Catalog

An early production example of Towle's Old Colonial flatware pattern, this piece is marked with the company's "standing lion in a shield emblem," "925/1000," "Sterling," and "Pat. 1895."

It is a 7 5/8" long, 1.5 T. oz., solid silver jelly knife.

The blade is long, narrow, pointed, and as is characteristic of this line, faceted, with scalloped shoulders and upper edge.

The design is a double Bead with Scroll detailing and a central open blocky area that resembles an ...

Dating circa 1865, this 8 1/2" long, 1.5 T. oz., solid coin silver berry or other large bowl serving piece was made by Albert Coles, New York City, whose three part "eagle, AC, bust" emblem appears on the back side.

A major manufacturer of his period, Coles was capable of producing sophisticated and well finish pieces and this spoon is exemplary of his work.

It has a twisted stem, which in this instance is a double twist, showing a smaller ridge between the larger ones (see center right im...

Duhme & Co. was Cincinnati's dominant silver and jewelry house during the second half of the 19th century and produced many discrete flatware designs, of which the one on this 7 5/8" long, weighty at 1.86 T. oz., solid silver dinner fork is unusual as well as uncommon.

It has a rounded end handle with a plain, concave back that is engraved in a script letter "JBS" monogram.

The front is ridged in a series of parallel swirls that overall are reminiscent of waves. The design relects a...

This original set of six 5 o'clock length, viz. 5 7/16" each, 3.9 T. oz. the group, teaspoons are early production examples of Whiting's Art Nouveau Lily pattern.

They are all marked with the company's "standing lion" emblem, "Sterling," "Pat. 1902," "R'd 1902," and with an Old English "O."

Further corroboration of their age is that they are sequentially dated in script lettering on the handle backsides, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908 and 1909 respectively. They are not ...

Made by Dominick & Haff, whose three part emblem, "Sterling," and the name of the retailer, "C.E. Woodward," appear on the handle backside, this solid silver, likely early 20th century, piece measures 8 1/4" long and weighs 1.8 T. oz.

It has a generously-sized, 3 1/2" by 2 1/2", flat blade with cupped and scalloped shoulders, and was probably intended as a hotcake lifter or pastry server.

The handle is a Pointed Antique design with a slightly downturned end. The front is bright cut ...

Writing in his foundational work Tiffany Silver (1978), Charles Carpenter dates the Tiffany and J.C. Moore relationship that culminated in the incorporation of Tiffany as its own manufacturer (vs. being a retailer) in 1868, as beginning in 1851, with model number items 301-1000 produced 1856-59.

This large, 2 7/8" wide bowl, 3 1/4" maximum span, 1 5/8" tall, 2.19 T. oz. open master salt dish is marked "Tiffany & Co.," "Sterling," with Moore's "M" emblem, and model number "470," dating ...

Gorham's St. Cloud features a leaf and anthemion subject, with tight, circular, elements reminiscent of fern fronds, and shows Aesthetic influences, which is in keeping with its 1885 date of introduction.

This example of the pattern is a large, 7 3/4" long, substantial weight at 1.54 T. oz., solid silver master butter knife.

The flat blade is set at an angle to the handle and has a scalloped upper edge and gently rounded end.

The handle reverse is engraved with a fancy leaf scrip...

Paye & Baker produced two female nude designs in silver flatware around the turn of the 20th century, that while lesser known than such similar patterns as Reed & Barton's Love Disarmed and Alvin's Raphael, were of equal stature.

Psyche, which came in a solid and a pierced version, is the more commonly known of the Paye & Baker renderings, while Mermaid, which is the pattern on this 5 3/8" long, relatively heavy at .93 T. oz., coffee spoon is less known and less re...

George Cutten in his 1952 volume Silversmiths of Virginia, offers a lengthy entry about Norfolk smith Walter Pearce, whose mark is double stamped on this 13" long, weighty at 6.46 T. oz., solid coin silver soup ladle. Cutten incorporates particular commentary about Pearce's ethical and citizenly character, which no doubt established him as a person of standing in his community.

