Old Friends  
4906f   On Hold

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A 19th century silver manufacturer with a long history, Joseph Seymour, Syracuse, New York, entered into a number of partnerships, one of which was with Benjamin Norton and David Hotchkiss from 1854 to 1857.

The mark on this 7" long, 1.3 T. oz., flat handle, coin silver master butter knife, "bust, NS & Co.," was used during that partnership.

While Seymour produced a number of named patterns, the one on this is known but unidentified.

It is die struck and portrays a draping leaf that is... Click for details

Old Friends  
4882f   On Hold

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Measuring 6 5/8" long and weighing .9 T. oz., this item could be a preserve or large sugar spoon. It has a shovel shaped bowl which, while not unique to its mid 19th century period, is certainly less common than other forms.

The handle is fiddle shaped with a Tipt backside and rounded shoulders off the shovel. There is a script "JEH" monogram on the front.

The reverse is marked with a "bust, lion, B" pseudo hallmark that William McGrew in his Manufacturers' Marks on American... Click for details

Old Friends  
4868f   $100.00

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A well-regard name among mid 19th century Philadelphia silver manufacturers, James Watts produced this lengthy, 8 7/8", nearly 1.5 T. oz., berry or other serving spoon.

His readily recognizable "horse head over chevron," emblem appears on the handle backside, along with the word "Coin" and the name of the retailer, "George H. Bechtel," also Philadelphia.

The flat, shaped, handle has an upturned end and is bright cut and wriggle work engraved, all of which bespeaks the piece's Philadelphia... Click for details

Old Friends  
4860f   $65.00

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Stamped with Albert Coles' three part "eagle/AC/bust" emblem, this 6" long, weighty feeling 1.3 T. oz., coin silver sauce or cream ladle dates from the mid 19th century.

The pattern, Jenny Lind, originated with Coles but was produced by innumerable other manufacturers of the time and was apparently well-received given the variety of inventory that remains extant.

The design appears on both sides of the handle and extends onto the backside heel of the bowl, which is oval and... Click for details

Old Friends  
4814f   On Hold

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Marked on the reverse "Palmer. Bachelders & Co.," this 6 7/8" long, 1.4 T. oz., coin silver serving spoon traces to 1860s Boston.

The pattern is Olive, which while a standard design that was widely produced, and notably popular in the Boston area, there are variations in design among manufacturers.

This example shows clean style, with balanced proportions and well-articulated detail.

A preserve spoon, it has a shell form bowl that is finished with a bright gold wash front and... Click for details

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2432   $250.00

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length 12 inches, weight 3.16 Troy ounces, fine condition with minor scratches on reverse of blade as seen in second enlargement. There is some slight evidence of an erasure, but if so it has been done properly and even the best trained pair of eyes may not be able to detect this.

The blade features an exciting combination of bright cut, diapering and wriggle-work engraving which delights both the eye and the camera's lens. You'd be hard pressed to find a more elegant tool for the bride... Click for details

Old Friends  
4701f   $115.00

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An early example of Gorham's Cottage, which was issued in 1861 to a coin silver standard and continued in production for many years through and beyond the company's transition to sterling in 1868, this 9" long, approximately 2.5 T. oz., ice cream spade is marked "Patent 1861," "Coin," and "Shreve Stanwood & Co.," for the Boston firm that eventually became that city's renowned "Shreve, Crump & Low."

A relatively plain pattern, this is embellished on the handle front with a delicately... Click for details

Old Friends  
4657f   $120.00

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Generously scaled, this coin silver server measures 10 1/8" long overall, has a 4 1/2" by 3" at the widest, blade, and weighs 3.3 T. oz.

It is marked "Blynn & Baldwin," for the Columbus, Ohio, pair of jewelers with approximate dates 1850-60.

The handle is in a double-sided "Kings" pattern that almost surely has Philadelphia origins, with kindred patterns illustrated in Catherine Hollan's encyclopedic Philadelphia Silversmiths.

Intended to serve pie or pastry, the blade is a study... Click for details

Old Friends  
4627f   On Hold

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Likely a preserve, although possibly a large sugar, spoon, this piece measures 6 13/16" long and weighs approximately 1.1 T. oz.

An "Olive" pattern, it was made by Farrington & Hunnewell, whose multi-part emblem appears on the handle back but is over stamped by the name of the retailer, "A.F. Burbank," Boston, 1853-67, and Worcester, 1867-80, Massachusetts.

It is also marked "Pure-Coin," which is a characteristically New England term for the silver standard.

While "Olive" was a generic... Click for details

Old Friends  
4625f   $145.00

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This lengthy, 9 1/8", and weighty, 3.2 T. oz., berry scoop or shovel has origins in Boston, marked for "Bailey. Kettell & Chapman," 1854-58. It is also stamped "Pure-Coin," which is a characteristic New England term.

The handle is a die struck "Bead" pattern that appears on both the front and back sides. There is a cursive "EWL" monogram inscribed on the reverse.

The generously proportioned, 3 1/2" by 2 3/8", scoop is engraved with a highly detailed and finely rendered motif that portrays... Click for details

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2436   Sold

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double swell fiddle with short front midrib decoration, length 10 3/4 inches, weight 3.88 oz. Troy, fine condition, monogrammed as shown in fourth enlargement.

Noteworthy for the whimsical and well executed decoration of Poseidon averting his eyes from the sullen stare of one sweaty stallion, and for the foliate scrolled embellishments on handle, which are stylistically "of a piece" with the blade.

Old Friends  
4593f   $46.00

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A major name in mid 19th century Boston silver production and retailing, Farrington & Hunnewell was the maker of this 6 7/8" long, .9 T. oz., coin silver preserve spoon marked "< F & H >."

F&H were masters of bright cut and fine engraving, which this piece illustrates. The work on the front of this portrays anthemion and leaf detailing against a fine line background that mimics engine turning.

The handle has a rounded end with a slight "Tipt" backside, and a shield form reserve,... Click for details

Old Friends  
4339f   On Hold

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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  
4271f   This item is currently being auctioned

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Having rounded, double scroll shoulders, with a triple leaf drop and a different single leaf also flanked by scrolls set mid handle, "Pacific" issued in 1870 by San Francisco's Schulz & Fisher was very much a period design. It is highly reminiscent, for example, of Knowles & Ladd "Crete" and Gorham's "Pompeii," both contemporaneous with "Pacific."

This example is an 8 7/8" long, 1.9 T. oz., pie server marked "coin" for the silver content.

It has a generously proportioned, 4 1/2" by 2 7/8"... Click for details

Old Friends  
4209f   On Hold

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Writing in Silver Medallion Flatware, D. Albert Soeffing comments that "[Philo B.] Gilbert was a prominent New York City manufacturer, working for about thirty years. Although not well know today, he was one of the leading producers of his day."

This 6" long, .8 T. oz., coin silver sugar spoon is an early example of his "Medallion" pattern, marked only "Patent 1867."

Relatively rare, the line is multi-motif, featuring a variety of different helmeted knight's heads facing left. This... Click for details