Catalog: Silver: Coin Silver

One of numerous mid 19th century silver manufacturers situated in cities along the Hudson River, John L. Westervelt of Newburgh was a major producer in his 1840s to 1880s period.

This lengthy at 7 1/2" and weighty at 1.3 T. oz., master butter knife is stamped with his "star, lion, D" emblem along with "Sterling" on the blade backside.

The pattern is Ivy, which was one of Westervelt's full line designs...

This 8 1/8" long, 1.77 T. oz., coin silver piece stands apart for several reasons.

One distinguishing aspect is the combination of maker and retailer.

It is stamped with the "eagle, thistle, harp" mark of Philadelphia's Taylor & Lawrie." Catherine Hollan in Philadelphia Silver notes "they [T&L] advertised they had manufactured for Bailey & Kitchen then for Bailey & Co. for twenty years . . . (1857 adv)."

This is stamped "M.W. Galt & Bro.," for the Washington, D.C...

As documented by Flynt & Fales in The Heritage Foundation Collection of Silver, Eleazer Wyer, born in Boston in 1786, learned goldsmithing from his father (of the same name), and his sister married silversmith Timothy Keith, so the trade was clearly a family tradition.

Eleazer relocated to Portland, Maine about 1806, and from 1814-18 was in partnership there with Charles Farley...

The dominant silver house in Cincinnati from the mid 19th century onward, Duhme's first line pattern, No. 1, followed after the broad, fiddle shaped, handle design characteristic of the Ohio River Valley of the period.

The pattern had variants or close parallels, of which this 9 1/8" long, 1.9 T. oz., coin silver table serving spoon is one.

It has a plain, chamfered edge, shank (vs...

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...

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...

Combining characteristics of a spoon, with the handle set nearly horizontal to the circular, 2" wide by 1/2" deep, bowl, and a ladle, this 7 1/2" long and weighty at 2.3 T. oz. piece is well-suited for dipping.

It is an older, i.e. mid 19th century, example of Baltimore silver marked "S. Kirk & Son," used 1846-61, and "10.15" which was a mid 19th century Baltimore silver standard designation (roughly equivalent to coin)...

These six matching, heavy at 7.6 T. oz. the group, spoons all measure 7 1/8" long and are marked "John A. Cole" along with a "bust, lion, D" hallmark that John McGrew in Manufacturers' Marks on American Coin Silver attributes to an unknown New York City manufacturer.

McGrew offers dates 1841-59 for John A...

Measuring 6 1/4" long and weighing .64 T. oz., this sugar spoon is a charming period piece.

The Reverse Tipt handle is bright cut engraved in a wispy leaf design with training stems that encircle a script letter "LHN" monogram.

It also has an usual form bowl with scalloped ends and interior paneling, all finished in a pale gold wash.

It is stamped Harry Raynes for the Lowell, Massachusetts, jeweler working from 1865 into at least the 1880s, and at times in collaboration wi...

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.

He was also associated at various times with John Sayre, William Pelletreau, and William Morrell prior to his death in 1830.

This pair of 6 1/4" long, 1.45 T. oz., coin silver tongs are stamped ...

Tracing to mid 19th century Boston, this 6 3/4" long, .7 T. oz., jelly or large sugar spoon is marked "Currier & Trott" for the partnership between watchmakers and jewelers, Richard and Peter respectively, which lasted 1823-55.

The Fiddle Tipt pattern of this places it toward the latter end of those years.

A finely crafted piece, it has a shell bowl with notched and scalloped edges.

There is a finely engraved script "LR to ECL" monogram engraved on the handle backsi...

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.

The patt...

Often attributed to prominent 19th century silversmith James Watts, the particular "animal head over shield with star" mark found on this lengthy, 9 1/2", 2.4 T. oz., coin silver pie server belongs to James Butler. Both men worked in Philadelphia in the mid 19th century.

Catherine Hollan in her encyclopedic Philadelphia Silversmiths notes Butler was a partner with Watts for "only one year 1867, then successfully continued independently manufacturing silverware with engraved patterns th...

Born in 1802, Albert Comstock Benedict was a prominent New York City silversmith during the first half of the 19th century and beyond. He worked in partnership with Egbert Scudder from 1828-36.

His mark, which appears on all four of these lengthy, 6 1/4", 2.3 T. oz. the group, matching teaspoons is distinct. It reads, "A.C. Benedict" over "28 Bowery, N.Y."

The handles are Fiddle shaped with Tipt backsides. There are high, rounded, fins off the bowls, and plain drops on the ba...

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.

The handle front is engraved wi...

Listed as a jeweler and watchmaker (although Flynt and Fales in the Heritage Foundation Collection of Silver note that "silverwork has been attributed to him") who engaged in several partnerships beginning in 1820, as well as operating singly 1825-34, Thomas Aspinwall Davis, b. 1798, was a Boston citizen of note. In fact, he was serving as mayor when he died in 1845.

This pair of oversized, 6 5/16" long, 1.2 T. oz. combined, tea or place spoons are stamped "T.A. Davis," dating them to ...

Measuring 6 5/8" long and weighing just over .5 T. oz., this mid 19th century spoon is marked "Coin" without any other identifiers. Given the style, it is likely New England or New York in origin.

A jelly or large sugar spoon, it has an engagingly naive quality about it.

The handle has a narrow stem, and flat, shaped, round, upturned end with a slight knob tip. The surface is engraved in a simple, but endearing, leaf and flower design. The flower appears to be a narcissus.

The name Parisen is associated with four noteworthy 18th to early 19th century New York City silversmiths and jewelers. The senior one was Otto Paul DeParisen, born in Berlin, Germany in 1735, and the others are his three sons, Philip 1761-1822, David 1765-?, and Otto W., 1770-?

The "Parisen" mark that appears on this unusual length, 6 1/2", approximately .7 T. oz., place spoon, was apparently used by more than one of the sons (references vary about attribution).

Sharply honed, it has a