An Arts & Crafts sterling silver bracelet in Celtic Revival style, made by Stuart Wilson of Skye silver in 1993. The bracelet has 7 cast silver celtic knots in the shape of 2 interlocking hearts, we really like this bracelet. All 7 links are the same, the 2 end links have an additional connecting ring, one side with the clasp attached. All 7 links are individually hallmarked with a full set of Edinburgh marks for 1993, along with makers mark SJW, all the hallmarks are clear. Stuart Wilson was a school teacher based in West Calder, Scotland, he produced silver between 1989 and 1997. His silver was retailed by Skye Silver of the Old School, Colbost, Dunvegan, on the Isle of Skye, the shop is still operating today .

A Victorian silver "Mr. PUNCH" pin tray, small and dainty but with a lot of detail in the design. This design was originally used in 1849 on Punch Magazine, the artist was Richard Doyle (Punch magazine was first published in 1841, some commentators refer to this picture as from the first edition, which is incorrect). The tray is rectangular, with a shell and scroll border, embossed with "PUNCH" above Mr. Punch painting his dog Toby, surrounded by 17 different figures (monkeys, a group of musicians, and someone riding a donkey, even a devil popping out of a cornucopia!). The easel between Punch and Toby is not clear on the front, but can be clearly seen on the back of the tray, we suspect the die was worn when this was produced, rather than wear since then. The tray is stamped out of quite thin silver, and was clearly mass produced as a novelty for the Victorian market where the "Punch and Judy' show was very popular. The hallmarks are clearly struck at the base of the design, including makers mark CSFS for C...

A set of 4 German silver teaspoons (and a very similar tablespoon, see additional description at the bottom) with an intricate and beautiful design, made by the very prestigious firm of Daniel Vollgold & Son, who were the Court Jewellers to the Prussian Royal Family. The spoons are 800 standard and are great quality, in excellent condition, we love these spoons. The design features a cherub's head with flowing locks, set amongst scrolls, flowers and hanging fruit, the reverse has a shield shaped cartouche, engraved with the letter B in flowing script. The spoons have a baluster urn finial. All 4 spoons are hallmarked with makers mark (V) alongside 800, and the German crescent and crown in use since 1888, the marks have some wear but all are visible. Daniel Vollgold founded his business in Berlin in 1838, and was appointed Court Jeweller to the Prussian Royal family in 1860, and were still the Berlin Court Goldsmiths in 1903. They supplied silver to both Emperor's William I and Wilhelm II, and exhibited at the...

An interesting novelty Victorian silver and enamel advertising vesta case, in the shape of a bell, with a buoy at sea that reads "ASBESTOS", with a warning bell inside the buoy. The asbestos bell buoy is the registered trademark of the Bells Asbestos Co. Ltd, which in it's day was one of the largest asbestos companies in the world. The vesta case has a spring loaded opening on the base, this also has the traditional vesta striking strip, note the silver ball clanger we have seen on other examples is missing. The vesta has a suspension loop, with hallmarked suspension ring at the top. The vesta and the lid are both clearly hallmarked, makers mark J.A &S is very clear, this has been described as J Aitken and son by some sources, but we think this unlikely as they only worked between 1903 and 1918, so we prefer to say the maker has not been identified yet (all assistance welcome). A similar vesta was part of the Christies specialist vesta sale 8876 (22 September, 2000), lot 14, which was displayed on the front ...

A Georgian Scottish silver Celtic Pointed pattern tablespoon, made by James Hewitt in Edinburgh in 1784. The spoon is bottom marked and features the incuse Georgian duty mark, which was only used in 1784 and 1785. The spoon has original engraved initial K in script. The hallmarks on bottom marked spoons are often squashed and distorted, but all 5 hallmarks on this spoon are well struck and clear, they could not be better. They include makers mark J.H in script, used by Hewitt between 1769 and 1784, although he had a long career, being freed in 1760, and still apparently working in 1824 (perhaps a son?). The Edinburgh castle, Scottish thistle and date letter E are all clear, as is the incuse Georgian duty mark, only introduced in 1784.

