Catalog: Silver: Coin Silver

A substantially sized item that measures 7 1/2" long and weighs just under 1.4 T. oz., this master butter knife traces to mid 19th century Boston.

It is stamped "Shreve, Brown & Co.," which was an 1857-60 partnership in the chain of evolution for the firm that eventually became Boston's carriage trade "Shreve, Crump & Low."

It is also marked "Sterling," which is early for this period when coin silver was the prevailing silver standard...

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...

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...

Bearing two telling marks, "S. Kirk & Son" used by the renowned Baltimore firm 1846-51, and "10.15" for the distinctive regional silver standard designation which is slightly less than coin, this place spoon measures 7" long and weighs 1.06 T. oz. (33 grams).

A handsome and well crafted piece, it has a Fiddle shaped handle with a subtle Tipt backside. The bowl has an exposed drop, and high, pointed and beveled, fins at the join with the handle...

This item traces to mid 19th Baltimore and reflects the character of early silver from that city.

Sugar tongs, they measure 5" long, and at 1.7 T. oz., are exceptionally heavy for their size.

Stamped "S...

A piece attached to the early history of Chicago, this coin silver sauce or small gravy ladle is marked "Speer & Cosper" "Chicago," for a partnership of only two years duration, 1852-53, although Isaac Speer had been in business as a jeweler and watchmaker since 1840, and continued on after the pairing dissolved.

This is an unusually proportioned piece. It measures 7" long, with a handle that is lengthy in comparison to the 2" by 1 1/2" by 1/2" deep oval bowl. It weighs 1.1 T. oz...

A matched set, this c. 1835, coin silver, 6 5/8" long, likely pickle, fork and 7 1/2" knife, 2.8 T. oz. combined weight, are marked "S. Richard" for the New York City silversmith Stephen Richard.

The handles are filled (which is included in the total weight above), and feature a complex, double-sided, pattern that incorporates leaves, scrolls, flowerets, and two kinds of shells, one that is spiraled and one that appears to be a nautilus...

This 7" long, .9 T. oz., solid silver preserve spoon has a downturned, rounded end, handle with a plain, Tipt, backside. The front is extensively bright cut engraved and engine turned in a manner that is strongly suggestive of mid 19th century Philadelphia design.

Indeed, it is marked "T.C. Garrett," who was an established jeweler and merchant in that city...

An important name among late 18th/early 19th century New York City silversmiths in his own right, Thomas Richards also paired with other significant smiths of his period, beginning with his father-in-law Daniel VanVoorhis, with whom he apprenticed starting in 1790 and partnered with from 1798-1802...

This 8 5/8" long, 1.2 T. oz., piece is a choice example of 1860s silver.

A table serving spoon, it is marked "Coin" and "Twambley & Cleaves" for the Biddeford, Maine, jeweler and silver retailer.

The handle is a Pointed Antique with a Tipt end. The surface is finely bright cut engraved in a period acanthus leaf design with a reserve area that is inscribed with a cursive "H" monogram.

The backside is plain save for the marks.

As noted, this is a quality item produ...

Slender and delicate, this piece measures 8 3/4" long and weighs just under 1.2 T. oz.

Marked only "Coin," without a maker's or retailer's identification, the rounded handle with notched tip essentially matches Gorham's early, 1865, "Italian" pattern, and the quality of manufacture suggests such a significant maker.

This is bordered by fine wriggle work engraving and has an elegant period "EC" feathered script monogram set in the center of the plain area of the surface.

The lower por...

Measuring 5 5/8" long and weighing .8 T. oz., this sugar spoon was produced by Unger Brothers, Newark, New Jersey, whose entwined "UB" surrounded by "Sterling" and "925 Fine" mark appears on the backside.

The pattern is Douvaine, issued in 1904. Douvaine may be the most recognizable of the numerous early 20th century Art Nouveau flatware patterns Unger generated and for which the firm is renowned.

An expressive design, it features a dolphin or fish image at the tip of the han...

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. William McGrew in Manufactureres' Marks on American Coin Silver notes this mirrors a mark first used by Albert Coles and he suggests it was in turn reduced from a similar "C&V" mark used by (William L.) Coles & Vancourt in a partnership that las...

One of the earliest names attached to California silver, Vanderslice & Co., dates to the late 1850s. Unlike many subsequent San Francisco firms which sourced much or most of their goods from Eastern manufacturers, Vanderslice was a primary source from its founding in 1857/58.

As recounted in Silver in the Golden State, Vanderslice & Co. became "the longest lived of the nineteenth-century San Francisco manufacturing firms."

This piece is a 9 1/4" long, 2.54 T. oz., coin silver berry ...

Dating circa 1860, this 9 1/4" long, solid weight at 2.4 T. oz., pie server is an early example of California (coin) silver.

It is stamped on the handle backside, "Vanderslice & Co. S.F. Cal." for the firm established in 1858 which, as recounted in Silver in the Golden State, became "the longest lived of the nineteenth-century San Francisco manufacturing firms," suggesting that this piece, unlike much California silver of the period, was regionally produced.

The handle is a Frenc...

A choice example, finely made and in essentially original condition, this serving, aka table, spoon measures 8 5/8" long and weighs 1.4 T. oz.

It is stamped "Coin" for the silver standard, and "Vautrot & Ackly" for the 1866-c. 1875, Warren, Ohio, partnership.

The (Fiddle) Tipt pattern predates this period, so this may have been older inventory carried forward from Vautrot's earlier working years, beginning in 1849.

It is engraved "Laura." in script set sideways on the handle fron...

The Baltimore Museum of Art volume Baltimore Silver notes that Andrew Ellicott Warner "is the best known of a family of silversmiths which included his father Cuthbert, brother Thomas, and son Andrew Ellicott Warner, Jr."

This example of his work is a 7" long, weighty at 1.3 T. oz., place or dessert spoon.

The marks on this, "A.E. Warner" along with the peculiar to Baltimore "11" assay stamp (midway between coin and sterling silver), is one of seven documented in the above reference...

References assign an 1880 introduction date for Whiting's "Antique Tip" aka "Antique Tipt" pattern made in sterling, but this fork is an example of an earlier, 1860s, version made to a coin standard.

Measuring 7 1/8" long and weighing approximately 1.2 T. oz., this is a lunch, or simply a regular or place, piece.

It is characterized by a narrow shank that broadens widely, comes to a point at an unturned end which has a raised scroll and diamond drop that looks something like a fleur-de-lis...