Catalog: Silver: Coin Silver

Made by the mid 19th century Boston silver manufacturer Farrington & Hunnedwell, this 5 15/16" long, .77 T. oz., coin silver sugar spoon was retailed by Worcester jeweler Benjamin Goddard, whose name, along with the maker's "F&H" mark, appears on the handle backside.

Very much in the manner of its 1860s period, and engagingly so, it has a twisted stem and a flat, shaped-edge, handle that is bright cut and wriggle work engraved in a period design...

A prominent, arguably the dominant, name among mid 19th century New York City retailers (before Tiffany's ascendency), "Ball, Black & Co." marketed a variety of work from important regional makers.

This coin silver piece is a large, 8 3/4" long, 1.9 T. oz., berry or other serving spoon, marked for BB & Co...

Zebulon (alternatively Zachariah as noted by Belden in Marks of American Silversmiths) was listed in New York City directories 1815-20 and from 1822-70 in Sag Harbor, on Long Island. He spent 1821-22 in Salisbury, North Carolina as a partner with Edmund Burnham.

The plain, rounded and downturned end with a smooth back, style of this 9 1/4", 1.4 T. oz., coin silver serving spoon dates circa 1820, tracing to his NYC years or even his short period in NC...

Each of these six matching spoons measures 5 7/8" long and is engraved with the same fancy, feathered line script, "AI" monogram. They weigh 2.35 T. oz. the group.

They are stamped "E.E. & S.C. Bailey," for brothers Ebenezer and Samuel, who established a partnership in Claremont, New Hampshire, circa 1825.

Particularly well-crafted and elegantly formed, they have slender, elongated, Fiddle Tipt handles with markedly upturned ends...

A matched pair, each of these forks measures 7" long, while the two combined weigh 2.35 T. oz.

They are marked "I. Speer" and "Chicago" on the handle reverses.

Isaac Speer began work as a jeweler and watchmaker in Chicago in 1840, engaged in a partnership with Edward Cosper, 1852-53 (see Old Friends item 5463f for a Speer & Cosper ladle), and continued alone thereafter until 1870...

Measuring 8 3/8" long and weighing 1.1 T. oz., this relatively plain, c. 1850, serving spoon has a Fiddle handle, high, beveled and rounded, fins off the bowl, and a plain drop on the backside.

Coin silver, it is stamped C[harles]. C[arter] Coleman, for the Worcester, Massachusetts silversmith and jeweler with dates 1844-60. It has a "P (or T) W H" feathered script monogram engraved on the front of the curved handle...

An engaging regional period piece, this mug stands 2 13/16" high to the rim, 3 1/8" to the top of the handle, has a top span of 2 1/2" (3 3/4" to the end of the handle), a bottom diameter of 2 1/8", and weighs 3.1 T. oz.

It is stamped on the underside "Currier & Trott," along with "Coin," for the Boston partnership of jewelers and watchmakers with dates from the mid 1820s to the mid 1850s.

The style of this suggests it traces to the 1840s...

This large, 11 7/8" long, 3.7 T. oz. total weight, coin silver cake saw connects to multiple mid 19th century New York City silver manufacturers.

It is marked on the solid silver blade front with an "eagle, V, bust" hallmark for James Vancourt...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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 finished 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 ...

A highly regarded Albany, New York, silversmith, Robert Shepherd, 1781-1853, was a partner with William Boyd 1806-30 and work marked for them is especially collectible.

This piece, stamped "Sheperd & Boyd" with some blurring of the "Boyd," is a choice 3 1/2" tall, 3" top diameter, 4.7 T. oz. beaker. It is fully original, i.e. not converted or adapted from a mug as some handless cups are.

Similar pieces are held at the Met and the Clark Museums as well as in other collections.

It has a f...

Catherine Hollan writing in her voluminous reference work Virginia Silversmiths, opens her multi-page entry for John Adam, 1775-1848, stating, "There were four generations of Adam silversmiths in Alexandria. John Adam, representing the second generation, is one of the more recognizable names of Virginia silversmiths."

This pair of matching, 5 7/8" long, 1.19 T. oz. combined, c. 1820, coin silver teaspoons are stamped "I·ADAM." for him, which Hollan notes "was one of the most wid...