A fabulous set of six antique sterling silver goblets, perfectly preserved in their original box. The goblets are very pleasing quality, over 30 grammes each, and are quite small, so we imagine used for sherry or liqueur. The shape is lovely, a traditional goblet shape, with spreading foot and baluster stem. The goblets are perfectly preserved in their original wooden box, with blue velvet and silk interior, also in remarkable condition, with hinges and clasp in full working order. All 6 goblets are clearly hallmarked for Birmingham 1911, and makers mark W&F.R, for Walter Hayes and Frank Rabone, who worked between 1911 and 1916, with the partnership dissolved in 1918, we assume sadly interrupted by World War 1.

An Edwardian silver and enamel novelty vesta case, of circular form with hinged flip top lid and striker built into the base. The vesta has an applied enamel in silver rope border, featuring a pack of 8 English foxhounds, very attractively modelled with lovely colours. Vesta cases (also called matchsafes) were used to store vestas (early matches before safety matches were invested), they were very popular between 1890 and 1910.

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 typical early Georgian two handled punch strainer, which was used for straining orange and lemon pips in the preparation of punch, which was a very popular drink in early 18th century Britian (before wine became popular). The bowl is pierced with 81 crosses arranged in a square, surrounded by pierced foliate decoration. The rim is reeded, and the handles are typical of the period. The strainer has an attractive crest of a clenched fist holding 3 three leaf clovers.The bowl interior is hallmarked with the makers mark struck 4 times, 3 of which are partially obscured by the pierced crosses, and one of which is fully intact and very clear.

An interesting Victorian silver box, with am embossed scene of 4 racing horses pulling a rider, in front of a building. We imagine the rider is riding a chariot, but this is not visible. The rider has a flowing cape, the horses have flowing manes and are kicking up a dust storm, the modelling of the horses is beautiful and very realistic. The box is table snuff box size, it could also fit cigarettes or small cigars, but as it is not gilded or wood lined we assume it is a storage box for small desk items, or perhaps cufflinks on a dressing table. The box is good quality and a pleasing weight. The hallmarks on the base are slightly worn from polishing but still clearly visible, including makers mark G over interlocking L in shield punch for Lambert and Co, who used this mark between 1884 and 1900, based in Coventry Street London. Lambert and Co. was a prestigious firm, originally Lambert and Rawlings, they held a Royal warrant and won a prize medal at the Great Exhibition of 1851. In 1861 George Lambert and his...

A Victorian silver wine bottle stand, with blank central cartouche (suitable for engraving), with embossed shell and scroll decoration, raised edge and 4 very ornate scrolling feet. It is a good weight and is good quality, and suitable for use. The base is engraved "Hunt & Roskell, Late Storr & Mortimer, 8095". The sterling lion, town mark, date letter and duty mark are clear, but the makers mark is very faint and barely visible (although not necessary with the full name engraved on the base). Hunt & Roskell were the most prestigious silversmiths of Victorian England, having descended from Paul Storr, the most famous of English silversmiths. They were silversmiths and jewellers to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, and had an important display at the Great Exhibition of 1851. In 1865 it was recorded that they were the largest holders of precious stones in Europe (John Culme, Directory of Gold & Silversmiths, pg 245).

A beautiful and classic Art Deco silver tea service, consisting of teapot, coffeepot, milk jug and sugarbowl. The set is extremely well made, and is a very good weight. The set has ivory handles and finials, and deco engraving. The milk jug and sugarbowl have gilt interiors. All four pieces are fully hallmarked, with clear hallmarks. Viners are well known for their deco silver.

An Arts & Crafts planished (hand hammered) cream jug, with reeded handle that branches out into 6 cast wheat sheaves, with a cast silver mouse on top looking in. The pouring lip is broad, and the jug sits on a circular foot. The hallmarks are excellent. Sarah Jones is one of the 50 leading silversmiths profiled in the book "Designer British Silver, 1930-1985", by Andrew & Styles, a book which we highly recommend. "Her work is quirky and amusing, she is a superb modeller who produces charming animal studies. Her work is in the Royal Collection, a flower study is on Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's dresser table (pages 266-271). Note: A similar beaker, made by Sarah Jones in 1984 with applied cast silver mouse on wheatsheaf, can be seen on the Styles silver website www.styles-silver.co.uk.

