Gebelein  
4992   $75

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Rounded end tipt on back. Length 9-1/8". Weight 2.1 troy ounces. The monogram is an Old English M. Overall condition is excellent. Mark condition is very good.

Old Friends  
1460fw   $ 24 each, four available

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Later produced under the Mount Vernon nameplate, "Queen" originated with Howard of Providence, Rhode Island, and it is in fact Howard's four leaf clover mark that appears on this example. It is a 4 13/16" long, relatively heavy .4 T. oz., three tine strawberry fork. The pattern is distinguished by its robust leafy scroll border surmounted by a shell and a crown terminal. The backside has an Old English "E" monogram and in addition to the Howard mark, includes the words "Sterling," and "Pat. 1... Click for details

Old Friends  
1458f   $ 65

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Model number "435" made by Gorham, a similar companion piece numbered "437" appears in the company catalog of 1892 (see image 2). Measuring 4 3/8" long and weighing just under 1.0 T. oz., this form is sometimes identified as a tea caddy spoon, but the catalog illustration establishes it as a bon bon spoon. Such pieces were higher order in the Gorham stable and extra effort was invested in their design and production. They are also generally heavier than comparable pieces in full line patterns... Click for details

Old Friends  
1452fw   $ 75

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A perfume or cologne bottle, this is number 98 made by Wallace according to the marks on the sterling silver stopper. The piece stands 5 3/4" overall and sits on a 2 1/4" base. The finely cut glass body is tapered and has a frosted surface on the inner surface where the stopper fits. The stopper has a 3 3/4" long dabber that extends to the very bottom of the interior of the bottle itself. The sterling top has a slightly raised, circular flat surface that could take a monogram but in this ins... Click for details

Old Friends  
1448f   $ 60 each, two available

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This 6 1/8" long, slightly over .7 T. oz., spoon is an unexpected design produced by an unexpected source. The handle is an open spiral, something akin to a square twist such as Whiting and other manufacturers produced, but apart from that it is unique in the realm of late 19th silver flatware design. The handle has an overall hammered surface, with a rough end suggesting a torn or broken natural form. Indeed, this naturalistic, i.e. Aesthetic, sensibility carries over to all aspects of the p... Click for details

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2115   $750.00

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length 9 5/8 inches, weight 4.86 Troy ounces, monogrammed "M" (obverse, Old English), gilt tines with a bit of table wear to gold wash on underside but excellent overall condition.

Most American silver manufacturers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries offered some variant of the Chrysanthemum pattern. As faithful readers of our little web page will know, here is my favorite one of them all. Perhaps ... Click for details

Old Friends  
1445f   $ 65 each

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These two napkin rings are fully matching. Both are sterling silver, model number B3835 made by Gorham and so marked. Each one measures 1 3/4" in diameter and stands 1 1/2" high. The two together weigh 1.8 T. oz., with each one weighing just over .8 T. oz. One is engraved "Lillian" in script and the other "Robert." They are in excellent condition. Both retain a round shape, have fine finishes, and are free of dings or dents.

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2114   $8500.00

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diameter 9 5/8; height 4 1/4 inches, weight 25 Troy ounces, fine condition, no monogram, craftsman Herbert Taylor. Please see third photo for marks.

This pattern, known as "berry in calyx", is among Stone's best designs. A nearly identical though not quite so desirable piece is held by Yale University Art Gallery, see Chickering p. 147, plate 134. Similar examples may also be seen in the collection of Boston's Museu... Click for details

Old Friends  
1441f   $ 65

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Whiting's "Empire" dates from 1894 and features a columnar border leading to a rosette and fan or shell end. This latter motif is repeated where the handle joins the bowl and the entire terminal design is repeated in enlarged form in the heel of the bowl. This item is a 5 3/4" long, .8 T. oz., confection or bon bon spoon. The form resembles a nut spoon with its reticulated, shell-like bowl, but this is larger and asymmetrical. It has a broadened and flattened lower edge for scooping bon bons... Click for details

Old Friends  
1440f   $ 80

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Items such of this 8 3/8" long table or serving spoon are rapidly disappearing from the open market place given the rise in the price of silver in recent years. Part of the appeal of a pattern line like 1896's "Marchel Niel" by Durgin, lies in its exceptional weight, 2.4 T. oz. in this instance, and that amount of silver has high value simply as a commodity, i.e. for "melt." Apart from its heft, Marechal Niel is an outstanding design. It offers a high relief, multi-dimensional portraiture of ... Click for details

Old Friends  
1439f   $ 65

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Dating from 1892, Towle's "Princess" is an asymmetrical floral (forget-me-not?) and scroll pattern. It is precisely rendered, with well-defined, raised detail on both sides of the handle. This example is a 5 3/4" long, heavy feeling, 1.0 T. oz., five tine sardine fork. The scrolled shoulder serving end has a matte gold finish. The front of the handle has a reserve area which is free of a monogram or removal; the backside is inscribed "C.H.B." in script. The condition is mint. The piece sho... Click for details

Bruce Cherner Antique Silver  
2112   $250.00

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length 9 1/2 inches, weight 3.73 Troy ounces, ornate three letter script monogram "AES" (?), excellent condition, with elaborate Art Nouveau piercings above the tines.

Old Friends  
1436f   $ 265

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Made in the United States in the mid 20th century, the design of this gravy boat replicates English style of some two centuries earlier. It is large, measuring 7" long, standing 4 1/2" at the highest point of the handle, and 4 1/8" at the widest. It is also extra heavy, weighing 8.1 T. oz. The handle and all three legs are cast and solid, with the former being scroll and acanthus leaf form, and the latter stylized shells. There is a scalloped flanged rim around the body. This tapers out as ... Click for details

Old Friends  
1432f   $ 55 multiples available

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One of a line of several figural Art Nouveau designs issued by Unger around the turn of the 20th century, "Cupid's Nosegay" disguises the faces of four cherubic figures set amidst an array of iris blossoms and leaves. This example is a 5 3/4" long, just under 1.0 T. oz., teaspoon. It is in flawless condition, and absent a monogram or removal. Marks are "Copyright 1904" and "Sterling." The Unger Brothers emblem is impressed right at the heel where the handle joins at an angle, and is some obs... Click for details

Old Friends  
1431fl   HOLD

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Similar in look to Durgin's 1887 "Alcazar" but more elaborate, the pattern on this 9 1/2" long and heavy, 4.7 T. oz., asparagus server is an identified but unnamed pattern in that company's lineup. The handle is highly elaborated and fully articulated on both the front and back sides of the handle. The design is rococo, featuring scrolls and leaves asymmetrically arrayed, with large areas of open work between them. There are saw marks on the inner surfaces of the reticulation, suggesting this... Click for details

Old Friends  
1430fl   $ 185 pair

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Marked with the Whiting lion emblem, "Sterling," and the model number "2524," this c. 1885 matching pair of master salts are of a singular style. Each one measures 1" high, has a base diameter of 1 1/2", a top diameter of 3", and weighs approximately 1.1 T. oz, a little over 2.2 T. oz. together. There is a wide, 3/4", rim encircling the relatively deep, gold washed bowls and this has a formed surface that is no doubt inspired by the Aesthetic taste. The imagery is organic, leafy and sinuously... Click for details