Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2157   $650.00

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height 4 1/8; top diameter 5 1/2 inches, weight 10.67 Troy ounces, superb original condition, no monogram.

Having spent a considerable amount of time in Paris, Tiffany's chief designer Edward Moore was impressed with the French system of art education, which required students to draw and model from nature. He instituted a similar program for apprentices who aspired to work for his own firm. ... Click for details

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2155   $160.00

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length 8 3/8 inches, weight 3.09 Troy ounces, no monogram, slight wear to gilding on tines but very nearly benchmark condition, retailed by Sheafer and Lloyd of Pittsburgh.

This pattern has always been a personal favorite. Note the expressiveness of the eyes, which you may examine up close in photo number three.

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2153   $135.00

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length 5 7/8 inches, weight 1.34 Troy ounces, some light wear to face on reverse (please see third photo) but fine overall condition, no monogram.

This is the Bigelow Kennard version, which has piercings in the upper portion of handle.

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2152   $60.00

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engraved "Kansas City" in bowl, length 5 7/8 inches, weight 1.30 Troy ounces, excellent condition.

Place pieces are much rarer than servers in this grand old Durgin pattern, which leads me to believe that not many were produced.

Old Friends  
1664f   $ 60 ladle, $ 35 bon bon

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Whiting's "Imperial Queen" is a late 19th century design based on English antecedents. These two examples, a 5 1/2" long, .9 T. oz. sauce or cream ladle, and a 4 1/2" long, just over .4 T. oz., bon bon or nut spoon, are flawless, absolutely mint, examples without monograms or removals. They both have matte finish, gold washed serving ends. Marks on the reverses are Whiting's lion emblem, "Sterling," "Pat. 1893," and an Old English "O."

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2151   SOLD

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length 9 1/2 inches, weight 3.67 Troy ounces, monogrammed "A" (obverse, Old English), excellent condition.

Though the execution is spare, this engraving succeeds in conveying a sense of movement, an illusion that only the most skilled artists were capable of achieving. And in bit of Victorian whimsey, note that this fish has been hooked (please see third enlargement).

Old Friends  
1663fl   $ 60

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Measuring 5 1/2" long and weighing 1.2 T. oz., this sterling silver cream ladle is an old example of Gorham's "Chantilly." It is is flawless condition and without a monogram or removal. There is no polishing wear and the finish is lustrous. The lobed bowl has flanged shoulders and has a bright gold wash finish on the interior. Marks are the Gorham lion, anchor, G, "Sterling," and "Pat. 1895."

Old Friends  
1662fn   $ 150 pair

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Reference material on "G. Weckman," the name stamped on this pair of 8" long, 3.0 T. oz. combined weight, tablespoons is not readily accessible. Presumably the mark is for Gustaf Adolf Weckman, born in Hameenlinna, Finland, with dates 1823-1901. He is described in a genealogical source as a "master gold and silversmith." In 2011, the auction house Bukowski's, which describes itself as "the leading Nordic art auction house" offered a bowl by him that was well received judging by the hammer pri... Click for details

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2150   $65.00

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length 5 3/4 inches, weight .77 oz. Troy, excellent condition, monogrammed "S". It is safe to assume that the olive fork was made in at least two sizes, this being the shortest.

Old Friends  
1661f   $ 115

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While unnamed, this c. 1870 design by George Sharp is quite similar to Gorham's "Louis XIV" and Knowles' "Emperor," both of the same period. It is double die struck, meaning the pattern appears on both sides of the piece. This example is a 6 1/2" long, 1.2 T. oz. sauce ladle. The handle is slender and elongated looking, and is joined to a 2" diameter, round shell bowl with a scalloped rim and a flat bottom. This is finished on both sides with a bright gold wash that extends up to the lower o... Click for details

Old Friends  
1660f   $ 240 set

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Dating from 1875, Wood & Hughes' "Cellini" falls into the Renaissance Revival style that was popular in the period. This set of matching ice cream spoons measure 5 9/16" long each and weigh 4.7 T. oz. the set. They have ovoid bowls with flanged rims and matte finish interiors. Both sides of the bowls had gold washes, with the backsides retaining more of this detail than the fronts. There are no monograms or removals and the condition of all eight pieces is flawless. There is no evidence of ... Click for details

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2149   $325.00

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length 5 5/8 inches, total Troy weight 6.22 ounces, superb condition, faintly gilt tines, monogrammed as shown (please see third photo).

These are particularly choice examples, extra heavy, with excellent detail and die depth. To my eye, this is one of R & B's most attractive designs. For further discussion of what makes a pattern aesthetically successful, see Design New England, November-December 2012, pp. 60-64

Old Friends  
1658f   $ 525

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Made by John Wendt, this 9 1/4" long, approximately 2.2 T. oz., berry spoon is marked "Shreve, Stanwood & Co." for the c. 18060-69 Boston retailer which was a predecessor to today's Shreve, Crump & Low. It is also marked "Sterling." It has a tubular shank consistent with a form employed by Wendt on other patterns. The handle end is a shaped disk with finely engraved margins. The defining element of the piece is the cast and applied cluster of strawberries with an entwining ribbon. This is a... Click for details

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2147   SOLD

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length 6 1/8 inches, weight .91 oz Troy, excellent condition, monogrammed "E.H.Y" (reverse, old English),retailed by Hart Brothers of Brooklyn, NY.

Even for Wendt, this is an exceptionally stylish little piece of silver, with chamfered edges on tines which are fully engraved, front and back.

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2146   $495.00

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with high relief cast bust of Van Dyck, length 9 inches, weight 3.24 Troy ounces, no monogram. Truly one of Antoine Heller's greatest designs, and among Gorham's most sculptural patterns.

There is a file cut (visible from side and reverse only; see fourth photo) which we've pictured in excruciating detail, and some light pitting on the blade which we've mostly polished out and probably will address a bit more, as ... Click for details

Old Friends  
1656f   $ 135 set

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Originally made in twelve different images as a part of a set, Gorham's number 18 coffee spoons appear in that company's 1892 catalog (see image 3). This group encompasses eight of those original designs. All of them are marked lion, anchor, G, "18," and "Sterling." Each spoon measures 4 1/4" long, while the eight together weigh 2.6 T. oz. The bowls all have matching shell and scroll interior surfaces. The imagery on the cast (rather than die struck) handles varies. Two are figural, one of... Click for details