A sterling silver stirrup cup with cast foxes head, on bell shaped cup. The fox has good detail and texture, the cup is a pleasing quality and weight. The cup is designed to stand both ways, so can stand upright on a tray when filled. This is a modern version, with clear hallmarks for Sheffield 1979, and is in excellent condition. Stirrup cups originated in the late 18th century, they are drinking vessels which were presented to riders on horseback prior to leaving or arriving home from a hunt, this happened whilst their feet remained in their stirrups. Most stirrup cups were crafted in shapes that were relevant to the hunt, such as a hound or fox head, as is represented here. Francis Howard was established in 1900 and still trades today from Sheffield.

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 collection of 4 Italian silver miniature horses, with lovely detail. The 2 smaller horses with jockey's are sterling 925, both of these are made in Arezzo by maker 122, both are on stands. The 2 larger horses are both 800 grade silver, they have no stands or jockeys, but stand beautifully on their feet (and tail for 1). One is made by Arezzo maker 373, the other by Vincenza maker 54, Menegutti Filli, who worked between 1949 and 2008. All 4 have small but clear hallmarks, post 1968. The weight of the 2 small sterling horses is 58 grammes, the 2 larger 800 grade horses weigh 127 grammes.

An interesting Royal Cape Golf Club silver commemorative medallion, celebrating it's 100 year anniversary in 1985. The obverse depicts 2 golfers with trees in the background, this is a faithful reproduction of the oldest known photograph showing golf being played in South Africa, which is owned by the Royal Cape Golf Club (see https://www.royalcapegolf.co.za/about). The medallion reads "LT. GEN SIR HENRY D'O TORRENS, FOUNDER OF THE CAPE GOLF CLUB, 14 NOV 1885, FIRST MONTHLY MEDAL, WATERLOO GREEN". The reverse has the logo of the Royal Cape Golf Club, with "100 CENTENARY 1885-1985". The medallion is hallmarked "SILVER", and has the number 115 stamped on the side. The medallion is perfectly preserved in it's original box, which reads "McCallum and Stevens Cape Town". The medallion is good quality and is also a good weight. Henry Torrens (1823-1889) was a British Army officer and Colonial Governor, he served in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and was awarded the French Legion of Honour in the Crimean war. He served i...

A Cape silver konfyt (preserve) fork in the Old English pattern, with 4 tines. The fork is good quality and is in excellent condition, with clear hallmarks. The fork has original owners engraved initials CB. The hallmarks consist of makers mark IC in between 2 castle devices (Welz mark 35, Cape Silver and Silversmiths). Johannes Combrink was born in the Cape in 1781, he married Aurelia Lotter in 1807 and died in 1853. He worked from Dorp Street.

A rare Carolean silver flat lidded tankard, made in London in 1668, which was part of Oxford's University Magdalen College silver plate. The tankard is the traditional shape of the period, tapering cylindrical with reeded borders, the flat lid with single step and single peak (lip). The flat hinge and hinge plates are cast, designed to withstand wear and tear. The thumbpiece is a double cusp. The massive scroll handle has underside curved into a half round, with hole, these handles were made in two pieces (myth has it that the hole was a whistle to call for more beer!, Waldron, Price Guide to Antique Silver, item 620, page 196). The tankard has been later engraved with the Magdalen College armorial, it reads "Magd: Coll: Athletic Sports, March 1861", and the lid is engraved with a wheatsheaf between wings armorial, the engraving is excellent quality and is beautifully preserved. The tankard has a full set of hallmarks on lid and base, Leopards head crowned and lion passant in irregular punch, date letter L fo...

A Cape silver tablespoon in the Fiddle pattern, with unascribed maker mark I.D. The spoon has original owners engraved initials, now worn, first letter probably A. The makers mark is very distinctive, I.D in serrated punch, between 2 five pointed stars. This mark is not described in any of the Cape silver textbooks. The reason for ascribing this maker to Cape is that 3 known examples have now appeared, and all were sourced in the Cape, hence the attribution. The first was posted in the WWW.925-1000 silver forum in 2012 by a Cape based South African dealer, where Dognose tentatively ascribed it to American silversmith Jabez Delano (1763-1848), see the post http://9251000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=31240. The photographs supplied have now been used on the ancestry website for Jabez Delano, in our view in error. A second tablespoon appeared on the website of South Africa's leading silver dealer, The Old Corkscrew, described as Cape but unascribed (we agree), item S373, www.theoldcorkscrew.co.za. This spoon is...

