Old Friends  
4186f   $44.00

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Marked "F&H" for Boston manufacturer "Farrington & Hunnewell" and "S.M. Hewett" for Putnam, Connecticut jeweler, this 7" long, just over .8 T. oz., piece dates to the mid 19th century.

A slender piece, it is a master butter, or possibly a pickle, knife.

The shoulders of the handle are angular, while the smooth surface is extensively engraved in a diamond cut and wriggle work design that is character of this period Boston silver.

The pattern on this is particularly appealing in that it... Click for details

Old Friends  
4180f   $46.00

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Dating from the mid 19th century, this pair of matched spoons each measure 7 3/8" long and weigh 1.7 T. oz. combined.

A "Fiddle Tipt" pattern, they would have been place pieces in their period, slightly larger than a contemporary dessert or oval soup, and smaller than a tablespoon.

They are stamped "L[eander]. Amadon" for the silversmith and jeweler who worked in Bellows Falls, Vermont.

Never monogrammed, they are in very fine estate condition, showing no polishing wear and having... Click for details

Old Friends  
4179f   $85.00

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Lengthy at 6 1/16" each, and weighing 2.4 T. oz. the lot, these four matching spoons date from the mid 19th century.

They have broad, upturned handles with "Tipt" ends, with the name "Maggie" finely engraved in script set sideways on them.

The shoulders off the bowls are high, chamfered, and rounded, while the backside heel drops are smooth.

They are stamped on the reverses "J.G. Griswold" (Johnson Gage), "Hartford," and with a right facing "eagle," which John R. McGrew in his... Click for details

Old Friends  
4158f   $22.00

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In his benchmark work Gorham Silver 1831-1981, Charles Carpenter dates "Tipt" to 1840, which is consistent with the appearance of this widely produced pattern in coin silver.

This 5 3/4" long, just over .6 T. oz. teaspoon, however, is marked "Sterling," which dates it well beyond 1840. Gorham in actuality produced this design for an extensive period, as this piece evidences.

Other marks include the company's "lion, anchor, G" emblem and "T" which is a weight designation for "trade."... Click for details

Old Friends  
4156f   $38.00

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Dating from the mid 19th century, this 7" long, 1.0 T. oz., spoon is stamped "S. Kirk & Son" for the Baltimore silversmith whose name bespeaks that city. It is also marked "10.15" for one of the peculiar-to-Baltimore silver assay standards, essentially equivalent to coin and used 1830-61.

A place piece, it would translate to today's oval soup or dessert spoon.

It has a plain, rounded end, handle with a subtle "Tipt" backside and exposed drop on the bowl reverse. There are high, angular and... Click for details

Old Friends  
4148f   $34.00

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Stamped for the mid 19th century partnership of Lewis Voute and Jeremiah Groff, clock and watchmakers and silver retailers, Philadelphia, each of these two, matched, coin silver spoons measures 5 3/4" long, while the pair together weigh 1.0 T. oz.

A "Fiddle Tipt" pattern, they have broad, upturned, ends, high, pointed, shoulders off the bowls, and exposed drops on the bowl backsides.

They are engraved "MEN" in feathered script lettering set sideways on the handle fronts.

Clean pieces,... Click for details

Old Friends  
4144f   On Hold

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Measuring 6 1/2" long and weighing 1.2 T. oz., this sugar sifter has a round, 2" diameter, 1/2" deep, flat bottomed bowl that is finely pierced in a leaf design.

It is stamped with a French first standard (.950) Minerva head and the mark of Edouard Ernie, Paris, 1882 onward.

The solid silver handle is cast, straight, tubular, and features an acanthus leaf finial with additional leaf detailing along the shank and on the backside where it attaches to the bowl.

The bowl is gold washed... Click for details

Old Friends  
4110f   $65.00

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This 7" long place or dessert spoon stands apart on several counts, the first of which is its exceptionally heavy weight at marginally over 2.0 T. oz.

Secondly, marked "Tiffany & Co.," it traces to the early years of the firm when it operated solely as a retailer.

In this case the maker was Henry Hebbard, whose three part "star, H, anchor" pseudo hallmark appears on the handle backside.

