North Hill Antiques  
375   $38

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Downturned fiddle handle, square shoulders, feathered script mono A C on front. Length is 8-1/2". Weight is a solid 38 grams. Condition is minty. Seller pays freight.

Old Friends  
1650f   $ 235

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Measuring 11" long and weighing 4.3 T. oz., this size coin silver ladle is often described as an oyster versus a soup, which is generally longer and can run to 14". It is stamped on the reverse with the three part mark of New York's Albert Coles and is an especially fine example of his work and mid 19th century American silver crafting in general. The shank is a solid square tube with faceted edges. The upper end of the handle is broad and flat with shaped margins and a "fan" top. This is ex... Click for details

Old Friends  
1645fb   $ 625

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This 8 5/8" long, 2.7 T. oz., coin silver berry or serving spoon was produced by New York's Albert Coles, whose three part hallmark appears on the backside of the handle. Dating from c. 1860, it reflects the strong period interest in Classicism. The end of the handle portrays a highly articulated, multidimensional warrior bust set atop a pediment base. This has a flat backside, and although hollow, of substantial thickness. The central part of the shank is tubular and faceted. There are two... Click for details

North Hill Antiques  
673   $4500.00

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Downturned fiddle handle with ornamental cut-outs at base of fiddle; pointed shoulders which extend over rim of bowl to create a decorative (and probably unique) design (see pic); cut-cornered (coffin-end) drop on bowl back; prominent rib on back of handle, feathered script mono B on front. Length is 12-1/2". Round bowl is 3-3/8" in diameter. Mark is T. CAIN. with Masonic pseudos. Condition is near-mint.

Old Friends  
1625f   $ 55

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An alternative to a spoon shaped bowl, this shovel form met with some popularity in mid 19th America. The flat surface and open end may have been purposeful, i.e. adapted for a specific function. This example is a lengthy 6 3/4", .8 T. oz., coin silver sugar stamped "J.C. Blackman & Co." and "Bridgeport" (Connecticut) flanked on either end by an American eagle. The item has a refined look. It is well-proportioned, with chiseled margins, a reverse tipt end, and an artful feathered script "FAL... Click for details

North Hill Antiques  
282   $175

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This is one of F&G's earliest pieces, made around 1810, before their removal to Philadelphia. Indeed, the Yankee Eagle -- often seen on New England silver of the period -- frames the F&G mark (see pic). This spoon is in near-mint condition. It has square shoulders, an incised pointed arch drop on the bowl back, and a feathered script mono F C C on the front. It is a shade over 9-3/8" long. It weighs about 1.5 Troy oz., or 51 grams. The bowl is completely unworn.

North Hill Antiques  
268   $125

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Straight tapering handle from tip to bowl, drop on bowl back, feathered script mono L M on front. Length is 9-3/8". Weight is 2 Troy oz. - 63 grams. Condition is excellent throughout, mark still crisp after 2 centuries.

North Hill Antiques  
864   $65

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Downturned fiddle handle, square shoulders, feathered script mono M L on front. Length is 9-1/8". Weight is a respectable 51 grams. Just a touch of tipwear, otherwise condition is excellent.

Old Friends  
1617f   $ 106

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Classified as a "Medallion" pattern, Albert Coles' "Kenilworth" drew its imagery from English literature rather than classicism. That said, the portraiture of the male figure is interpreted in a manner that is consistent with the numerous mythological characters produced by other makers of the same 1860's period. This example is a 7 5/8" long, weighty, nearly 1.4 T. oz., master butter knife. The handle and blade are set at right angles to each other. The blade has a scalloped upper edge and ... Click for details

Old Friends  
1611f   $ 225

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Marked "Patent 1866" and with two lions flanking an "S," for Philadelphia's George Sharp, and Bailey, for the Philadelphia retailer, this pair of tongs measure 5 3/4" long and weigh 1.4+ T. oz. The pattern is referred to as "Ball End," for which Sharp is strongly identified. The form, however, is unusual in that the screw-in ball is attached to a three dimensional, 1" diameter by 1/4" thick, disk. This whole assembly comes apart. This is engraved with a star motif on one side and has a borde... Click for details

North Hill Antiques  
106O   $125

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18thC-style oval-end handle, drop on bowl back, short reverse rib, brightcut bellflowers half-way down handle, feathered script mono C F C in cartouche on front. Length is 9-1/4". Condition is excellent throughout.

North Hill Antiques  
105K   $150

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Pointed-end handle, drop on bowl back, reverse tipt, brightcutting and roulette work extending down handle, script mono Perry in cartouche on front; 9-1/8" in length. Condition is excellent.

Old Friends  
1602f   $ 70

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An early Wood & Hughes piece, dating circa 1855, this coin silver master butter knife is substantially sized at 7 3/4" long and weighing 1.1 T. oz. It is a singular design, having a twisted stem and a notched, shield shaped handle. It is similar in overall form to Gorham's little known "Imperial" pattern of the same period, and of which Wood & Hughes had an almost identical match. The upper edge of the blade has two notches that repeat the design of the handle. Otherwise having a plain surfa... Click for details

North Hill Antiques  
698   $5,000

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Baird is listed is Hollan's "Virginia Silversmiths." He began his career as a silversmith in 1802 in Petersburg, VA; by 1806 he was plying his trade in Natchez, MS, and from 1813-38 he was working in Kentucky -- Paris, Washington and then Maysville. This piece has an 18thC-style pointed-end handle, and an interesting and unusual squared drop on the bowl back; the handle has a reverse rib. The mono on front is a shaded feathered script D P B. The ladle is 14-3/4" long and has a 3" round b... Click for details

Old Friends  
1564fa   $ 55

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The leaf pattern on this 7" long, 1.2 T. oz., flat handled master butter knife is a "Leaf" design that is nearly identical to Gorham's "Josephine," and likewise akin to William Gale's "Leaf." The pattern has been attributed to Philadelphia's James Watts and likely dates from the same 1855 period. It is stamped "Brown & Co." for the retailer, and "Coin." The pattern is double die struck, meaning it appears on both sides of the handle. There is a formal "SHS" feathered script monogram on the f... Click for details

Old Friends  
1562fw   $ 725 set

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Marked with both Philadelphia's George Sharp's "double lion and S" and "Patent" marks as well as "Tiffany & Co.," this salad serving fork and spoon have a double provenance that bespeaks the finest of mid 19th century silver manufacturing and retailing. Curiously, they are not stamped "Sterling," which standard Tiffany typically required in the 1860's from which they date, so they are possibly coin silver rather than sterling. They are exceptionally large items, with the fork measuring 10 3/4"... Click for details