Old Friends  
3370f   $225.00

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Large items, each measuring 10 1/2" long, the fork of this silver pair weighs approximately 2.5 T. oz., and the spoon 2.9 T. oz.

They are stamped "Porter Blanchard," who was a prominent, 20th century name in California Arts and Crafts silver, and "Sterling," on the backsides of "Pointed (1800)" pattern handles.

Alternatively identified as a large salad set, or buffet or platter items, they present as slender, elongated pieces, with a narrow bowl on the spoon, and two lengthy, splayed... Click for details

Old Friends  
3369f   $42.00

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Measuring 3" closed and 5" long fully opened, this circa 1850 knife has two blades, the larger one for cutting and the smaller one that resembles an awl, for piercing the skin of fruit.

Stamped "Coin" on the larger blade, there is no further identification, save that this belonged to "Emily" as engraved in script on the reserve area on one side of the engine turned surfaces of the handle.

There is a repeating line and star design on the upper edge of one of the blade braces, and a line... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20180102-03   $60.00

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Offered is a good and scarce Southern coin silver teaspoon with the maker's mark or retailer's mark of Charles Frederick Greenwood, living in Edenton, North Carolina in 1846 and then opening a small silversmith and jeweler's shop in Norfolk, VA in 1847. This spoon bears the earlier of his two marks, and he seems to have adopted sterling fairly early, so it would most likely date to the 1847-65 period, probably on the earlier end. This spoon is engraved with a period script monogram of 'FP' and... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20180102-02   Sold

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Offered is a very good American coin silver soup ladle by New York City silversmith and jeweler William W. White, working circa 1827-56. This piece is nicely engraved with a period script monogram of 'CJH' and has a legible maker's mark. This large ladle measures about 13 1/2 inches in length and weighs about 177 grams. Condition is very good overall, with minimal surface and bowl wear, only one tiny dimple and no splits or repairs. Please take a look at all the pictures. All in all a... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20180102-01   $24.50

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Offered is a good fiddlethread pattern American coin silver teaspoon made by Watts and bearing the retailer's mark of jewelers Theodore Smith and Ferdinand J. Dreer, Jr., working in partnership in Philadelphia from at least 1866 (see pictures for an 1866 ad of theirs) through the 1890s. This piece has a clear mark for the partnership, which until now I had not seen an example of. It also has a good period engraved script monogram, and manufacturer's marks for James Watts of Philadelphia. This... Click for details

Old Friends  
3367f   $34.00

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This piece illustrates the once common practice of engraving standard line pieces with local historical features, and thus creating souvenir items.

In this case, the primary piece is a 5 7/8" long, approximately 1.0 T. oz., teaspoon in Reed & Barton's "Les Cinq Fleurs," which is a highly textured, Art Nouveau floral design.

The bowl is bright cut engraved in a representation of the American Civil War, "Soliders and Sailors Monument" in "Cleveland, O.," as inscribed around the actual... Click for details

Old Friends  
3366f   $135.00

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Dating to the earliest decades of Gorham's history, these six, matched, coin silver, spoons are marked "Gorham & Webster," for a partnership that traces to 1831-37.

Each one measures 7 1/2" long, which is an unusual size by contemporary convention in that it is lengthier than a dessert spoon but not quite as long as a tablespoon. In their time, when large scale was favored, these would have served as standard place pieces.

They have a substantial feel, although they weigh marginally... Click for details

Old Friends  
3365f   $98.00

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This fully original, solid silver, server measures 9" long and weighs 2.4 T. oz. It is in the form of a tomato server, but larger than that item (7 3/4" long in this pattern).

The pattern is Alvin's "Raleigh," issued in 1900. It is a fancy bead and scroll design, with an upturned handle end.

The blade is essentially round and flat, and has a slightly tapered edge and measures 3 1/2" by 3". It has scalloped shoulders and an intricately cut surface.

The piece is without a monogram... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20171231-14   Sold

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Offered is a very fine and scarce pair of early American coin silver tablespoons marked with a standard mark of "5 FRANCS", by the noted Philadelphia firm of Robert and William Wilson, working circa 1825-50. Surprisingly little is known about this firm, despite its prominence and the great numbers of spoons and other pieces that survive bearing one of the firm's marks. Despite the prevalence of silver by the Wilson's, almost nothing survives of their silver items marked with various standard... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20171231-11   $65.00

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Offered is a spare copy I picked up of a very important and useful reference book on the hallmarks of Naples, Italy, from the 15th through the 19th Centuries. Much of the antique domestic Italian silver that appears in the United States came with immigrants, and many of those came from Naples and other parts of Southern Italy as well as Sicily. As such, the book gets more use than one would think!

The book is: "I marchi dell'argenteria napoletana: Dal XV al XIX secolo" by Elio Catello... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20171231-09   $5.00

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Offered is a nice American coin silver salt shovel by prolific Lancaster, Pennsylvania jewelers, watchmakers and silversmiths Michael Zahm and John W. Jackson, working in partnership as Zahm & Jackson from about 1845 on. This spoon is in poor condition, with a dinged up and split bowl and worn maker's mark - however, I just can't stand to see it go into the melting pot, and hope someone will want to "adopt" it! It measures about 4 1/8 inches in length and weighs about 7 grams. This piece... Click for details

Old Friends  
3364f   $235.00

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Each of these eight, matching forks, measures 7 3/16" long, while the group weighs a substantial 11.6 T. oz.

Marked "Sterling," they were retailed by Boston's Crosby & Morse (1864-69) and carry forward some of the design sensibilities of earlier coin silver flatware.

They have plain handles with rounded and upturned terminals. The lower sections are engraved in a period design with a central palmette motif, while the ends have script "EL" monograms. The backsides are unadorned.

The... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20171231-08   $19.75

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Offered is a scarce example of the mark of Reading, Pennsylvania jeweler Solomon Weida, whose biographical information appears below. This piece is engraved with a period script monogram and has a good clear maker's mark. It measures about 3 3/4 inches in length and weighs about 8 grams. Condition is fairly good, with some surface wear and stubborn tarnish spots, and one small, shallow ding to the bowl. All in all a nice example of this man's wares!

According to his obituary, published... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20171231-07   Sold

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Offered is a nice set of two early American coin silver teaspoons by Connecticut silversmith Nathaniel Shipman. These two spoons are each clearly marked and are also decorated with period engraved script monograms. These spoons each measure a little over 5 inches in length, and the pair weighs about 17 grams altogether. Condition of these spoons is fair to good overall, with some bumping to the bowls and stubborn tarnish spots, but no splits or repairs. All in all a lovely pair of early CT... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20171231-05   $12.50

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Offered is an early American coin silver teaspoon bearing the maker's mark of New York City silversmith John Foster, working circa 1809-18. This fin-less fiddle spoon probably dates to the earlier side of Foster's career, though his working life seems to have been somewhat short. The maker's mark on this spoon is clear and well-struck; it is sometimes attributed to the Virginia John Foster, but that attribution seems to have been definitively debunked by Catherine Hollan in her "Virginia... Click for details

Old Friends  
3362f   $46.00

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With a history tracing to 1859-60, M(artin) S. Smith became the largest jeweler of its time in Detroit. At least one source lists the firm as a manufacturer as well.

This 6 7/8" long, .9 T. oz., spoon dates from the earliest years of the firm, and may have been produced by it.

It has a flat handle, with notched edges and an anthemion shaped tip. The surface front is extensively engraved with diamond bright cutting, wriggle work, and cross hatching. The backside shows much simpler,... Click for details