A lovely Victorian silver and enamel vesta case, featuring a seated pug on a red chair, with sky and trees in the background. The enamel is oval, with a twisted rope border, the vesta is rectangular with rounded corners, and a safety ring for connection to a chain. This is a substantial vesta case, larger than the traditional size, and quite heavy in the hand. The striker plate on the base is stamped "SIRUS PATENT", which we have observed on other vesta cases by Horton & Allday, it is a nice size and oval in shape, so easy to use. The rim is clearly hallmarked, including makers mark H&A for Horton & Allday, who worked between 1888 and 1933, they seem to have specialised in vesta cases and boxes.

A Cape silver tablespoon in the Old English pattern, with rare Cape hallmarks not shown by Welz in his book "Cape Silver and Silversmiths". The spoon has been well used, and has a small split (see condition description). The spoon has original owners initials CW engraved on it, the C is larger than the W, so probably done by the owner himself (overall quite quaint). The hallmarks consist of makers mark IL co-joined in oval punch, in between 2 "birds foot" devices, these marks are well struck and clear. The IL makers mark is mark 71 Welz, but the birds foot device is not recorded (Lotter also used a floral hallmark which is recorded). However, the birds foot device used by Lotter is recorded by Morrison (Silversmiths and Goldsmiths of the Cape of Good Hope, 1936, page 57, where this makers mark is pictured). A variant of this mark is also recorded by Heller (History of Cape Silver, 1949, page 151, mark MM40, which shows an extra arm to the birds foot). We can only assume this is a rare mark that was not seen b...

A rare solid silver version of the Voortrekker Aandenking (memorial) 1838 - 1938 bowl, in 835 grade silver. The circular bowl with foot is well modeled, with ox wagons on trek, with Boer (farmer) on horse, cattle in the foreground and mountains in the background, framed by trees. The other image is of the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, and in between are two lit candles in a candlestick, surrounded by chains, with Zulu shields above and ox horns below. One candle reads "VOORTREKKER AANDENKING", the other "1838 - 1938". This design was done by the famous South African artist JH Pierneef (1886-1957), probably South Africa's greatest landscape artist. The hallmarks are clear, and include makers mark V over moon for Zilverfabriek Voorschoten, and 835 indicating the grade of silver (835/1000). Zilverfabriek Voorschoten is a brand name of Koninklijke Van Kempen & Begeer, founded in 1764 and still in existence today, they moved from Utrecht to Voorschoten in 1858. The Voortrekker Aandenking bowls were made in a v...

A rare and possibly unique Chinese Export Silver Pickle Fork and matching spoon, with extremely long handles. The pair are in the Fiddle, Thread and Shell pattern, and have no engraving or monograms. Both items are just over 27 cm long, the spoon has a teaspoon sized bowl, and the fork has 4 long tines. Both are double struck (pattern on both sides), and interesting to note the spoon end turns down, while the fork turns up. The fork has the "Chevron seam found in Fiddle, Thread and Shell pattern flatware" (Forbes, Chinese Export Silver page 65), this is not visible on the spoon. The hallmarks on both items are clear, and include pseudo duty mark, makers mark KHC, pseudo crowned leopards head town mark, and pseudo lion passant. Khecheong was one of the most prolific Chinese Export silversmiths, he worked from Club Street, Honam Island, Canton between 1840 and 1870. He has been described as a "good silversmith" Forbes, Chinese Export Silver 1785-1885, page 255 - a book we highly recommend. A very similar long ...

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 beautiful Dutch silver chestnut vase, possibly made in the late 18th century by Hendrik Jurrien Wolters in Zutphen. The vase is urn shaped, on a stepped and reeded oval base, with matching reeded rim. The lid has an ivory oval baluster finial, capped with a silver ball, and the faint remains of an engraved crest and owners initials. The interior of the lid is gilded. The base interior has no gilding or engraving. The base has 3 hallmarks, cross (possibly Zutphen town mark), head or tree mark (similar to English Georgian duty mark), and makers mark HI or IH, or possibly even HP. We have tentatively identified this as Zutphen, given the similarity of the cross to the Zutphen town mark, and Hendrik Jurrien Wolters, who used a mark HIW (all assistance welcome). Previously this vase was described as Indian Colonial or Cape Silver by a Cape Town based auction house, we prefer the Dutch attribution, we even considered the vase could be Dutch Colonial in origin. This vase was also previously described as a tea cad...