A Cape silver snuff box by William Moore, who was previously thought to have only produced flatware, so this is a rare example. The snuffbox is the traditional rectangular shape, plain except for the engraved lid with scrolls and flowers around an irregular cartouche, which has never been engraved. The box also has a cast silver thumb piece, also with flowers and scrolls, and the interior is gilded. The box is lovely quality and a pleasing weight (81 grams). Both the lid and the base are clearly hallmarked, the lid with makers mark W.M only, the base has 5 hallmarks, 4 pseudo English hallmarks arranged around the W.M makers mark. These include pseudo Georgian duty mark, pseudo crowned leopard's head town mark, pseudo date letter a and a 4th indistinct mark, possibly another head shaped duty mark. William Moore usually used a WM mark without dot, so this is a different punch, it is recorded on the website www.capesilvermarks.co.za. The pseudo date letter a is regularly seen on Cape silver, used by silversmith...

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 pair of Irish Georgian silver tableforks in the Fiddle pattern, made in Dublin in 1825 by Thomas Farnell and retailed by Law, with an interesting hallmarking anomaly, showing 2 different date letters for the same year. The first fork has date letter capital E in oval punch, the second fork has date letter small e in shaped punch, this change took place mid way through the hallmarking year on 20 September 1825 (we are not sure why, all assistance welcome). Whilst both forks were made by the same maker in the same year, very small differences in shape and length of Fiddle can be observed, so these were made by hand. Both forks are engraved with a Griffins head family crest on the rear of the forks, this is crisply engraved and very clear. In addition, both forks have engraved letter T on the front of the forks at the bottom of the handles, we presume to denote a previous owner. Both forks are also stamped with retailers mark LAW, William Law were Dublin retailers in Castle and Sackville streets, they operated...

An interesting Georgian silver caddy spoon, with an embossed and engraved bowl, and a bifurcated handle. This is an unusual design, we have not seen anything similar in the literature, including the book "Caddy Spoons an Illustrated Guide" by John Norie. The bowl is circular, with a central embossed shell, with 2 embossed scrolls on either side, and a central engraved oval, finely engraved with flowers, with additional engraving completing the design The top half of the bowl also has additional foliage around the edge. The bifurcated handle has a central shield shaped cartouche for initials or family crest, this has not been engraved, but the rest of the handle has attractive engraving. The spoon is unfortunately quite light and thinly made, and given the bifurcated handle is prone to damage - note our condition report of a previous repair and 2 splits to the bowl. The hallmarks are clear, makers mark JL in rectangle without pellet for John Lawrence & Co, this mark was used between 1813 and 1818, note the mak...

A Charles II Restoration period silver porringer, made by Thomas Cooper in 1681. The porringer is the traditional shape and size (noticeably larger than later examples), the lower portion is embossed with acanthus leaf decoration, which only started to appear in 1680, this replaced the bold Stuart flowers which were popular 1660-1680. The porringer has straight sides, replacing the earlier more bulbous shape of 1660-1680. The porringer has traditional cast caryatid scroll handles, with faces on both sides, and beading along the edge for improved grip. This type of handle is usually seen in the 1665-1680 period, when they were replaced with plainer scroll handles, this type of handle is not often seen with acanthus decoration (Waldron, Price Guide to Antique Silver, pages 168-169). One side of the porringer is faintly prick engraved with original owners initials F over WA, with central flower and surrounded by scrolls, this has been polished out and is only visible in certain light. The porringer has 4 origin...

An early Georgian Hanoverian pattern 3 prong silver dessert fork, made in 1724, when King George I was still on the throne. The fork is the traditional Hanoverian shape, and is bottom marked. The fork has 2 clearly engraved family crests on the back of the fork, so perhaps linked to a marriage, they include a bearded head with bandanna, and a stag with raised front leg. The hallmarks are squashed and partially visible, but the London crowned leopard head, lion passant and date letter I for 1724 are legible. The makers mark is not visible, you can only just see a small star in shaped shield, similar to that seen under the Paul Crespin mark, but not enough to confirm. A later hallmark T is clearly struck, we are not sure of the significance, all assistance welcome. Three pronged Hanoverian pattern forks first appeared around 1710, by 1750 they had been replaced by 4 tines.

