Old Friends  
4354f   $120.00

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An elegant item that measures 8 3/4" long and weighs approximately 1.4 T. oz., this berry spoon has a twisted stem, broad, finely engraved, anthemion-shaped, handle end with a scalloped edge, and a gold washed, shell bowl.

One of two matching pieces, this is an endearing presentation item, presumably memorializing a twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. It is engraved in feathered script lettering "JTC/1844-1869/MLC."

It is also marked "Coin" and with James Watts' "horse head over chevron"... Click for details

Old Friends  
4353f   On Hold

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This 7 1/2" long, 1.7 T. oz., likely fish but possibly master butter, knife is an unusual form.

It has a solid, rounded end, flat, handle that is engraved front and back sides with an anthemion design, as well as a Victorian period "MSS" monogram.

A pointed end, symmetrical, sword-like blade is set at a right angle to this. It is engraved in a leaf pattern that is compatible with the design on the handle.

Marked "Sterling," there is no maker's identification, although the style suggests... Click for details

Old Friends  
4352f   $225.00

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Mid 19th century Hudson River Valley in origin, these six, 6 7/8" long, 6.8 T. oz. the lot, coin silver tea or dessert forks are all stamped with the "star, lion, D" pseudo hallmark of Newburgh silversmith John L. Westervelt, and the name "G[eorge]. W. Halliwell," for the nearby Poughkeepsie silversmith and jeweler.

The are an "Oval Thread" pattern, with each piece engraved with a script letter "M.H.H." monogram set sideways on the handle.

A matched set of forks of this vintage is a... Click for details

Old Friends  
4351f   $46.00

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Measuring 6" long and standing 2" high, this natural bristle clothes brush is stamped with Gorham's "lion, anchor, G" emblem and "Sterling" on one end, and with model number "607" and a date symbol that appears to be the one for "1896" on the other end.

The silver cover is chased in a rich floral repousse design with a central reserve, which in this instance is engraved with a line script "MBW" monogram.

Practical as well as decorative, this remains in very fine condition. The silver is... Click for details

Old Friends  
4350f   $165.00

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As noted by Dorothy Rainwater in her benchmark work Encyclopedia of American Silversmiths, early 20th century, New York City manufacturer and retailer Currier & Roby "specialized in the reproduction of antique silver holloware and flatware, mostly English and American."

Related they became well-regarded representatives of the Arts & Crafts movement as their methods of production embraced that mode.

This 7 1/2" maximum diameter, 2.2 T. oz., solid silver, over-the-cup, tea strainer... Click for details

Old Friends  
4349f   $36.00

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A company known for its Art Nouveau designs, Unger Brothers' "Narcissus" pattern in this mode differs from the interpretation of other manufacturers, as evidenced by this 6 1/2" long, just over .5 T. oz., olive spoon.

It features the blossom from a straight on rather than the more typical profile, perspective, lending it a star-like imagery. It also incorporates long trailing leaves tracing down the handle as well as serving as a backdrop for the flower.

This has, fittingly, an... Click for details

Old Friends  
4348f   $32.00

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The "R pellet H" and "lion" mark on this 3 1/2" long, 6 gram (.2 T. oz.), spoon could indicate any of three generations of London silversmiths named Robert Hennell, although the "Hanoverian" style handle with a midrib and upturned end date it to the 18th century and thereby suggest the first in the line.

It has an unusual shovel form bowl with rippled sides, rather than the typical hemispherical shape.

Without a monogram or inscription, it remains in very good condition. Without bends or... Click for details

Old Friends  
4347f   On Hold

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A pattern originated by New York's John Polhamus and later continued by George Shiebler, "Diamond" is an elaborate Gothic Revival design.

This 7 1/8" long, approximately 1.0 T. oz., preserve spoon is stamped with Shiebler's early "GW over S" mark, "Pat. 74," "Sterling," and the name of the retailer, Boston's "Palmer, Bachelder & Co."

