An extremely rare Cape silver konfyt (preserve) fork with tubular handle, by Cape silversmith Lodewyk Beck. The fork has 4 tines, the only decoration is the baluster shape where the tines join the handle. The handle is similar to the Cannon handle pattern of early English flatware. The fork is clearly hallmarked with makers mark LB at the end of the handle. Similar forks are illustrated in Heller's History of Cape Silver (Vol 2, pg. 82) by Johannes Heegers, and Welz's Cape Silver (pg. 68), these are by Johannes Combrink. Lodewyk Beck worked firstly from Shortmarket Street and then moved to Greenmarket Square, still today a vibrant market in the heart of Cape Town. Konfyt forks were made and sold as individual items, and are described by Welz as "having a great deal of charm" (pg. 65, Cape Silver, Welz). Note - We have a matching fork S11422.

A rare Cape silver condiment ladle, this is only the 2nd one we have encountered. The ladle is Fiddle pattern, similar in shape to a salt spoon, but with a long elegant handle, 3 to 4 cm longer than a salt spoon, the bowl is also more angled, and the handle has a very pronounced turn over for ease of use. The bowl is gilded, the original gilding is in quite good condition, a deep gold colour inside the bowl (note scratches from use), much more faded on the bowl exterior, but still visible. The ladle has 2 notches on the rear of the handle, where an extension was added to the more usual sized salt spoon, but we are confident this is original, as no solder marks are visible, so we imagine it was made on special order. The hallmarks are clear, makers mark LT and 4 pseudo hallmarks (crowned leopards head, date letter a, duty mark and lion passant), this is mark 135 in Cape Silver by Welz. Note: We have sold a previous Cape silver condiment ladle, S11128, by Fredrik Waldek, who took over Twentyman's shop on the He...

A set of 5 Fiddle pattern Cape silver tableforks, made by Willem Lotter. The forks are quite long and elegant, with bevelled edges, quite attractive and pleasing quality. All 5 forks are struck with makers mark WGL in irregular punch between 2 oval devices (Welz mark 88). Welz depicts this mark as a face, we are not convinced, this requires further research. Willem Gotfried Lotter worked between 1810 and 1835, his father (also Willem Gotfried) was also a silversmith, they shared the same punches. Lotter died in Richmond, which was established as a spa town for sufferers of tuberculosis.

A Cape silver teaspoon in the Fiddle pattern, with excellent Cape silver hallmarks. The spoon is engraved C.V.N.O. Schultz 1862, we assume the original owner, this engraving is very crisp and clear. The hallmarks are excellent, and include makers mark JJV in an unusual 6 sided punch (Welz mark 161), pseudo sterling lion, and pseudo duty mark (Queen Victoria's head with good detail, and hair bun). Jacobus Vos worked from 127 Long Street, unfortunately he died young, age 27, unmarried, which is a pity as he produced good quality silver. Note: We have been informed that C.V.N.O. Schultz could possibly be Constand (Constant) Van Nuldt Onkruidt Schultz, who was born in Cape town 13/11/1824, son of Jacob Schultz and Catharina Fredrica Van Nuldt Onkruidt. He married Martinet (Martha) Maria van der Poel in Cape Town on 15/02/48. He died on 16/04/1863 in Stellenbosch, his death notice recorded him as "small farmer". The spoon is dated the year defore his death, so possibly it was anticipated and he had the spoon (s) m...

A set of 3 Fiddle pattern Cape silver tablespoons, which are notable for their strong colonial feel, being slightly crude in nature, and with hand hammered stems. Each spoon is slightly different, clearly each spoon was made by hand, probably in primitive conditions. The drops are also crude, and have an amateurish feel, perhaps these were made by a novice apprentice? All 3 spoons have pseudo hallmarks, date letter a, date letter B and duty head, with no makers mark. The shape of the outline of date letter B is notched on both sides, making it very distinctive - hence our attribution to Peter Clarke Daniel (mark 41, Cape Silver by Welz). Mark 41 has the 2 date letters (a and B) together, with the duty mark - given the outline and occurrance we are pretty certain the same punches were used, but perhaps not by Peter Daniel himself. Further research is required, as we know Cape silversmiths occasionally interchanged punches amongst one another.

