Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230603-02   $22.00

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Offered is an excellent American coin silver teaspoon by Cincinnati silversmith Wilson McGrew working alone, initialed "SAK" in period script; it measures about 6 1/4 inches in length and weighs about 24 grams. Condition is excellent, with minimal wear and no dents, splits or repairs. All in all a perfect example for display or for daily use!

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230603-01   $20.00

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Offered is a nice American coin silver teaspoon by William Wilson McGrew and also bearing a city mark of CIN; this piece is engraved "LR" in period script. It measures about 6 inches in length and weighs about 17 grams. Condition is good overall, with some wear and signs of use, but no splits or repairs. All in all a nice Cincinnati coin silver spoon!

Old Friends  
5319f   $235.00

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Dating circa 1860, this 9 1/4" long, solid weight at 2.4 T. oz., pie server is an early example of California (coin) silver.

It is stamped on the handle backside, "Vanderslice & Co. S.F. Cal." for the firm established in 1858 which, as recounted in Silver in the Golden State, became "the longest lived of the nineteenth-century San Francisco manufacturing firms," suggesting that this piece, unlike much California silver of the period, was regionally produced.

The handle is a... Click for details

Old Friends  
5315f   $36.00

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Dating circa 1840, this 6 1/2" long, .7 T. oz., Tipt aka Fiddle Tipt spoon is stamped "F. Franks & Co." and "Dollars."

Lacking a certain attribution, Catherine Hollan in her Philadelphia Silversmiths writes, "The firm is unidentified, probably from New Hampshire or New England where "DOLLAR[S]" is used [although this term, designating a coin silver standard, is not exclusive to New England]."

She further notes, however, that Yale University Art Gallery has spoons [with... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230529-01   $18.00

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Offered is a very nice early 19th Century American coin silver teaspoon by Newburgh, New York silversmith Joseph Reeves (1773-1828), working in Newburgh between 1800-13 and 1820-28 alone, and from 1813-20 in partnerships. This teaspoon has a very rubbed but somewhat legible maker's mark and a nice period engraved script "MB" monogram. It measures about 5 3/8 inches in length and weighs about 10 grams. Condition is good overall, with a few small dings to the bowl and signs of use, but no... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230528-04   Sold

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Offered is a very nice pair of circa 1810-25 American coin silver teaspoons by noted Massachusetts and (from 1795 onwards) Connecticut silversmith Jacob Sargeant, working in Hartford, CT from 1795-1838. These teaspoons are each initialed "CS" in period script and each bears a good clear strike of Jacob Sargeant's maker's mark. These spoons measure a little over 5 1/2 inches in length, and the pair weighs 32 grams, or one troy ounce, altogether. Condition is fairly good overall, with some... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230528-03   Sold

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Offered is a fine and scarce example of an early American coin silver pictureback spoon other than a birdback - in this case a sheaf-of-wheat back spoon by William Haverstick of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Haverstick family are the only silversmiths who offered a sheaf-of-wheat decoration on the backs of their spoons, and William Haverstick also made birdback spoons. This spoon is initialed in period script (perhaps "ED"), and the maker's mark and die-struck sheaf of wheat decoration to the... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230528-02   Sold

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Offered is a very scarce American coin silver teaspoon bearing the maker's mark of Alexander Richardson, working as a silversmith in Pittsburgh from about 1835 to 1850, and listed in tax rolls from 1839-50. Alexander was not able to achieve success with the business, and possibly died early, as the business was passed on to his brother Henry Richardson, whose mark is somewhat more commonly seen. This teaspoon is initialed "NW" in period script and bears a very clear strike of Alexander... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230528-01   Sold

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Offered is an extremely rare example of the work of Philadelphia silversmith George Harford (fl. 1789-1826), the first I've come across in decades. This example is a pictureback (birdback) teaspoon featuring a husky eagle with shield, making this piece even more special. This spoon has a rubbed but legible maker's mark for George Harford, a period engraved monogram of "MAH", and a well-preserved example of his die-struck eagle and shield decoration to the back of the bowl. This spoon measures... Click for details

Old Friends  
5301f   $115.00

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Founded in Providence, Rhode Island, by William B. Fessenden (who had a prior working history in Boston with various and New York City with Whiting) in 1858, the firm that bore his name was one of numerous silver manufacturers located in the Providence to North Attleboro, Massachusetts corridor, all anchored by Gorham. Given this concentration of industry, there was a body of skilled workers in the area available to Fessenden, which enabled it to produce quality items from its onset.

This... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230507-06   $49.50

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Offered is a good set of five American coin silver teaspoons clearly struck with the maker's mark of Richard Huntington of Utica; this mark has been observed with a Utica city mark on other spoons, though only the maker's mark appears on this set. These spoons have no monogram or obvious sign of erasure. They measure about 5 3/4 inches in length on average and weigh a total of about 73 grams. Condition is good overall, with some small bumps and dings to the bowls of most spoons, but no splits... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230507-05   $14.00

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Offered is a nice Gorham coin silver salt spoon with early maker's marks, circa the 1850s. This piece is engraved with a period script monogram. It measures about 3 3/4 inches in length and weighs about 7 grams. Condition is excellent overall, with minimal wear and no dents, splits or repairs. All in all a nice useful American silver salt spoon!

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230507-03   $16.00

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Offered is a worn but nice early 19th Century New York City coin silver spoon by little-known silversmith James Lockward. The NY Historical Society has a spoon by this maker, previously owned by Eric Shrubsole. This spoon is in the fiddle shell pattern, and has a worn period script monogram as well as a good clear maker's mark and a later, but still 19th Century, monogram to the back. This spoon measures about 5 3/4 inches in length and weighs about 18 grams. Condition is fair, with some... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230507-02   Sold

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Offered is a really lovely early 19th Century American coin silver spoon made by Thomas Sargeant (fl. 1795-1821), who worked in Springfield, Massachusetts. Thomas took over the shop of his brother Jacob in 1795 when Jacob moved to Connecticut. This spoon is engraved with a [period script monogram of "CF" and the back of the handle also has a 19th Century engraved date of 1793 (presumably the birth date or marriage date of the original owner). Thomas Sargeant's maker's mark well struck and... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230507-01   $24.00

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Offered is a nice American coin silver salt spoon from the first half of the 19th Century, by little known maker or retailer Charles Lord, working in Portland, ME. This piece has a period engraved script monogram of "EW" and a good clear maker's mark of C.LORD in a rectangular punch. It measures about 4 1/8 inches in length and weighs about 9 grams. Condition is excellent, with minimal wear and no dents, splits or repairs. All in all a nice example of a rarely seen Maine silversmith's or... Click for details

Old Friends  
5297f   $44.00

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This 8 5/8" long, 1.2 T. oz., piece is a choice example of 1860s silver.

A table serving spoon, it is marked "Coin" and "Twambley & Cleaves" for the Biddeford, Maine, jeweler and silver retailer.

The handle is a Pointed Antique with a Tipt end. The surface is finely bright cut engraved in a period acanthus leaf design with a reserve area that is inscribed with a cursive "H" monogram.

The backside is plain save for the marks.

As noted, this is a quality item... Click for details