An interesting Sampson Mordan silver sovereign case, with a unique British registry design number which shows us that Mordan felt it was worthwhile to protect the design from being copied. The case is circular with flattened sides, similar in shape to a fob watch case, with concentric rings getting smaller to the centre, which gives a pleasing texture to the case. A central circular cartouche is on one side, this has not been engraved. The case opens by pushing the fob ball, this has a suspension ring for attachment to a fob chain. The case is clearly hallmarked, both on the exterior and inside the lid, the suspension ring is also hallmarked. The interior hallmarks also have registry design number Rd. 45122, which is clearly struck. Sovereign cases were made to store (and show off) British 22 carat gold one pound sovereigns, which were first produced by the Royal Mint in 1817. They were used in circulation until 1914, and now are regarded as bullion coins. Sampson Mordan became famous for producing high qua...

A Scottish Georgian silver Fiddle pattern tablefork, made by James McKay in Edinburgh in 1812, accompanied by a smaller Fiddle pattern preserve fork made in Edinburgh 1814. Both forks are by the same maker, and both have the same engraved family crest of a Griffin with a key in it's beak, so clearly they originate from the same set. The smaller fork is quite a bit smaller than the tablefork, hence our belief it is a preserve fork rather than a dessert fork. The engraved crests on both forks is crisp and clear, but careful comparison shows some small differences in engraving, so we believe different engravers were involved. The crest is described as "A Griffin's head erased, holding in it's beak a key" - this is the crest of the Kay family, Fairbairn's book of Crests (1905) refers to the Kay's of Sunderland, Durham and North Shields, Northumberland. It is interesting to note the silversmith is McKay, so the purchasers supported a branch of the family. Both forks are clearly hallmarked, makers mark JMc, Edinbur...

A pair of Georgian silver wine labels, smaller than usual, engraved for PORT and MADEIRA, made in Birmingham in 1809 by Cocks & Bettridge, who are usually associated as important caddy spoon makers. The pair are oval in shape, and have a double reeded border, the engraved names have character, clearly done by hand. The original chains are double linked (each link looks like a figure 8), these were hand soldered (Wine Labels page 116), double linked chains reduced tangling. Both labels are clearly hallmarked with 5 hallmarks, these marks were struck randomly as they are in completely different order. They include duty mark, anchor town mark, lion passant, date letter l for 1809 and makers mark C&B for Cocks and Richard Bettridge. One makers mark has partial wear to the B, the other is missing the C. Cocks & Bettridge are remembered as "important makers of Birmingham caddy spoons, their inventiveness and variety were rarely equalled" (Caddy Spoons, John Norie, page 42). They worked between 1797 and 1817, are ar...

A beautiful Australian Arts & Crafts hand made sterling silver jam spoon, with Geraldton Wax indigenous floral finial, made by of of Perth's leading family of silversmiths, Linton Silver. The spoon has a hand hammered (planished) bowl, triple rat tail drop and a cast silver floral finial, the detail and quality is very pleasing. The spoon are clearly hallmarked, a gum nut symbol in square punch, "ST.SILVER" standard mark and makers mark JAL for Linton Silver, who traded between 1938 and 1978. JAL refers to Jamie Linton, who joined his father's studio in 1920, he remained active until 1980. He trained in Perth, Paris and London, where he studied Central School for Arts & Crafts. He designed the range of Australian indigenous wildflower spoons, which are still produced today by Bethamy Linton, who retails each spoon at $295. Note - We have a matching teaspoons S 11535.

A rare 18th century Birmingham silver caddy spoon by leading maker Joseph Taylor. The spoon is a naturalistic veined leaf, very finely decorated on the back and the front, the handle a coiled tendril, simply formed from silver wire rolled into a circle, with a tail, flattened to form the connection with the bowl, it works remarkably well. The hallmarks have been individually very carefully struck, as a result all 5 hallmarks are fully intact and clearly visible, which is not often the case with finely decorated silver. They include Birmingham anchor, date letter b for 1799, cusped duty mark, lion passant and makers mark IT for Joseph Taylor. 3 very similar caddy spoons are depicted in the book "Caddy Spoons" by John Norie (a book we highly recommend), figure 59g, by Joseph Taylor dated 1798, and also 2 by Elizabeth Morley (dated 1802 and 1815), figure 22a and c. The same book says "all 18th century Birmingham caddy spoons must be considered comparatively rare and desirable, the facts are that very few were ma...

