Catalog

Produced by the Chicago silver firm of Wendell Manufacturing Company, Ariel is a highly expressive pattern.

Sculptural in manner, the central design element is a cherubic figure set against a dense, decorative background.

It is strongly reminiscent of Dominick & Haff's Labors of Cupid, which it predates by five years, introduced in 1895 vs. 1900.

It is a multi-motif line, meaning the figural representation varies between different pieces.

This example is a 5 5/8...

The first full line flatware pattern produced by Rogers, Lunt, & Bollen, later simply Lunt, Dorothy Q was carried forward from antecedent firm "A.F. Towle & Son Co." which introduced it in 1883.

This example is a 6" long, .77 T. oz., early production sugar spoon, marked with the R L & B three part emblem and the word "Sterling."

The handle is Old English in style with a plain Tipt backside and a front that is extensively and engagingly engraved in a star shaped flower ...

Gorham produced a range of specialty pieces circa 1900 designated by numbers beginning with an "H," of which this 4 5/8" long, relatively heavy at .5 T. oz., lemon fork is one.

It is stamped on the backside with the word "Gorham" over "H 824," and "Sterling."

The solid handle is tubular with a cross-hatched or knurled upper portion surmounted by a "dome and ball" detail.

The tines are relatively thick, with the outer two splayed, as is characteristic of lemon forks.

Never monogrammed...

Around the turn of the 20th century, Gorham produced an array of specialty silver stand alone items grouped together in what is known as H series pieces.

This 5 1/8" long, .45 T. oz., is model number "H239" from that series.

A lemon fork, it has the requisite three, narrow and splayed, tines that define its function.

Evidencing the precision of finish and substance of H series items, it has an open work handle that is reminiscent of the Chippendale style, rendered i...

Wallace produced an extensive line of largely floral numbered patterns in the early years of the 20th century.

An example from that series, this 5 7/8" long, .74 T. oz. teaspoon is number "107" as imprinted on the backside, along with Wallace's "R W deer head & S" emblem and the word "Sterling."

An openwork design, the handle obverse features perhaps palm or other leaves on a stem.

The reverse is plain save for a fancy, delicate, feathered script "ENL" monogram.

...

Wallace produced an extensive line of largely floral numbered patterns in the early years of the 20th century.

An example from that series, this 5 9/16" long, .61 T. oz. teaspoon is number "219" as imprinted on the backside, along with Wallace's "R W deer head & S" emblem and the word "Sterling."

The handle portrays a robust cluster of chrysanthemum blossoms, buds, and leaves on both the front and back sides.

The handle obverse is engraved "EF" in fancy Old English let...

An uncommon specialty pattern produced by Baker-Manchester, this 5 3/16" long, .5 T. oz., spoon is marked with the company's "M in a shield flanked by eagles" emblem, "Sterling," and model number "D 2."

Dating from the early 20th century, the handle design is an Art Nouveau style Carnation surrounding a cherubic-looking child's face. This feature is offered in relief and and quite charmingly presented, with clear features that include a shock of curly hair.

A 5 o'clock (tea) spoon, ...

Offered in both sterling silver and silver plate, Harlequin was a floral series issued by Reed & Barton and generally made in a variety of generally smaller items.

These seven, 4" long, 2.35 T. oz. the group, coffee or demitasse spoons are early pieces marked with the company's "eagle, R, lion" (later items are stamped "Reed & Barton") along with "Sterling."

Cast rather than die struck, they are highly textured, possess intricate detail, and show a soft gray finish on the silver. Th...

Measuring 5 5/8" long and weighing .5 T. oz., this circa 1840 teaspoon has a double provenance.

It is marked "S. Ayers Elmira" for Socrates Ayers born in 1814. He worked in Elmira as a silversmith, watchmaker and jeweler until about 1877.

It is also stamped with a "star D star," which mark John McGrew in his Manufacturer's Marks on American Coin Silver attributes to an "Unidentified - Up-State New York" maker.

The handle is engraved "Ruth Burnham" in script lettering set sideways...

This 5 7/8" long, .48 T. oz., teaspoon is marked "H. Hastings" with an "eagle."