A striking feature of the piece is the shovel-shaped bowl with scalloped edges, a grooved base, and a finely engraved, gold washed surface. This form is... Click for details

Old Friends  
4346f   $46.00

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The "eagle, H, bust" pseudo hallmark imprinted on the backside of this 5 7/8" long, weighty feeling approximately 1.0 T. oz., coin silver spoon is attributed to maker Richard Huntington of Utica, New York, 1823-55, and prior, 1811-23, Springfield, Massachusetts.

It is also stamped "A.J. Evans," for Alfred, who operated as a Binghamton, New York jeweler beginning in 1830.

It has a "Fiddle Tipt" handle with a finely rendered, feathered script "NHP" monogram engraved sideways on the front.... Click for details

Old Friends  
4345f   On Hold

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A charming Georgian period piece, this 4 1/4" long, .3 T. oz. (9 grams), English spoon bears a lion passant for sterling silver, and the marker's mark "W.C."

These letters (with a period between them) along with the mid 18th century style of the piece indicate either silversmith William Cripps or William Chatterton, both of London.

The handle is "Hanoverian," with a midrib on the front and a rattail on the bowl reverse.

One online source notes that the rattail was "a continuation of the... Click for details

Old Friends  
4344f   $72.00

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Measuring 7" long and weighing approximately 1.6 T. oz., this master butter knife is an original example of Reed & Barton's "Les Six Fleurs," a pattern issued in 1901.

It is marked with the company's "eagle, R in a shield, lion" emblem, "Pat. Appl'd For," and "Sterling" on the reverse, all in precise, fine lettering as would be expected of an original piece.

It is also engraved on the reverse in a period, flowing, feathered script, "EOA" monogram.

An extravagant design, the multi-floral... Click for details

Old Friends  
4343f   On Hold

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A short-lived company, the "Northwestern Silver Ware Manufacturing Company" was "founded [in Chicago] shortly after the Civil War" and never rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1871, according to Dorothy Rainwater's Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers.

Rainwater identifies the company as "manufacturers of silverplated wares," but as this 6 1/2" long, .8 T. oz., pickle fork marked "900/1000" for coin confirms, the company also offered solid silver items as well.

A particularly... Click for details

Old Friends  
4340f   $100.00

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This George III fork is fully hallmarked for Dublin, Ireland, 1812, and sterling silver. The maker's letters are "TT," which is likely Thomas Townsend or possibly Thomas Tudor, and "Law" for retailer William Law.

A dinner fork, it is a lengthy 8" and is exceptionally heavy at 2.4 T. oz.

Very finely crafted, it is a "Tipt" aka "Fiddle Tipt" pattern, with high, angular shoulders off the gracefully curved heel of the bowl. The four elongated tines are slender and pointed.

The handle... Click for details

Old Friends  
4339f   $48.00

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A substantially sized item that measures 7 1/2" long and weighs just under 1.4 T. oz., this master butter knife traces to mid 19th century Boston.

It is stamped "Shreve, Brown & Co.," which was an 1857-60 partnership in the chain of evolution for the firm that eventually became Boston's carriage trade "Shreve, Crump & Low."

It is also marked "Sterling," which is early for this period when coin silver was the prevailing silver standard.

The handle is an upturned "Oval Thread," plain on... Click for details

Old Friends  
4338f   $70.00

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Dating from the mid 19th century, this preserve or jelly spoon measures 7 1/4" long and weighs 1.0 T. oz.

It is stamped on the backside of the handle "J.E. Caldwell & Co." for the renowned Philadelphia jeweler and retailer of fine goods, and "Pure Coin," suggesting this piece may have been sourced from a New England manufacturer, given this term was typically used in that area.

It has a twisted central stem, with a broad, plum-shaped, tipt backside, end that is extensively engraved with... Click for details

Old Friends  
4337f   $125.00

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An unnamed pattern identified as "Number 128" by one source, the design on this pair of 4 1/8" long, relatively heavy .8 T. oz., sugar tongs, aka nips, features open, double lined, handles, with a cluster of grapes or other berries hanging in the center.

Made by Georg Jensen, whose work essentially launched the Danish Modern design movement in silver, this is stamped with an early "GI" maker's mark, "Sterling," and "Denmark."

The arms are solid, square, decorated with leaf and berry... Click for details