A pair of Victorian silver grape scissors, once an essential implement in an upmarket Victorian drawing room, used to cut the stems of a bunch of grapes. This is the rarer type, with traditional scissor blades, as opposed to the more usual 2 wide flat faced blades with a 90 degree angle on one blade, sometimes called grape shears. This set is long and elegant, with a beaded border, and engraved leaf decoration on the back and front, and 2 vacant cartouche's for family crest or initials. The handles are oval rings, and the original steel hinge pin has an attractive circular silver cap with a floral design. The hallmarks are clear, and include makers mark CB on both arms, with date letter C for 1878, London town mark, sterling lion and Victoria duty mark. Charles Boyton & Sons was founded in 1809, and survived until 1933. They were manufacturing silversmiths, they supplied many prestigious retailers locally and internationally. A very similar example is depicted in the book "Millers Silver Buying Guide by Danie...

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...

An interesting set of 6 Fiddle pattern tableforks, made in 1815, the year of the battle of Waterloo. The forks are a pleasing weight, and very good quality, they have a lovely feel. The forks are engraved with an interesting family crest, a leopards head with an arrow in its mouth, this is unusually engraved on the back of the forks. The hallmarks are excellent, including date letter U for 1815 and makers mark WE/WF for William Eley & William Fearn, who were leading makers of flatware. We welcome any assistance with identification of the family crest.

Two Victorian silver vinaigrettes, both very similar in shape and design, reflecting the style of the time. Both are oval in shape with a wavy rim, concave sides, both have engine turned engraving, and both have vacant cartouche (for initials or family crest). Both also have an ornate floral grille, and both are gilded. Both also have clear hallmarks on both base and lid, the grille on the Smith example is also hallmarked. The first, by Edward Smith 1845, has an attractive snake shaped thumb piece, the base design is distinctly different from the cover design. The second still has its original sponge. Edward Smith was a specialist boxmaker, he worked between 1827 and 1865. James Cronin and Sarah & George Wheeler worked between 1846 and 1852 from St Pauls Square, Birmingham.

A Royal Navy & Merchant Services gold and pearl nautical crown sweetheart brooch, with 14 pearls set in 18 Carat gold, the detail of the crown is exquisite, this is a top quality brooch. Both the crown and supporting bar are 18 carat gold, both are clearly hallmarked "18CT". The 18 carat gold is a deep yellow colour, the pin has a reddish tinge, so could be 9 carat (pin is unmarked). The pearls are different sizes, with the largest in the centre of the crown. These sweetheart brooches were popular during both WW1 and WW11, we have tentatively dated it to WW11 (1939-1945) given the style of the box. The brooch is perfectly preserved in it's original box, which reads "Royal Appointment, Gieves Ltd, 21 Old Bond Street, London W1". Gieves (now Gieves & Hawkes) is a prestigious Savile Row Tailor, established in 1771, the hold numerous Royal Warrants, including the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales. They have long served the British Army, Royal Navy and the Royal family, clients include Lord Nelson, the...

A silver "two-cigar" case, with Boer War inscription "Dr Kellner, from a Grateful "Australian" Patient, Bloemfontein, 1900". The Australian is in inverted comma's. The case is well made, good quality and gauge, and quite solid. The interior is gilded, and the hallmarks are clear on both sides of the case. H. Matthews was a large and well known Birmingham firm. Bloemfontein was the capital of the Orange Free State, and was surrendered to the British on 13 March 1900. Thirty thousand British troops entered Bloemfontein, and thanks to poor sanitation a typhoid epidemic broke out, which caused hundreds if not thousands of deaths. Doctors (who included Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) were in short supply, with 3 doctors per 350 patients (Pakenham, The Boer War, pg 382) - which no doubt led to the generosity of our unnamed "Australian". Today Bloemfontein hospital is on Kellner Street, we are not sure if there is a connection.