A fabulous pair of scarce Kings Fiddle Husk tablespoons, of exceptional quality and weight, made by Elizabeth Eaton. These spoons both weigh over 105 grammes each, amongst the heaviest we have encountered. The spoons have the Husk heel, and have no initials or engraving. Kings Husk pattern is a scarce variant of the Kings pattern, the most obvious difference being the omission of the central honeysuckle and a husk shell rather than a concave shell (Pickford, Silver Flatware, pg 136). In addition there is no shell on the back. It was first produced during the Regency, Paul Storr also produced this pattern. The hallmarks are clear on both spoons, including makers mark EE in a bifoil punch, for Elizabeth Eaton. Eaton inherited the firm in 1845 on the death of her husband William, her son John joined the business in 1854, they sold the business to Henry Holland in 1864. (Culme, Directory of Gold and Silversmiths, pg 134). The firm had a good reputation, Elizabeth Eaton exhibited silver spoons and forks at the Gr...

A pair of Irish Provincial silver teaspoons, in the Fiddle pattern, with STERLING hallmarks. The spoons have original owners initials SL, small and engraved by hand, very provincial in nature. Both spoons are clearly hallmarked "STERLING", well struck and clear, but the punch a little worn, and the letters quite crude and blurry - so a home made punch. This mark was used by Silversmiths in both Cork and Limerick, more research on the style of the punch is required.

A sterling silver brooch of a Protea, a popular South African flowering plant found in fynbos areas, sometimes called sugarbush. The brooch is good quality, and is clearly hallmarked "CANDIDA" and "STER SILV". Candida is a brand name used by South African jeweller and silversmith Joe Calafato between 1947 and 1972, but with the addition of the ster silv mark we can date this piece to between 1947 and 1951. Calafato has been described as the "South African King of Silver" (source ASCAS website), he worked until 1984. He was born in Mozambique of Sicilian parents in 1912, and worked from Pretoria, South Africa. He is known for his African themes.

A Georgian Irish silver sugar bowl, made by Charles Townsend in Dublin around 1780. The bowl is circular with a fluted design and a flat fold over gadrooned rim, supported by three cast silver shell knuckle hoof feet, we love these feet. The base of the bowl is engraved with original owners initials P over M M, this is alongside the hallmarks. The bowl is clearly hallmarked with the Irish Hibernia and Crowned Harp, next to makers mark CT for Charles Townsend, who worked in Dublin between 1773 and 1790. This is a large bowl, more suitable today for bon-bons, it will hold a lot of sugar! The size and design is typical of the period for Irish silver, a number of other examples have survived. A similar shaped bowl but with different design, but with identical feet, now in the National Museum of Ireland. can be seen in a colour photograph in the book "Collecting Irish Silver" by Douglas Bennett (a book we highly recommend), page 63 and 65. The Metropolitan Museum also has a very similar fluted bowl, also by Charl...

A Cape silver tablefork in the Old English pattern, with 4 tines. The fork was made by Johannes Combrink who worked between 1814 and 1853. The hallmarks are well struck and clear, Welz mark 24, makers mark IC with canted corners and anchor hallmark.

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...

A lovely Campari sterling silver wine label, with a very unusual but attractive design. The label has pierced scrolls and leaves on the side and below, and 5 semi-circular half domes on top. This is a good quality label, certainly made by a master craftsman. The label has 2 hallmarks, a stamped 925 indicating sterling grade silver, and a punched STG also indicating sterling silver. Unfortunately for such a lovely label it has no town or makers mark, we are guessing Italy as based on it being a Campari label, but it could also be American? We welcome suggestions on its origin, thanks. Note - we have now acquired 2 additional wine labels in the same design, for Whisky and Gin respectively. We now believe the labels to be South African in origin, and are researching the additional hallmarks.

A lovely pair of Cape silver konfyt (preserve) forks in the Fiddle pattern with 4 tines, the forks are in excellent condition and have no engraving. Both forks have clear hallmarks, makers mark W.M and the Cape Stub mark (see our articles section) consisting of 4 English pseudo hallmarks, Lion passant, date letter capital A, Georgian kings head duty mark and leopards head (town mark for London).This is mark 100 in the book Cape Silver by Welz, except the makers mark he depicts does not have the dot between the W and M, which shows Moore had at least 2 different punches. Konfyt forks are typically Cape, they were made and sold as individual items, and are described by Welz as "having a great deal of charm" (pg 65, Cape Silver, Welz). William Moore was a goldsmith and jeweller who worked between 1840 and 1863 from St Johns Street, Cape Town, Parliament is located on St Johns street so it was a prestigious location.

