Whiting's Dresden is a charming floral pattern that incorporates forget-me-not or posey blossom and leaves set against a scrolled ground. The design appears on both front and back sides of the handle. This example is a 5 1/2" long, .9 T. oz., sauce or cream ladle. The bowl is essentially round, and 2 1/4" in diameter. It has a scalloped edge, a scrolled interior, and is finished in a pale matte gold. There is no monogram or removal. The condition is mint...

This small berry or jelly spoon measures 7 3/8" long and weighs just short of 1.7 T. oz. The pattern is Louis XV by Whiting. A late 19th century design, this features a series of scrolls along the border of the handle, with a flourish at the tip. The flanged and crimped shoulders of the matte gold finish bowl repeat the design. The item is in flawless condition and without a monogram or removal. Marks are the Whiting lion emblem, Sterling, and Pat. 1891.

The Tompkins book on Gorham master salts lists model number A2956 dating from 1901-2. It is illustrated with A2957 and A2958 which were identical pieces in graduated smaller sizes. This one measures 1 7/8" in diameter, stands 7/8" high, and weighs .5 T. oz. It has a round cauldron-shaped body that stands on four ball feet. The interior is finished in a gold wash. There is a broad rim with raised ribbing. The piece is in flawless condition and without a monogram or removal...

This 5 1/4" long spoon made by Lunt is a novel design and evidently intended for a novel purpose. It has a tubular stem with an open ring at the end of this. There is a cluster of cast and applied strawberry fruit and leaves applied below this. These are faithfully rendered and precisely detailed, clear to the leaves on the backside. Given the presence of fruit, this may have been a jam spoon. It is a bit large for a baby spoon, but that is another possibility...

This pair of tongs are substantial. The measure 5 3/4" long, are 1 1/4" wide at the arch, and weigh 1.8 T. oz. The style is without question Boston from the third quarter of the 19th century. This origin and date is confirmed by the retailer's stamp, "Crosby, Morse & Foss," a partnership which dates narrowly from 1869 to 1875. They are also marked "925" for sterling, but less than ten years earlier they would have been to a coin silver standard, which many pieces in this genre are...

John Wendt was a prominent mid 19th century silversmith. His name evokes a host of associations in the burgeoning world of commerce and the carriage trade as it existed in New York City at the time. Thus so strongly identified with this one locale, Wendt actually first established himself in Boston, and that period of his working years often goes overlooked...

Measuring 5" long, this cream ladle is smaller than the typical size in Gorham's Virginiana, which is something less than an inch longer. The oval bowl is 1 1/2" by 1 1/4" and 1/2" deep. It has subtly flanged shoulders, but is otherwise plain. This poppy pattern may be Gorham's most successful full line art nouveau design, and deservedly so. This example is flawless, showing scant signs of use, having a brilliant (hand polished only) finish, and is without a monogram...

Virtually every manufacturer offered a Chyranthemum design in the late Victorian period, with the three outstanding ones coming from Tiffany, Durgin, and this version by Gorham called Imperial Chrysanthemum. There are various iterations of the blossoms and leaves tracing the length of the handle and onto the bowl where there is a single, boldly set flower. This all shows especially well in the large scale of this matched pair of long salad servers. The spoon measures 10 1/4" long and the fork...

General Israel Putnam was a fabled Revolutionary War figure whose name and exploits were well known in the late 19th century, the period of this piece. The specific subject of this 5 1/2" long teaspoon was his encounter with a marauding she wolf in the northeastern Connecticut town of Pomfret. The neighboring town of Putnam is named for him. The full story of this spoon and its historical references is recorded in Anton Hardt's "Souvenir Spoons of the 90's" which is comprised of facsimile pag...

This serving fork and spoon may be used as a pair for salad or as individual pieces. They were made by Blackinton and date from the turn of the 20th century. The pattern, Helena, remains decidedly Victorian in style, incorporating beading, fancy scrolls, and any number of flourishes offered in balanced detail. The fork measures 8 11/16" long and has a scrolled shoulder, four-tine serving end. The spoon measures 8 3/16" long and has a ribbed bowl with scalloped and flanged shoulders. The pie...

Made by the last of the storied Moulton family of silversmiths of Newburyport, Massachusetts, this exceptionally long, 9 3/16", and weighty, 1.7 T. oz., tablespoon is stamped "J. Moulton" for Joseph. It is a fiddle tipt form rendered with a broad, staunch end. It is engraved "M.C. from S.D." in a fine script and in exceptionally fine condition. There is no tip wear on the dent-free bowl nor damage of any sort to the rest of the piece. The finish is nicely patinated.

Bonbonnieres are bonbon spoons set large. In some instances, the size exceeds 10" long and that alone makes them commanding pieces. Add to that intricacy of design and the net effect can be quite compelling. The form was popular in the late 19th century, and no company was more successful in producing impressive examples than Gorham. This example is model number 588 offered by that company. It is medium-sized, measuring 6 1/8" long, has a bowl that is roughly 2 3/4" in diameter, and weighs ...