Catalog: Silver

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...

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...

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...

One of three silversmith and/or clocksmith brothers who lived and worked in Carlisle, Pennsylvania from the last quarter of the 18th to the first quarter of the 19th centuries, Jacob Hendel was born in 1772 and died in 1836.

His "JH" mark appears on this 5 5/8" long, approximately .4 T. oz., teaspoon.

The style dates it close to 1800 so represents some of his earliest work...

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...

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...

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...

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...

A grooming item, this 5 1/2" long clothing brush consists of a wood base with 1 1/2" long natural bristle brushes, fitted to a silver cover. The actual silver content is likely less than 1.0 T. oz.

The piece was made by Whiting whose "lion" emblem, "Sterling," model number "4236," and "Pat. 1895" are imprinted on one edge.

The raised design on the silver is a dense, rococo style floral, scroll and rocaille...

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

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...

This intact youth set is comprised of a 7 3/8" long, 1.1 T. oz., solid silver flat handle knife, a 6 3/8" long, .9 T. oz., fork, and a 5 7/8" long, .64 T. oz., spoon.

In an Olive pattern, these are all original to one another with each engraved in script lettering, "C.J.A." to "C.A.P."

The commonality of the "C.A." letters prompts speculation about whether two generations shared names.

All pieces are stamped "C.A.W. Crosby," which was a Boston retailing firm established in 1852 ...

An Indo-Persian pattern, Gorham's Hindostanee was issued in 1878, as indicated by the "Pat. 78" that appears on the handle backside of this 7 3/4" long, 1.77 T. oz., serving spoon.

Other marks include the company's "lion, anchor, G" emblem, "Sterling," and the word "Gorham," which may indicate the piece was sold in the company's New York City store, or it may simply be a redundant mark.

Gorham used a number of bowls for this line, and that on this, a small berry or preserve spoon, i...

This solid silver open master salt dish has a bowl that measures 2 1/2" in diameter, is 1 3/8" tall, weighs 1.7 T. oz., and stands on three supporting hoof feet legs.

Georgian in style as befits its 1769 date, it has a round body with an applied beaded top rim with an encircling, line detail inscribed 1/8" below this.

Otherwise the bowl is plain, noting that the underside is engraved with a block letter "E * B" monogram, along with full hallmarks including a "leopard h...

Measuring 7 3/4" long overall, with a 2 1/4" diameter by 1" deep bowl, and weighing 2.06 T. oz., this is a generously proportioned, solid silver, gravy ladle.

The pattern is Union, made by John Wendt, and in this case retailed by "Starr & Marcus," New York, as stamped on the handle backside, along with "Sterling" and "Patent."

Introduced in 1862, Union is a period design that is similar enough to Gibney by F.H. Gibney, later Whiting, and also dating 1862, that the two ...

Dating from 1870, John Wendt's Florentine is an intricately detailed and finely rendered, Renaissance Revival, design with Moorish undertones.

This 7" long, relatively weighty 1.32 T. oz., preserve or jelly spoon is a particularly fine example in pristine condition.

It has a generously proportioned, 2 1/2" long, 1 5/8" at the widest, 1/2" deep, shell form bowl with scalloped edges and a ribbed interior, all finished in a pale, satin matte, gold wash front and back sides.

The sh...