraved family crest of a an eagle with talons and wings outstretched, the engraving is very clear. the base is clearly hallmarked for London 1865, with makers mark RS for Richard Sibley II, (mark 2440 in Grimwade), his father Richard Sibley I also used this mark, Richard Sibley II worked between 1829 and 1873. The saucepan is also marked "Thomas Bond St." for FB Thomas & Co, a well known firm of retail silversmiths who operated from 153 Bond Street between 1807 and 1943 (the shop was severely damaged in an air-raid in 1941). Francis Boone Thomas joined the family business in 1851, he died in 1900. Richard Sibley II supplied many items of silver to FB Thomas between 1847 and 1873, in fact they shared premises, so must have had a close informal partnership.

A rare pair of Georgian silver Coburg pattern sugar tongs, made in 1825 by Randall Chatterton. The tongs have the Coburg pattern on both arms, the bow has never been engraved. The tongs have the usual oyster heel (oyster shell on the bowls). The quality and weight is very pleasing, at 68 grammes they are heavier than most sugar tongs, and the condition is excellent. The hallmarks are clear, including makers mark RC (Grimwade 2290), this mark is often confused with Richard Crossley, who worked until 1812. The Coburg pattern was "designed for Rundell, Bridge & Rundell in 1810, this rare pattern was made by Paul Storr and is perhaps the pattern for which he is best known" - Ian Pickford, Silver Flatware, page 134. The Coburg pattern was also depicted in the Chawner & Co. pattern book of 1875 (Silver Flatware page 220). Randall Chatterton was a spoon maker, he was freed in 1809 and worked until 1845. He is not recorded as a known maker of Georgian silver sugar tongs by Graham Hodges in his book "Georgian Silver S...

The General Smuts Cup, a sterling silver shooting trophy awarded to Captain W. Marks of Belfast in 1950. The trophy is a small circular bon-bon dish, on a raised circular foot, with irregular rim featuring scrolls. The dish has an applied silver badge of the SANRA (South African National Rifle Association), of a jumping springbok below crossed rifles, and above a laurel wreath, surrounded by engraving "Capt. W. Marks Belfast, Genl. Smuts Cup 1950". The rim of the foot is also engraved, this is very small and barely visible, it reads "M. Tiger, Bloemfontein", we assume the trophy was re-awarded at a later date. The dish is clearly hallmarked on the base for Birmingham 1939 by Charles Green & Co, given it is engraved 1950 we assume it's use was delayed by World War II. Belfast is a small town in the North East of South Africa, primarily known for coal mining and trout fishing. Field Marshal Jan Smuts (1870-1950) was the Prime Minister of South Africa during World War II, he had a strong friendship with Winston ...

A fabulous near pair of cast silver gilt figural candlesticks, modelled as Roman's in togas with laurel wreaths, made by the Fox Brothers, Charles and George, important makers known for their figural pieces. The Roman figures are beautifully modelled, note the detail in the face, hair and toga folds, one arm holds the sconce, the other is raised, with the bent knee they almost appear to be dancing. The figures stand on a cast silver Rococo base, also finely decorated with swirling scrolls, incorporating a vacant cartouche for engraving of a family crest (both vacant). The sconces with acanthus leaf decoration and the original detachable nozzles (for ease of cleaning) are also all cast silver, the quality is outstanding, these would have been expensive items when new. Both the figures are securely fastened to their bases with their original bolts and screws, one is slightly loose. The quality of the gilding is also superb, with very little wear, these figures with come to life in candlelight. On close examinat...