Old Friends  
5392f   $195.00

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This pair of grape shears (identified as scissors in period catalogues) is a far more consequential item than most of its kindred examples.

Model number "1772" made by Whiting, and so identified on the collar of one handle, along with a "925/1000" sterling designation, they measure 6 5/8" long and weigh a substantial 4.63 T. oz.

The handles are cast and solid silver and constitute the bulk of the weight, with the plated steel cutting end the remaining portion of the total.

One of the... Click for details

Old Friends  
5389f   $85.00

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Finely crafted, this 8 5/8" long, 1.74 T. oz., serving spoon has an Old English, i.e. rounded end with tipt back, handle.

The plain front typical of earlier Old English design has been embellished on this. It has a feathered edge introduced in the 1770s and bright cut work characteristic of the 1780s.

In addition, the reserve at the handle end is engraved with a very fancy, feathered line script, "RL" monogram that is of a style consistent with these dates.... Click for details

Old Friends  
5387f   $135.00

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Stamped "Sterling" and with the "H&S" emblem of Hotchkiss & Schreuder, Syracuse NY, and retailed by "Austin & Prescott," Batavia NY, this piece measures 8 3/4" long and weighs 1.7 T. oz.

The pattern is Longfellow, which clearly follows after the Moorish and Egyptian Revival trends popular in its 1870s period.

It features a repeating series of palm fronds, palmettes, rosettes and ivy leaves along a shaped handle with a pyramid end.

There is a central reserve area on the handle... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230813-01   $45.00

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Offered is a really good pair of early and small (and hard to find) English brass candlesticks dating to about 1790, give or take ten years or so. These are attractively proportioned and measure about 4 1/2 to 4 5/8 inches tall - perfect for a modern desk or many windowsills or mantlepieces. Each candlestick has its original ejector rod and one still has the brass button at the end of the rod - that ejector rod is functioning smoothly, while the one without the button is frozen but probably... Click for details

Old Friends  
5384f   On Hold

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Relative large, this coin silver master butter knife measures 7 3/4" long and weighs a commensurately heavy 1.3 T. oz.

Elegantly designed, it has a lengthy, slender, handle that has high, double swell, chamfered fins off the blade. The end is fiddle shaped and features a raised shell motif.

The blade is somewhat short at 2 7/8" long and wide at 1 1/8". It has a blunt end and curved upper edge with a notch toward the tip.

It has an implied provenance in that the front of... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230810-01   $75.00

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Offered is a rare example of the wares of the jewelry and arms firm of E.J Johnston & Co., of Macon, GA. This partnership comprised Edward (Edmund) J. Johnston and George S. Obear, and is well-known for its production of various types of swords for the officers and men of the Confederate Army. This spoon probably pre-dates the war, as E.J. Johnston & Co. was in business from about 1853 to 1868-69. This teaspoon has a legible maker's mark or retailer's mark, and a period engraved script... Click for details

Old Friends  
5383f   $165.00

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A 7" long, 1.1 T. oz., preserve or jelly spoon, this piece has a generously sized, 2 1/2" by 1 5/8", shell shaped bowl with a scalloped edge and slightly pointed tip.

Made by John Wendt in his Medallion pattern, it is stamped with his characteristic "Patent" and "925," along with the name of the retailer, Boston's "Bigelow Bros. & Kennard."

One of the most impressive of the myriad Medallion figures offered by American manufacturers in the 1860s, the line featured a variety of... 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

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230807-05   $28.00

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Offered is a nice example of the wares of Louisville, KY jewelers Henry Fletcher and Charles Fletcher Bennett, working in partnership as Fletcher & Bennett from 1852 to 1866. This teaspoon is engraved "SS" in period script for the original owner, and has a good clear maker's mark or retailer's mark. It measures about 5 3/4 inches in length, and weighs about 16 grams. Condition is fairly good, with the bowl slightly out of round and with a few small very shallow dings, but no splits or... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230807-04   $20.00

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Offered is a nice heavy Philadelphia coin silver teaspoon by Jacob Stockman, with a pristine example of one of his more attractive maker's marks. The mark on this spoon may be the one used for "Philadelphia Silversmiths" by Hollan - not able to recall at the moment. This spoon is engraved "MAD" in period script. It measure about 6 1/16 inches in length and weighs about 19 grams. Condition is fair, with modest tip wear and some dings and dents to the bowl, but no splits or repairs. All in... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230807-03   Sold

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Offered is a nice American coin silver teaspoon marked PURE COIN and JOHN.B.SCOTT; there were jewelers by that name working in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and New York City in the era this spoon would have been made, circa 1850, and the style is indeterminate, so I'm not certain where this spoon was made, though I'd lean toward New York City based upon style. This spoon is engraved in period script for the original owner and has a most legible maker's mark. It measures about 6 inches long and... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230807-02   Sold

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Offered is a beat-up pair of late 18th Century or early 19th Century American coin silver teaspoons by noted silversmith Abner Reeder, working circa 1797-1800 in Philadelphia, and in Trenton, New Jersey thereafter. These spoons each have a legible maker's mark and a worn period script monogram. They measure about 5 3/4 inches in length and weigh about 24 grams. Condition is poor, with badly worn bowls and worn monograms, and one spoon having a notch from a silver test on the upper handle. ... Click for details

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2511   $72.00

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length 5 3/4 inches, weight .93 oz. Troy, retailed by A.B. Griswold, monogrammed "Ninth Year."

There are some scratches on the reverse of the bowl, at end (see second enlargement) but the colorfully enameled head-dress is intact, and the face retains its original oxidation.

Old Friends  
5380f   $145.00

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This large, 9 1/8" long, just over 3.0 T. oz. (95 grams), berry scoop or shovel (sometimes identified as a cracker scoop) is a mid 19th century item with Philadelphia provenance. It is marked "J.E. Caldwell & Co." for the renowned manufacturer turned jeweler from that city.

Other marks include "coin" for the silver standard, and very small cartouche with the letters "ET," for which there is not an immediate explanation.

The form is very much of its period and place. The handle has a... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230805-02   $60.00

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Offered is a very rare American coin silver table spoon by little-known silversmith, watchmaker and jeweler Edward M. Bartlett, who was working in West Chester, PA circa 1834-40 and probably for a number of years before and after that date span; he also appears to have worked in Philadelphia at certain points. This large and heavy spoon (measuring about 9 inches in length and weighing 58 grams) is marked with Bartlett's maker's mark, and of interest also is marked WEST*CHESTER. This piece is... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230805-01   Sold

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Offered is a very rare and fine English Georgian sterling silver egg spoon, crested and bearing a maker's mark for noted silversmith John Lambe and a lion passant mark. The mark placement indicates this spoon was made prior to 1781, which makes it very early indeed for this particular form. This piece is crested with a bust of a stag and there are traces of gilding left in the bowl. This piece measures about 4 3/4 inches in length and weighs a good 14 grams. It could be a very large dry... Click for details