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 lovely Queen Anne replica teapot, itself antique as over 100 years old, a faithful copy of the earliest known English silver teapots. The teapot is small, due to the rarity of tea during the period, it would be termed bachelor size today. The teapot is pear shaped, with a domed lid topped by urn finial, stand-away hinge, raised circular foot, and octagonal curved spout. The wooden handle is the traditional shape, with thumb piece for easy pouring. The weight and quality are excellent, this teapot is a pleasure to use. An original teapot, dated 1715 and valued at over GBP 12000, is depicted in the book "Price Guide to Antique Silver, Peter Waldron, page 269, this replica is an almost exact copy. The hallmarks are clear, including makers mark JA for James Aitchison of Princes Street, Edinburgh, Goldsmith to the Queen (Victoria), Prince of Wales and Duke of Edinburgh. Aitchison worked between 1877 and 1910, he was a town councillor, and was involved in the building of Usher Hall. His home in Edinburgh is now t...

An interesting set of 3 antique sterling silver serving implements, in the rare Venetian/Italian pattern. They consist of a fabulous quality stilton cheese scoop (81 grammes), and matching pickle fork and butter spreader, all beautifully preserved in original felt and silk lined case. The pattern is very intricate, and is repeated on both sides, at first glance it is similar to Elizabethan pattern, both are Renaissance and Baroque in style. Unlike Elizabethan this pattern has a circular cartouche, repeated on both sides, this has not been engraved. Venetian/Italian pattern was registered in 1868, most pieces are by Martin Hall&Co, this is a scarce pattern (Pickford, Silver Flatware, page 94). Pickford aslo describes a subtle difference between Venetian and Italian (this is difficult to see without a photo of both). The box reads "Mappin & Webb, Manufacturing Goldsmiths & Silversmiths, London, Sheffield & Johannesburg". The hallmarks are clear on all 3 items. We love this set, a delight to hold and use.

A very good quality silver sauceboat or gravyboat with shaped rim and leaf capped flying scroll handle, 3 cast hoof feet and a nice crest, a greyhound holding an arrow. The hallmarks are very clear, even the leopards' whiskers are visible! Smith and Sharp were important makers, who made some of the finest silver of the period (Pickford, Jackson's hallmarks). They supplied Parker & Wakelin, the Royal Goldsmiths who supplied the Prince of Wales and "half the nobility of England" (Grimwade, London Goldsmiths). The crest has been identified as belonging to the Watts family, and is described as "A greyhound sejant argent supporting with its dexter foot an arrow or headed and barbed of the first". The heraldic research report is available in our articles section.

A set of 6 Liberty & Co. silver cakeforks, in the Medea pattern, and perfectly preserved in their original Liberty silk lined box. The Medea patten features 3 embossed seed pods in Art Nouveau elongated manner, originally designed by Archibald Knox in 1899, it became Liberty's most popular pattern. The forks have 2 tines, with a fatter tine for cutting cake, they are great quality, and a pleasure to hold and use. All 6 forks are clearly hallmarked, with the Liberty and Co triple diamond makers mark. The original silk lined box is in perfect working order, it reads "Liberty London - Paris By Special Appointment", between 2 crowned Royal flags. The Medea pattern was first featured as part of the first Cymric range in the Liberty catalogue of 1899, as one of a set of 6 spoons (along with Adela, Sabra, Sarepta, Egbert and Decos) ("Artists Spoons" by Simon Moore, pages 70-91, a book we highly recommend). Originally described as an "embossed floral handle", it is thought they represent tulip buds or seed pods. The ...

A rare Victorian silver Old English Military Thread and Shell pattern soup ladle, of exceptional weight and quality. The pattern has the regular Thread and Shell pattern, double struck (on both sides), but with scrolls instead of shoulders, as with all Military variants (Pickford, Silver Flatware, page 117). The ladle has an interesting engraved family crest, a collared lion between 2 horns. The hallmarks are very clear, including makers mark GA (George Adams, who took over the Chawner business in 1840), and also includes 2 journeyman's marks S and N (the silversmiths who made the ladle in the Chawner & Co workshop). Ian Pickford, in the book Silver Flatware, describes Old English Military Thread and Shell as "a rare pattern, illustrated in the Chawner & Co. Pattern book(appendix pg 218). Any services and pieces are rare" - page 107. Chawner & Co were the most important firm of silver spoon manufacturers in Victorian England (John Culme, Directory of Gold & Silversmiths, page 82).