Old Friends  
5435f   On Hold

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Bearing two telling marks, "S. Kirk & Son" used by the renowned Baltimore firm 1846-51, and "10.15" for the distinctive regional silver standard designation which is slightly less than coin, this place spoon measures 7" long and weighs 1.06 T. oz. (33 grams).

A handsome and well crafted piece, it has a Fiddle shaped handle with a subtle Tipt backside. The bowl has an exposed drop, and high, pointed and beveled, fins at the join with the handle.

The handle front is engraved... Click for details

Old Friends  
5407f   $32.00

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Dating from the mid 19th century, these two matching master salt spoons each measure 3 3/4" long and weigh .6 T. oz. combined.

An Oval Thread pattern, they are stamped "Squire & Lander" for the New York City jeweler, along with the "star, lion, D" manufacturing mark of John L. Westervelt, Newburgh, New York.

The rounded bowls measure 1" by 3/4" and are moderately deep at 1/4".

They are engraved "Thorpe." in script set sideways on the handle fronts.

In excellent condition, the... Click for details

Old Friends  
5406f   $14.00

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This 5 1/2" long, approximately .4 T. oz., teaspoon is one of three matching, exquisitely made, New England origin, pieces dating from the 1850s.

It has a Fiddle Tipt handle that is engraved "S M R" in fine script lettering set sideways on the front.

The bowl is well-formed, proportionate, has a pointed end, and rounded, tapered fins at the join with the handle.

Coin silver, it is marked "R.R. Conn" for the Fitchburg, Massachusetts jeweler. While not an uncommon piece per se,... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230827-01   $48.00

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Offered is an interesting circa 1780 American coin silver spoon, perhaps by John Burger, or perhaps by John Benjamin (though it seems a few years too late for him), or another maker. The long drop on this spoon most resembles those on John Benjamin spoons (Burger's drops tend to be shorter and more pointed or cone shaped), adding to the mystery. This piece is struck twice with a maker's mark of I*B, and is engraved with a good period script monogram. This spoon measures about 4 5/8 inch... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230826-04   Sold

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Offered is a very nice table knife from France and probably the mid-19th Century - the knot-type pattern mixes well with a lot of coin silver patterns. This piece is marked with the 950 standard mark (Minerva head in a punch with clipped corners) adopted after 1838. There appears to be no maker's mark. This knife measures about 8 1/8 inches. It is not monogrammed or crested. Condition is very good overall, with minor wear from normal use but no notable dents and no splits or repairs. All... Click for details

Old Friends  
5382f   $55.00

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Measuring 5 5/8" long and weighing .8 T. oz., this sugar spoon was produced by Unger Brothers, Newark, New Jersey, whose entwined "UB" surrounded by "Sterling" and "925 Fine" mark appears on the backside.

The pattern is Douvaine, issued in 1904. Douvaine may be the most recognizable of the numerous early 20th century Art Nouveau flatware patterns Unger generated and for which the firm is renowned.

An expressive design, it features a dolphin or fish image at the tip of the... Click for details

Old Friends  
5341f   $38.00

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This coin silver teaspoon measures 5 7/8" long and weighs just under .5 T. oz. (14 grams).

It is marked "Benedict & Scudder" over "New York," a partnership dating 1828-36, with Andrew Comstock Benedict, who also worked independently, the more prominent and lasting name in silversmithing of the two.

The end of the handle features a raised Basket of Flowers. This, along with the Sheaf of Wheat motif, were two popular embellishments on the otherwise largely plain designs on... Click for details

Old Friends  
5327f   $70.00

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A large table or serving spoon, this piece measures 9" long and weighs 1.8 T. oz.

Coin silver, it is stamped "J. Guthre" for James Guthre, who worked in Wilmington, Delaware in the second quarter of the 19th century. References record him in partnership with Emmor Jefferis c. 1840.

Well-crafted, this has an exceptionally wide, flat with a slight downward arc, front with a subtle Tipt back, Fiddle handle.