A very interesting Victorian silver and enamel match box cover (the rarer large size for table rather than pocket matches), featuring the yacht "The Shamrock", it was the unsuccessful Irish challenger for the 1899 America's Cup in New York, against Columbia owned by JP Morgan. The yacht was owned by Sir Thomas Lipton (of Lipton Tea fame) of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club, together they challenged for the prestigious America's Cup 5 times. The Matchbox cover is the usual rectangular shape, with open end, and side strike holes, it sits on 4 silver ball feet. The quality of the enamel picture is outstanding, you can see 12 individual sailors on the deck, good detail in the sails and rigging, a flying red pennant, with a background of blue green sea, cloudy blue sky and land in the distance. The enamel also quite helpfully reads "THE SHAMROCK 1899", so no doubt as to which magnificent yacht this is. The hallmarks on the side are lightly struck and worn, but just legible makers mark AB&S. The base is clearly stamped ...

An interesting Georg Jensen silver and enamel napkin ring, this is the Cherub napkin ring No. 258 with blue enamel. The winged cherub is in a central roundel, connected to the elegant shaped ring with 4 silver balls. The hallmarks are very clear, and read :DESSIN HN DENMARK GEORG JENSEN & WENDEL A/S STERLING 925S". Dessin HN refers to the designer Harald Nielsen, who was the brother of Jensen's 3rd wife Johanne. He joined the Jensen business in 1909, he was a gifted draughtsman, who together with Jensen and Johan Rohde "helped to establish the Jensen style as we know it and the firm's tradition for outstanding quality" - Janet Drucker, Georg Jensen A Tradition of Splendid Silver, page 301 (a book we highly recommend). Nielsen became artistic leader of the Georg Jensen Silversmithy in 1935 after Jensen's death. The Jensen Wendel hallmark was used between 1945 and 1951, as during these years there was a trademark dispute over the Jensen brand with Jensen USA. This Cherub napkin ring no.258 is depicted in the ab...

A German sterling silver cigarette case, made in 1936 to commemorative the Winter Olympics held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, which at the time was under Nazi rule. The Cigarette case in the usual rectangular shape, with a slight curve on both sides, with a push button clasp. The case is planished (hand hammered) in Arts & Crafts style on both sides, and is very pleasing quality, it is a pleasure to hold and use. The front is engraved with the 5 Olympic rings, with "GARMISCH - PARTENKIRCHEN 1936" below, this is filled with black enamel, note the slight enamel loss on 3 letters. The interior is gilded, and is engraved with previous owners name "T. BOSCH". The case is clearly hallmarked with 4 hallmarks, all on the clasp, they include German moon and crown, makers mark LW entwined in a shield for Lutz & Weiss, 925 and STERLING standard marks. The winter Olympics were held in February 1936, this was followed by the summer Olympics in Berlin in July 1936 (the last time the winter and summer Olympics were he...

A beautiful set of 6 Australian Arts & Crafts hand made sterling silver teaspoons, with Geraldton Wax indigenous floral finials, made by of of Perth's leading family of silversmiths, Linton Silver. The spoons have hand hammered (planished) bowls, rat tail drops and cast silver floral finials, the detail and quality is very pleasing. The spoon bowls are almost triangular in shape, we have called them teaspoons but given their small size are very suitable for coffee. All 6 spoons are clearly hallmarked, a gum nut symbol in square punch, "ST.SILVER" standard mark and makers mark JAL for Linton Silver, who traded between 1938 and 1978. JAL refers to Jamie Linton, who joined his father's studio in 1920, he remained active until 1980. He trained in Perth, Paris and London, where he studied Central School for Arts & Crafts. He designed the range of Australian indigenous wildflower spoons, which are still produced today by Bethamy Linton, who retails each spoon at $295. Note - We have a matching jam spoon S 11536.