While most sources place H. Hastings in Cleveland, Ohio, circa 1820, William McGrew in Manufacturers' Marks on American Coin Silver introduces the possibility of a Connecticut location.

He labels this particular "eagle" as "a frustrating mark because so many of the retailer names are unidentified," but questions whether Hastings could have been located in Hartford, Connecticut, given other instances wher...

This 5 1/2" long, approximately .4 T. oz., teaspoon is one of three matching, exquisitely made, New England origin, pieces dating from the 1850s.

It has a Fiddle Tipt handle that is engraved "S M R" in fine script lettering set sideways on the front.

The bowl is well-formed, proportionate, has a pointed end, and rounded, tapered fins at the join with the handle.

Coin silver, it is marked "R.R. Conn" for the Fitchburg, Massachusetts jeweler. While not an uncommon piece per se, thi...

Very early examples of San Francisco marked flatware, this set of six, matched, 8 3/8" long, 10.9 T. oz. the lot, coin silver spoons date circa 1860.

They are stamped on backsides "G.C. Shreve & Co., which firm according to an entry in Dorothy Rainwater's Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers, was established in 1852.

It eventually became the West Coast's premier jeweler and silver manufacturer.

In its early years, however, as noted by Rainwater, flatware was sourced from...

Arthur Stone's name holds magisterial standing among American Arts and Crafts silversmiths of the first half of the 20th century. He and the workshop he established bespeak only the finest of hand worked products.

This piece is evidence of the above assertion. It is a 7 1/8" wide, heavy at 6.95 T. oz., plate with a 1" wide raised rim with an applied double lined edge.

It is imprinted with Stone's characteristic "hammer" emblem and "Sterling," along with a "T," for shop assistant Herbert Ta...

A finely crafted piece rendered in neoclassical French Empire style, this item serves a dual function.

It is firstly a 4 3/4" by 3 1/2" by 13/16" high, hinged, oval box. The hinge is on the short end, with a lip for opening on the opposite end.

It is made of 950 fine, i.e. first standard, silver (slightly higher than sterling) and marked with a "Minerva head" on the lid edge, underside of the cover, and on the lip of the base.

It also has a small, hard to discern, "caret" maker's mark i...

Although primarily a New York City Silversmith, Louise Belden in Marks of American Silversmiths and other sources note that William Grigg spent some years in other locations, namely Albany 1770-78, and Halifax, Canada, 1782-89.

He was a freeman worker in 1765, dating this group of six, matched, 5 1/2" long, just over 3.0 T. oz. (95 grams) the lot, to the decades between then and Grigg's death in 1797.

They are all stamped "W.Grigg" in a serrated cartouche, which is one of four marks...

This weighty, 3.0 T. oz., 9" long, c. 1865 solid silver pie server, aka pie knife, is marked for the Brockton, Massachusetts jeweler "Gurney Brothers" ("Bro's." as stamped).

Also marked "Pure-Coin," this doubtlessly has Boston origins, likely made by Farrington and Hunnewell, based on the design.

It has an Old English, i.e. downturned, rounded end, Reverse Tipt handle.

The 4 1/2" long by 2 3/4" at the widest, blade is unusually shaped, with a double scalloped edge, a raise...

A matched set, each of these four place, aka dessert or soup, spoons measures 7 1/8" long, with the group weighing 5.0 T. oz.

They are all stamped "Duhme & Co.," for the Cincinnati manufacturer and jeweler, and all have the same feathered "TGM" monogram inscribed sideways on their handle.

The pattern is "No. 1," introduced in 1869.

These have twisted stems with flat, oval, ends, which are engraved with wriggle work borders as well as leaf and other period detailing."

An online commen...

Each of these six matching 5 5/8" long, 4.0 T. oz. the group, teaspoons is marked with a first standard Minerva head for 950 silver (vs. sterling at 925) with a requisite bigorne counterstamp on the corresponding opposite side of the handle, along with a maker's "LL with a cross between the letters and stars above and below" emblem.

Finely made, showing a level of elegance and refinement that are peculiarly French, the pattern is a "Thread" aka "French Thread" aka "Fiddle Thread."

The hand...