Old Friends  
932f   $ 60

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"Pure coin," as this 5 7/8" long, moderate weight sugar spoon is marked, is a mid 19th century term generally associated with the Boston area, and indeed that is the case with this. It is stamped "A. Stowell" for the Boston retailer, while this Strawberry pattern is an early design made by Durgin of Concord, New Hampshire. The one other mark is "Patent." It has a shell bowl and an Old English "S" monogram on the reverse. The condition is excellent. There is no visible wear, with the strawbe... Click for details

North Hill Antiques  
279   Pair $350

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Classic tapering handle from end to bowl, c1800 -- pointed drop on bowl back, feathered script mono A B on front; 9-1/4" in length. Weight is 3.5 T oz. A touch of tipwear and a slight test nick on one of the handles, otherwise fine condition. William Coffin Little was born in Newburyport, Mass., and worked in nearby Amesbury until 1801 when he moved to Salisbury, NH, where these spoons were probably made.

Old Friends  
911f   $ 130

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This c. 1864 item measures 6 7/16" long and weighs 1.1 T. oz. It may be a large sugar or small preserve spoon. It is a Medallion pattern made by William Durgin of Concord, New Hampshire, and stamped "Palmer & Bachelders" which was a Boston retailer. It is also marked "Pure Coin." The classical female figure presents in a formal manner very much in keeping with the Graeco-Roman period which served as the inspiration for the myriad medallion designs that evolved in the 1860's. The backside is... Click for details

North Hill Antiques  
677   $1250

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Downturned fiddle handle, sugarloaf shoulders, feathered script mono E L on front; 12-7/8" in length. Overall condition is fine. Mark is I.WELCH, as listed in Hollan's "Virginia Silversmiths." Fincastle, then as now, is a small town a tad northwest of Roanoke.

North Hill Antiques  
276   $175

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Classic coffin-end form with handle tapering from end to bowl, c1800-10 -- fancy feathered script mono M M on front of handle, 1/8" extended bowl tip is unworn. Length is 9-3/8". Weight is 2.5 T oz. Condition throughout is mint.

Old Friends  
815f   $ 185

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Tiffany first established itself as a retail silver merchant, only becoming an exclusive manufacturer in the 1860's. Part of the lore about Tiffany is that the company established a higher bar than others, apparently requiring from 1852 onward a sterling silver standard for all its flat and holloware goods when coin silver was otherwise the predominant market grade. This coin silver sugar sifter bearing the pseudo hallmark of Henry Hebbard (New York) along with "Tiffany & Co" presumably dates ... Click for details

Old Friends  
776f   $ 65

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Born in Providence, Rhode Island,established himself in Cincinnati, Ohio as a jeweler. He had several partnerships, one with John Gould Anthony, also originally of Providence. The dates on this firm were 1836-40. This example bearing the Rhodes, Anthony & Co. mark is a 6" long, .9 T. oz. sauce or cream ladle. It has a plain, broad end that curves downward. The shoulders off the bowl are high and pronounced. There is a feathered script "KW" monogram. The condition is excellent with essenti... Click for details

North Hill Antiques  
103D   $1250

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Pointed-end handle, c1790 -- large and unusual oval drop with rib running through its center (see pic); reverse rib on back of handle, brightcut and roulette cartouche with feathered script mono JPA. Length is 15", round bowl is 4" in diameter, weight is 6-1/4 Troy oz. Condition is near-mint.

Old Friends  
774f   $ 35

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This 6 1/4" long, .7 T. oz., coin silver sugar shovel has an interesting provenance for those interested in such things. It has double markings. One is for H.I. Sawyer of Hartford, Connecticut. The second is A.T. Gage with a single die bust pseudo hallmark. John McGrew in his work on the subject, associates this single die with Sawyer, and references it in conjunction with an A.J. Gage, possibly in New York City. Which of these two originated the piece and which retailed it, and what the re... Click for details

North Hill Antiques  
105I   $175

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Oval-end handle, 1797-8 -- long tapered drop on bowl back, reverse tipt, feathered script mono SAR in cartouche on front; 9" long. Condition is near-mint. Mark -- A & RIKER -- is accompanied by sunburst and quarter-moon pseudos.

North Hill Antiques  
799   $575

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Handled cup with 12 panels on raised ring fitted on 16-paneled saucer, also on raised ring, both engraved in feathered script RM over GBM. Dimensions as follows: cup 2-5/8" high, saucer 5-1/4" diameter; total weight is an imposing 7.25 Troy oz. Condition is excellent throughout. Which, of course, leaves open the question: what is the purpose of an uninsulated silver cup and saucer? One answer is that, in an opulent household, it was used for display, nothing more.

North Hill Antiques  
1009   $1250

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No maker's mark, but it's safe to assume that Gebelein was responsible for this piece, c1920. It is, of course, marked STERLING. The sheaf and sickle design is quite similar to the original of 100 years earlier, but differs somewhat in the details. This ladle is 13-3/4" long and weighs 6-1/2 Troy oz. It has high square shoulders, with double pouring lips on the bowl. It has never been engraved. Condition is minty. Repro or not, this is an imposing piece of silver.

North Hill Antiques  
484   $1250

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Crisp sheaf at end of handle, 12-lobe shell drop on bowl back, flared shoulders at base of handle, feathered script mono E P on front; 14-3/4" in length, 4-3/8" oval bowl. Overall condition is excellent, although mark is only partially struck (see pic).

North Hill Antiques  
265   $225

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Long tapering handle, light reverse rib, feathered script mono RTVL on front; 7-5/8" long. Condition is near-mint. This is the same mark used by John's father, Saunders. The only way to identify the maker is to identify the approximate year it was made. This piece was made no earlier than 1805-10. By then, Saunders was dead. Incidentally, these small ladles, both coffin-end and late 18thC, were made almost entirely in RI, and most notably in Providence.

North Hill Antiques  
104E   $650

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Brightcut and roulette work on upper arms, lower portion twisted; unique (?) pointed-end acorn nips decorated with roulette work (see pic); block mono S over D S in cartouche on bend; only 5-1/4" in length. Condition is mint throughout. Marked W (pellet) R on both arms.

North Hill Antiques  
105E   Set of 6 $1200

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Oval-end handle, c1790 -- 11-lobe shell drop on bowl back, reverse rib, 9-3/8" long, 12 Troy oz. Condition is near-mint -- extended bowl tips unworn, brightcutting and engraving still as crisp as the day they were cut.