Catalog: Silver

Introduced in the first years of the twentieth century, Gorham's "Virginiana" quickly gained popularity, and remains a sought after pattern today.

An Art Nouveau design, it features poppy blossoms, leaves, and complementary trailing elements set in textured, high relief, detail.

Commonly identified as a demitasse at 4 1/4" long, catalogues of the period reference this size as a coffee. This matched pair weigh approximately .8 T. oz...

Introduced in the first years of the twentieth century, Gorham's "Virginiana" quickly gained popularity, and remains a sought after pattern today.

An Art Nouveau design, it features poppy blossoms, leaves, and complementary trailing elements set in textured, high relief, detail.

This example is a 4 3/4" long, relatively heavy at nearly .6 T. oz., egg spoon.

It has an ovoid bowl with a gold wash interior, and is monogrammed with an Old English "E" on the handle...

Large at 6" long, and substantial weight at 5.7 t. oz. the lot, these six, matching, teaspoons date from the mid 19th century.

Each one is stamped "John B. Scott" for the New York City retailer, who is documented working circa 1820, with no ending date available.

The pattern is a "Beaded Olive" that appears to be a near match for manufacturer John Westervelt's pattern of the same name...

A lengthy, 9", approximately 1.0 T. oz., example of the form, this delicate and slender fork was intended for use with soft lettuces.

The pattern is Towle's late 19th century, "Old English." It incorporates small rose blossoms interspersed with a leafy scroll border.

Consistent with the characteristic design of such pieces, it has three long tines, the outer two of which are splayed. These are pointed and have scalloped edges...

A 1907 pattern first introduced by Watson and continued in production by Wallace after its acquisition of the former company, "Meadow Rose" is a softly Art Nouveau design.

It incorporates clusters of wild rose blossoms at the tip, midpoint, and bottom of the handle, which is bordered by scrolling acanthus leaf detail. Overall, this arrangement bears a marked similarity to Gorham's "Buttercup," of a slightly earlier vintage.

This 6 1/8" long, 1.2 T...

A storied pattern that features twenty-four different ancient classical subjects, "Mythologique" was one of numerous remarkable designs produced by the renowned Antoine Heller under the Gorham banner.

"Mythologique" has generated interest and commentary since its introduction in the late 19th century...

With elongated handles, these ten, matching, oyster or seafood cocktail forks measure 7". The group weigh a substantial 7.7 T. oz.

The pattern is Durgin's 1890 "Shell." Having a slender, essentially tubular, central shank, the ends where the raised shells are situated are broad and rounded.

These embody a refined elegance. The design is understated, while the highly tactile finish has a satin smoothness...

The biggest serving spoon that Durgin made in its 1910 "Fairfax" line, this piece measures 9 1/8" long and weighs 2.5 T. oz.

The wide bowl, 3 1/2" by 2 3/4" by 5/8" deep, defines this as a large berry, aka casserole or vegetable, spoon.

An early production item, this is marked with the Durgin "D" emblem, "Sterling," "Pat'd," and the name of the retailer, "Banks & Bryan," of Wilmington, Delaware.

There is a multi-line script "ESB" monogram on the handle front...

This 2 1/4" tall, 3" diameter, round bowl sits on a tiered pedestal base that is 2" across. The piece weighs nearly 2.8 T. oz...

This 7 7/8" long, not quite 1.1 T. oz., coin silver spoon has a double provenance.

It is stamped "E.S. & D.R. Burr" and "coin," for the jewelers located in the small, central Wisconsin town of Berlin. An entry in a 1919 "Jewelers' Circular," notes the death of Daniel Riley Burr at age 85, still resident in Berlin.

There is also a right-facing, bust that McGrew in his work on pseudo hallmarks identifies as an unknown Chicago maker. He cites only Chicago retailers associated with this, so...

A striking union of sterling silver with clear glass, this 6 1/2" high syrup jug is one item of a line of hollowware produced by Durgin.  Other forms in this late 19th to early 20th century series include a cream and sugar pair, a vase, a sugar shaker, and possibly more. 

Common to all these pieces are silver bases, crowns, and the truly defining element, which is a dolphin or sea serpent handle. 

The bodies are high quality, finely cut rock crystal.  At least one source attributes the...

With dates largely corresponding to the second quarter of the 19th century, the firm of Robert and William Wilson was a significant silver manufactury.

While "Tipt" end examples of their work, which this is, are readily found, this 6 3/8" long cream ladle stands apart for several reasons.

One feature is its heavy weight, 1.7 T oz., and consequent solid composition. A second feature is its perfectly round, hemispherical, bowl, which is 1 5/8" in diameter and 1/2" deep.

The handle has...

A dramatic example of Modernist design, Gorham's "No. 791" tea set, commonly identified as "Hibiscus," seems to take its inspiration from early 20th century Danish style as associated with Georg Jensen.

Offered as a three piece set, this is the pot. It stands 6" tall to the top of the finial, has a main body that is 4" at the widest, 5" to the end of the spout, and has a sterling and ebony handle that extends 4 1/4" at a slight upward cant from the body. It weighs 14.1 T. oz. and has a cap...

At 6" long, and weighing just under .9 T. oz., this olive spoon has a deeply cupped, plum-shaped, pierced bowl with scalloped flange shoulders.

An original, early, production item made by Alvin in the Art Nouveau "Bridal Rose" pattern, the company emblem, along with the words "Patent," and "Sterling" appear on the backside in fine lettering.

The handle is upturned at the end, while the surface displays a high relief, intricately rendered, portraiture of rose buds, blossoms, leaves, and t...

Identified as selling only "to the trade," meaning marketing exclusively through third party retailers, this item carries the maker's symbol for George A. Henckel & Co., "Sterling," and fittingly, it is also stamped for the New York City high end, luxury jeweler, "Marcus & Co."

Working in the early decades of the 20th century (and later absorbed into Currier & Roby), Henckel produced quality work, often in an Arts and Crafts style, as evidenced by this 7 1/8" long, weighty at 3.1 T. oz., pai...

Dating from the mid 1850s, this 6 7/8" long, nearly 1.2 T. oz., preserve spoon has New England origins.

It is stamped "S.N. Story" for the Worcester, Massachusetts silversmith and jeweler. Also marked "Pure Coin," which was a regional term, this was likely made in Boston.

The pattern is "Olive," which was a very popular design in the period.

What sets this apart from other examples is its intermediate size, shell bowl, solid weight, quality manufacture, and good condition.

The ...

A late 19th century rococo pattern produced by Dominick & Haff, "Trianon" is as fully French in style as its name implies.

Made in two versions, solid background and pierced, it is replete with scrolls, acanthus leaves, and delicate leaves with flowers, all set in moderately high relief.

Elegant without any embellishment, this pierced, 8 1/8" long, 1.4 T. oz., jelly knife is made all the more so by the addition of an overall vermeil, i.e. gold gilt, surface, and rich, multi-colored enamel...

Issued in 1897, just before the turn of the 20th century brought forward a burst of innovative Art Nouveau patterns, Alvin's "Wellington" incorporates traditional design elements such as a shell, egg and dart motif, and scrolls, all offered in an English manner as befits the pattern name.

The backside of the handle on this 4 5/8" long, .6 T. oz., (baby) food pusher has a more simplified design than the front and coincidentally resembles Gorham's "Norfolk" of the same period.

It is a full...