This is engraved with a feathered, line script, "CP" monogram on the... Click for details

Old Friends  
5294f   $20.00

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Measuring 5 5/8" long and weighing .5 T. oz., this circa 1840 teaspoon has a double provenance.

It is marked "S. Ayers Elmira" for Socrates Ayers born in 1814. He worked in Elmira as a silversmith, watchmaker and jeweler until about 1877.

It is also stamped with a "star D star," which mark John McGrew in his Manufacturer's Marks on American Coin Silver attributes to an "Unidentified - Up-State New York" maker.

The handle is engraved "Ruth Burnham" in script lettering set sideways... Click for details

Old Friends  
5290f   $75.00

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Josephine was one of the earliest line patterns produced by Gorham, as indicated by the "Patent 1855" and "Coin" that appear on the backside of this example, which is a full-size, 7 1/2" long, just over 1.5 T. oz., dinner fork.

The design is characterized by a die struck leaf, scroll, and anthemion that appear on the handle obverse, minus the leaf on the backside, and an expanded leaf on the reverse heel.

This has a fancy, feathered script, "AP Borden"... Click for details

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2496   $125.00

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Albany circa 1790, rounded end with short back midrib and raised incised drop, monogrammed "P over L G" in period shaded block lettering, typical bright-cut and wriggle-work engraving, length 9 1/8 inches, weight 2.09 oz Troy.

There is a pinprick dent, visible mostly from the reverse, which we show in excruciating detail (see third enlargement); also an engraved inventory number, but aside from these issues the condition is very good.

Old Friends  
5260f   On Hold

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There were numerous members of the Pitkin family attached to the silver industry in Hartford and East Hartford, Connecticut over a span of many decades in the 19th century.

This 7 1/4" long, 1.1 T. oz., place, aka dessert or oval soup, spoon, is marked "W.L. & H.E. Pitkin," for the partnership between William Leonard and Horace Edward, 1863-94. Given this is also stamped "Coin," it traces to the earliest years of the pairing.

The pattern is undocumented, but is in the manner of a... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230306-01   Sold

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Offered is a very nice late 18th or early 19th Century Philadelphia coin silver teaspoon by silversmith Simon Daucé, circa 1798-1819. His work is quite scarce. This teaspoon measures about 5 1/4 inches in length and weighs about 8 grams. This piece has a rubbed but legible maker's mark and a block letter monogram. Condition is fair, with some surface wear and wear to the bowl, but no splits or repairs. Please click on the first picture to see all of the pictures. All in all a rare and... Click for details

Old Friends  
5231f   $85.00

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A matching group in a Tipt aka Fiddle Tipt pattern, three of these four (two shown) teaspoons measure 5 1/2" long and one measures 5 3/4". The three collectively weigh 1.6 T. oz., and the single one .6 T. oz.

They are of archival interest for both the maker and the retailer.

Stamped with Whiting's "winged lion and W" emblem and "Coin," they are very early examples of a major 19th century silver manufacturer's modest origins.

Well-crafted and precisely-formed items with... Click for details

Old Friends  
5203f   $345.00

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This 8" long, 2.3 T. oz., solid silver sugar sifter is high Victorian in style. It is also a study in the silversmithing art.

Hallmarked for London, 1875-76, sterling, with a Queen's duty head, and "HH" for maker Henry Holland (later Holland, Aldwinckle & Slater), it carries considerable provenance. Holland and the subsequent firm were recognized as one of the most significant English silver manufacturers of their time.

This is artful in multiple ways.

First to be noted is the overall... Click for details

Old Friends  
5198f   On Hold

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Designed and introduced by silversmith Albert Coles, New York City, in the mid 19th century, the flatware pattern Jenny Lind met with success in the marketplace and was in time produced by other manufacturers in addition to Coles.

This 8" long, approximately 1.6 T. oz., coin silver place spoon (tablespoon in today's usage) is an early example, stamped with Coles' three part emblem and the name of Rochester, New York retailer "[Elias S. and Jacob] Ettenheimer."

It is also engraved in... Click for details