Catherine Holland in her encyclopedic work Virginia Silversmiths published half a century after Cutten...

Florals seem to have been the favorite theme used in American Art Nouveau silver design in the years just before and following 1900, with fruits also popular.

This group of spoons illustrate three patterns representative of the period and include two florals and one fruit.

The are, left to right in the above image, Reed & Barton's Les Cinq Fleurs, International's Cloeta (Grape), and Whiting's Lily.

At 5 7/8" long, 1.06 T. oz., the Cinq Fleurs is a full sized ...

Along with several other artisans, Horace Potter was a founder of the "Cleveland School of Arts and Crafts" in 1898.

There is ample biographical material about him available online, including the site "chicagosilver," which notes that he graduated from the "Cleveland School of Art" in 1898 and maintained strong ties with Boston where he studied further and worked briefly.

The "New York Metropolitan Museum of Arts" holds a silver casket made by him circa 1907 which reflects the influence Ch...

English in origin, this soup ladle measures 13" long overall and has a generously proportioned 3 1/2" diameter, 1 1/8" deep, hemispherical bowl.

Solid silver, it weighs 4.0 T. oz.

The pattern is Old English with a rounded, downturned, handle end with a Tipt backside. It has an exposed thumb drop on the join with the bowl.

Plain, this has never been monogrammed or inscribed. Its appeal lies in its simplicity of design and fine crafting, all preserved in near original condit...

This piece measures 5 7/8" long and weighs a substantial 1.2 T. oz.

It is an original production example of Reed & Barton's Love Disarmed, issued in 1899, and is marked with the company's "eagle, R, lion" emblem, "Sterling," and "Pat. Appl'd For," all in very fine lettering.

All the details are exactly as they should be on an old example save that, significantly, the floral tip on the pattern is missing. It either broke off at some time, or this is a consequence of a defect in manuf...

A commemorative birth or christening mug, this piece stands 2 3/4" high to the lip, has a top diameter of 2 5/8", a maximum span of 3 1/2" to the end of the handle, and sits on a flat bottom that is 2 3/8" across. It weighs 2.35 T. oz.

It was made by Gorham, whose "lion, anchor, G" emblem, "Sterling," and model number "A3428" are imprinted on the underside.

It is engraved "Charles Barham Jr." over "July 16. 04," which places its date of manufacture to early in the 20th century.

It has a...

Matching pieces, each of these four silver teaspoons measures 5 3/4" long, with the set weighing 1.64 T. oz.

The pattern is Fiddle Tipt which is a mid 19th century design. Each one is engraved with a fancy, feathered script, "A. R." monogram set sideways on the handle front.

These are marked "Sterling" when coin would be expected for this style, so whether they are early sterling examples, or later production pieces of an older design is uncertain.

That is one of two minor perple...

A 19th century purveyor to the Austrian royal court, the renowned Vienna firm of J.C. Klinkosch passed from father Joseph Carl to sons Arthur and Isidor in 1884, and eventually to Arthur Krupp in 1918.

This large, 8 3/8" long, heavy at 2.25 T. oz., solid silver, 20th century, fork is marked on the backside heel in English, "Made in Austria" and "Sterling," along with "Ges. Gesch." for "Gesetzlich Geschutzt," i.e. the German equivalent for patent, trademark, or copyright.

Lastly, there is a...

The firm of "Kitts & Werne" was a prominent jewelry and silver house in Louisville, Kentucky, known for quality offerings. John Kitts dates to 1838, while sources differ on the year of the founding of his pairing with Joseph Warne, ranging from 1860-64 and lasting until 1878.

This piece, which is marked "Kitts & Werne" is a 7 3/4" long, weighty at 2.0 T. oz., coin silver, sugar sifter.

There is some thought that larger items like this may actually have been early ice or pea spoons rather ...

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...