A lovely set of 6 Royal commemorative silver spoons, made to celebrate 60 years on the throne for Queen Victoria. The spoons have twisted stems, with a crowned finial above VR for "Victoria Reigns", above silver ball. The bowls have an applied bust of the Queen, with engraved dates 1837 -1897, both the finials and spoon bowls are gilded. The quality is good, these would have been expensive spoons when new. The spoons are perfectly preserved in their original box, the retailer was George Edward & Sons of 92 Buchanan Street, Glasgow. All 6 spoons have clear hallmarks on the back of the bowls, including makers mark J.M.B. for John Millward Banks, which operated from 1863 to 1926, they specialised in souvenir spoons and other small items.

A Dutch silver coin box, a circular cylinder in shape, with Dutch coins set in the lid and the base. The cylinder is attractive, with detailed engraved decoration, 2 bands with a floral motif. The lid and base also have a textured gadrooned rim, which aids in opening and closing. The coin in the lid has a crowned W for Willem I of Holland, and date 1825. The coinin the base has crown over lion rampant holding sword and bushel, and denomination 10 c for ten cents, this coin is dated 1827 on the reverse in interior. The box is well made, and in excellent condition, perhaps it was intended for gambling counters. There are no hallmarks, but the coin in the lid is faintly engraved on the reverse with "B4565 over sla". One coin has the palm Brussels mint mark for GD Bourgogne Herlaer (1821-1830), the other has the mercury staff Utrecht Koninlijke Nederlandse mint mark.

A Patrick Mavros silver sculpture of a Cape Buffalo on a blackwood base, miniature in size. The buffalo is realistically modelled, this is one of Africa's "Big Five". The base has a silver PM button trademark, the buffalo is also fully hallmarked with PM makers mark and the Zimbabwe sable in triangle standard mark. Patrick Mavros (www.patrickmavros.com) has built a luxury Africa themed silver sculpture business over the last 35 years, he is based in Harare, with outlets in London, Mauritius and Nairobi. His customers include the Royal Family, Prince William and Kate are collectors. Other customers include JK Rowling and King Carlos of Spain. This model is still in production, and can be seen on the Mavros website.

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...

An interesting Old English pattern soup ladle, made in Newcastle in 1804 by Ann Robertson, widow of John Robertson I. The ladle is larger than usual, with a long bevelled handle, and original owners engraved script initials IAJ. The hallmarks, which are well struck and clear, are interesting as both the lion passant and the duty mark have been overstruck by a smaller different punch in each case. The hallmarks include makers mark AR, Newcastle townmarks (3 castles and leopard's head crowned), and date letter O for 1804. Both the lion passant and duty mark have been carefully overstruck in the top left hand corner, using smaller lion passant and duty mark punches, the duty punch outline is also a different shape. The care of the overstrike leads us to believe this was done deliberately by the assay office, perhaps to indicate a change of duty or the arrival of new punches in the Newcastle assay office. (we welcome assistance as to the cause of this interesting hallmarking anomaly). Note: Miles Harrison, in his...

An early Georg Jensen silver spoon in the Continental pattern, also called Antik pattern, made in 1927, The spoon is a lovely size and shape, and is is hand hammered, both on the back and front of the spoon bowl and the front of the handle. This is technically a "gumbo" spoon, a large spoon for Louisiana Gumbo, but is more suitable as a small serving spoon. The hallmarks are very clear, including the GJ over 830S makers and standard mark used between 1915-1930, and assay masters mark for Christian Heise (1904-1932). The third mark is the Danish three towers mark above 27 for 1927. The pattern is well described on the Scandinavian design website Fjorn (www.fjorn.com), as "Designed in 1906 by Georg Jensen, the Continental cutlery pattern was the first major cutlery range to emerge from the fledgling silversmithy that was established two years earlier in 1904. In designing Continental, Georg Jensen was inspired by the forms of traditional and centuries-old Nordic tools and implements. The lightly hammered surfac...

A rare World War I 9 carat gold and enamel sweetheart brooch for the South African Heavy Artillery, who served with distinction at Delville Wood. The badge consists of a springbok head above 2 crossed artillery guns, with "South African Heavy Artillery" below in gold letters with blue enamel (note slight loss to enamel between H AF and small chip before H in heavy). The brooch is cast, the quality is good, 2 different tones of gold have been used (yellow with red gold accents). The clasp connector and catch are also gold, but the pin is not. The hallmarks are clear, Birmingham 1917 with 9 and .375 marks for 9 carat gold, along with makers mark E.A.P&Co (not much is known about this firm, they worked in 1916 and 1917). The South African Heavy Artillery Brigade was part of the volunteer South African Overseas Expeditionary Force, who served during World War I between 1916 and 1918, in East Africa, Egypt, Palestine and the Western Front (Somme, Ypres, Passchendaele and Cambrai, notably Delville Wood).