length 9 3/4 inches, weight 4.60 Troy ounces, no monogram, excellent original condition, finest quality with evidence of extensive hand chasing, .950 standard.

One usually assumes that design travelled from the Continent to the States, and my first thought upon seeing this spoon was that Durgin had taken extreme liberties in copying a French design. Although Dauphin certainly has French influences, this does not appear to be the case, here...

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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

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.

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 time allows. Aside from this, the condition is excellent.

a sugar sifter length 7 1/8 inches; weight 1.74 oz. Troy, and a scalloped engraved bowl preserve spoon length 9 inches; weight 2 Troy ounces. Both pieces are marked only "STERLING," (attributed to Wendt) have fully gilt matte finish bowls and are in immaculate condition. We do not recall having seen this pattern before.

Philadelphia circa 1790, a fine, large and massive piece, length 14 inches, length of bowl five inches, weight 6.87 Troy ounces, marked JA struck twice in cut cornered rectangle. There is a minor fill at the edge of the bowl (please see fifth photo) and some scratches on reverse, but excellent overall condition.

This spoon is not monogrammed and does not appear ever to have been, which is most unusual for early American silver.

length 8 1/2 inches, weight 2.8 Troy ounces, no monogram, a few minor knife cuts on the tines (ask us very nicely and we'll polish these out a bit) but excellent overall condition.

If ever an item cried out to be given as a wedding gift, this it.