A rare Irish provincial sterling silver teaspoon made by Isaac Solomon of Cork, with excellent hallmarks. The teaspoon is Fiddle pattern, the bowl is elongated with a strong tip, more European than English in style. The spoon is engraved with original owners initials II. The hallmarks are excellent, "I.SOLOMON" and "STERLING" in serrated punch, these are well struck, but the sterling punch shows sign of wear. Solomon was born around 1775 and died in 1845, he worked from Patrick's Street, Cork. A number of items with makers mark IS have also been ascribed to Solomon, it is probable that these should be ascribed to John Seymour, and not Solomon. Solomon was a jeweller and silversmith, his working dates beyond 1810 are not known.

A lovely pair of Cape silver teaspoons in the Fiddle pattern, in excellent condition and with very clear hallmarks. The spoons are clearly hand made, you can see very slight differences in the shape and size of the Fiddle and bowl shape when comparing closely. The spoons are good quality and a good weight. The spoons have no engraving with no initials removed, completely original. Both spoons are clearly hallmarked with 4 pseudo hallmarks, all struck individually in the same order - pseudo duty mark, bird, pseudo Edinburgh Castle town mark and pseudo date letter B. This is mark 134 in the book "Cape Silver and Silversmiths" by Stephan Welz, without makers mark - but clearly Twentyman as he was the only Cape silversmith who used these punches. Twentyman was the most prolific of all Cape silversmiths, he had the first shop on Heerengracht (now Adderley Street) with a shop window. He worked between 1818 and 1837. We really like these spoons. Note - we have a matching set of 6 , S 11196.

A rare Georg Jensen sterling silver # 42 pattern fork, this design has been called pea pod. The fork is hand hammered, with hammer marks visible, this is a lovely fork, exceptional quality. The fork has 4 tines, and at 14.5 cm length could be either a Child's fork, or small serving fork (ideal for cold cuts). The design is informally known as pea pod, but officially just called pattern # 42. The design is lovely, with 6 cast peas alongside a series of leaves, it has also incorrectly been described as "flattened magnolia". Georg Jensen himself produced this design in 1918, it is one of the "Numbered Ornamental Pieces" that were made in small quantities so not often found. It is depicted in the book "Georg Jensen A Traditional of Splendid Silver", by Janet Drucker, pages 290 and 291, we highly recommend this book. The hallmarks are clear, 42 (pattern number) above Georg Jensen in dotted oval, above "STERLING DENMARK".

An extremely rare antique 9 carat solid gold spoon, probably made as a special commission. The spoon has a cast Griffin head above a Marquess coronet finial, the detail is lovely. The handle is twisted, and the bowl has scalloped edges, and is engraved with the original owners initials WDB. The quality is excellent, this would have been an expensive item when made. The spoon is made of 9 carat rose gold, and has been gilded in 18 carat yellow gold to enhance it's appearance. The rose and yellow gold accents accenuate the Griffin, the back of the bowl is rose gold, and the engraved initials show the rose gold coming through. We are informed by a leading London dealer that plating in 18 carat gold did occur during the period on high end goods. The hallmarks are excellent, and include makers mark BHJ, 9 and 375 for 9 carat gold, Birmingham city mark and date letter r for 1891. Additional 9 carat marks are present on the bowl. B.H. (Barnet Henry) Joseph & Co. were founded in 1865, by 1889 they were "one of the la...

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...

A pair of Cape silver table forks in the Fiddle pattern, without any engraving. The forks are in excellent condition, they have not seen much use at all. Both forks are clearly hallmarked with makers mark LT and 4 pseudo hallmarks (lion passant, duty mark, date letter a and crowned leopard's head town mark), this is mark 135 in the book Cape Silver by Stephan Welz.

A Tiffany & Co sterling silver pillbox, modelled as a nut or peach pit. The box is cast silver, and has lovely texture, it is a pleasure to hold. The interior reads "Tiffany & Co, 925, Sterling, Italy" Italy is one of the few locations outside of USA that Tiffany has used to manufacture jewellery and silver items.