Originated in 1894, "Verona" bespeaks its late Victorian vintage. It incorporates a variety of scroll, leaf and floral elements in an intricate portraiture. The maker was A.F. Towle, which later became Lunt. This example is a 5 1/4" long tea infuser. The lidded bowl is particularly decorative, with a finely engraved surface complimenting patterned piercings. It latches with a clip. The piece is in flawless condition and without a monogram or removal...

In pristine condition, and without a monogram or removal, this original example of Alvin's Art Nouveau "Old Orange Blossom" measures 6" long and weighs a relatively heavy 1.2 T. oz. It is marked with the finely lettered words "Patent" and "Sterling" as would be expected, along with the three part Alvin emblem. All the elements of the floral design retain their sharply defined and detailed elements, including those that so artfully extend onto the scallop shaped bowl...

Measuring 5 1/8" long and weighing not quite .4 T. oz. (11 grams), this marrow spoon is unusual for its size. It is essentially a miniature version of a form that is typically much larger, often twice as long and proportionally wider and heavier. It is English in origin, with hallmarks for sterling, a date letter for 1812, a regent's head, and "SA" for London maker Stephen Adams. It is an Old English design with a down turned, reverse tipt end...

Commonly referenced as a claret spoon, one reliable online source prefers to identify this 11 3/4" long, 2.6 T. oz., piece as a lemonade soon, while another suggests it was intended for a mixture of fruits and berries soaked in alcohol, in the manner of sangria, rather than wine. Indeed, the 3" long, 1 3/4" at the widest, bowl on this would be too large and sharply angled to fit in a claret decanter, but it would fit a pitcher...

Marked with both Philadelphia's George Sharp's "double lion and S" and "Patent" marks as well as "Tiffany & Co.," this salad serving fork and spoon have a double provenance that bespeaks the finest of mid 19th century silver manufacturing and retailing. Curiously, they are not stamped "Sterling," which standard Tiffany typically required in the 1860's from which they date, so they are possibly coin silver rather than sterling...

This 5 1/16" long, just under .6 T. oz., egg spoon is fully marked for sterling (seated Britannia), Dublin, 1834, and with a maker's mark of "PW" for Peter Weeks whose dates correspond with the piece. It has an "eagle with upraised wings" crest on the front, and the initials "J.D" inscribed at the join with the bowl on the reverse. It is in very good condition. They form is excellent, with no bends, breaks, or burrs. There is some overall softening of detail from polishing...

Measuring 4 3/4" long and weighing .6 T. oz., this piece was made by Gorham. The pattern is "Lancaster" sometimes referred to as "Lancaster Rose," reflecting the rose cluster that adorns the end of the beaded border handle. The size of a bon bon, the bowl does not match the lattice work pattern of the bon bon illustrated in the early Gorham catalogs. It is in fact more refined and this may technically be a nut or almond spoon...

This sterling silver spoon bears the mark "W[illiam]. Faber & Sons," for a well-known and well-regarded Philadelphia silver firm whose dates cover roughly the middle third of the 19th century. It is an 8 1/2" long, 1.8 T. oz. serving spoon. The form seems to be indigenous to Philadelphia as it shows up only on pieces from that area...

"Honeysuckle" may be the only pattern that Whiting produced in silverplate and sterling, with examples of the latter far less common than the former. This piece is a 6 7/8" long, weighty, 1.3 T. oz., dessert spoon marked "Sterling," with the Whiting logo, "Pat. App'l. For," indicating it is early in the line run, and the name of the retailer, "Hamilton Rowe & Co." The portraiture is true to life, with the honeysuckle blossoms, buds, leaves, and stems set against a stippled ground. The lower p...

Numbered sequentially H106, H107, and H108, this knife, fork, and spoon respectively appear in Gorham's 1902 catalog along with a set of children's holloware (see accompanying image 4). They are charming items, having plain handles with notched ends and cast and applied children's faces. These are fashioned in a Kate Greenaway style and portray a girl on the spoon and knife, and a boy on the fork. They are substantially sized, with the knife measuring 7 3/8" long, the spoon 6 1/4", and the fo...

A premier name from the mid 19th century well into the 20th century, Boston's Bigelow, Kennard & Co. served a market that was increasingly eager and able to procure fine goods, of which this 9" long, weighty, 2.2 T. oz., serving spoon is an example. The design is characteristic of a Boston style especially popular in the 1860's leading into the 1870's. The handle is basically "Old English" with a tipt backside. The bowl is eggplant shaped and plain. The distinguishing feature on these pieces...

The smaller of two fish knives Durgin offered in its "Chrysanthemum" line, this piece measures 7 1/2" long and is very heavy, weighing just under 2.0 T. oz. It is flat handled and solid sterling silver. It is inscribed "Groff" in a feathered script on the blade, and "1896" on the handle. The blade is also stamped with the retailer's name, in this case Philadelphia's "Bailey, Banks & Biddle Co." This piece is in very good overall condition, in that it is free of bends, breaks, or other damag...