Thirdly, it is to a coin silver standard, so stamped, which is unusual for Tiffany which prompted,... Click for details

Old Friends  
4109f   $65.00

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A 6 1/2" long piece, this cream ladle weighs just over .5 T. oz.

Dating circa 1840, it is marked "B&C" for the Hartford, Connecticut partnership of Edward Bolles and Lucius Childs.

It has a raised "Sheaf of Wheat" motif on the end of the rounded, down-turned, handle, and a long, slender shank with chamfered edges.

The 1 3/4" by 1 1/2" by 1/4" ovoid bowl has a line drop on the backside.

There is a script letter "EET" monogram set sideways on the handle.

In excellent condition, it... Click for details

Old Friends  
4107f   $42.00

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All of these three matched spoons measure 5 7/8" long, have large, feathered script "MSF" monograms, and are marked "Storrs & Cooley Utica" for a partnership with dates 1831-39. The group weigh just over 1.5 T. oz.

They have "Fiddle" shaped handles with plain, rounded ends, and high, slight and chamfered, shoulders off the slender and slightly pointed bowls.

The backsides are plain with no drops on the bowls.

In very good condition, they are without polishing wear, bends, cracks, or... Click for details

Old Friends  
4080f   $38.00

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The engraved scrolling acanthus leaf design on this "Reverse Tipt" with thumb drop backside, 7" long, 1.3 T. oz., place or dessert spoon, was a common motif (with variants) used in Baltimore from the mid 19th century forward. It eventually became regularized in the "Mayflower" line pattern produced by Kirk-Stieff.

This piece was made by Andrew Elliott Warner, a prominent 19th century Baltimore silversmith, and is stamped with his name, along with the peculiar-to-Baltimore "11" ounce standard... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20191123-02   $120.00

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Offered is an excellent example of late 18th Century American silver sugar tongs, in this case by noted Albany, New York silversmith Isaac Hutton. See my other listings for a 1780s example by Hutton in partnership with John Folsom. The tongs in this listing were made by Hutton probably during the period between 1790 and 1796 when he working alone in Albany. These tongs have great wrigglework decoration and an engraved period block letter set of owner's initials. One really unusual feature... Click for details

Old Friends  
4039f   $22.00

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Measuring 4" long and weighing 7 grams (just over .2 T. oz.), this master salt spoon features a pronounced "Fiddlet Tipt" handle, with high, pointed, shoulders off the shovel form bowl.

It is marked "J.T & E.M.E. Chicago," whom John McGrew in his Manufacturing Marks on American Coin Silver identifies as J.T. and E.M. Edwards, working 1852-64.

There is a finely engraved, script letter, "HPC" set sideways on the handle.

Essentially without wear, it remains well-shaped, free of... Click for details

Old Friends  
4028f   $65.00

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Relatively lengthy at 6", with slender, "Fiddle Tipt" handles in a style that is particular to Baltimore where they were made, this group of four, matching, teaspoons weigh 2.3 T. oz.

Each one is stamped "S. Kirk & Son" along with the standard mark "10.15," which is roughly equivalent to coin silver. This specific combination of marks was used 1846-61.

Each piece has a feathered script "EVE" monogram engraved on the front and an exposed thumb drop on the bowl reverse.

In exceptionally... Click for details

Gebelein  
5448   $70.00

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Fiddle, downturned handles, rounded fins, tipt. Length 8-3/4", weight 1.325 troy ounces each. The book NY State Silversmiths says he worked in Oswego NY in 1845,Danville NY in 1847,Painesville OH in 1850, and Milwaukee WI in 1858. The monogram is a script M.P. Allis (which might help identify Matson's location when he made the spoons). Overall and mark condition are excellent.

Old Friends  
4016f   $36.00

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A prominent name in New York City silver manufacturing for approximately four decades, William Gale, working alone and in several partnerships, produced some of that city's most impressive flat and hollow ware of its time.

This 8 1/2" long, 1.3 T. oz., place or table spoon, is an early example of his work and while showing the quality of craft for which Gale was known, is beguilingly simple compared to his later work.

The arced, "Reverse Tipt" handle is inscribed with a script "AJ"... Click for details