Old Friends  
5469f   On Hold

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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... Click for details

Old Friends  
5463f   $55.00

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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... Click for details

Old Friends  
5457f   $135.00

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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... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20231029-01   $450.00

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Offered is a set of six dessert spoons by the scarce maker Daniel F. Roberts, working 1850-51 in Philadelphia, PA. This set was featured in the book "Philadelphia Silversmiths" by Catherine Hollan, and the mark on them was used for that book. This is the only example of Daniel F. Roberts' mark yet found - not surprising considering his very short working life of about a year or less. These spoons measure about 7 3/8 inches in length and weigh about 231 grams. They are each engraved with... Click for details

Old Friends  
5445f   On Hold

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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... Click for details

Old Friends  
5435f   On Hold

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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... Click for details

Old Friends  
5416f   On Hold

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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... Click for details

Old Friends  
5412f   $35.00

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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.... Click for details

Old Friends  
5409f   On Hold

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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... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230908-05   $35.00

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Offered is a delicate and much loved American coin silver teaspoon by Hagerstown, MD silversmith Henry Biershing (1790-1843), circa 1815. This piece is engraved "EVP" in period script and has a clear, well-struck maker's mark. It measures about 5 inches in length and weighs about 9 grams. Condition is fair, with lots of little dings and scratches to the bowl, and some surface wear to the handle (see all pictures), but no splits or repairs. All in all a very nice example of this sought-after... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230908-04   Sold

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Offered is a good Southern coin silver spoon - a fiddle and thread pattern teaspoon by noted New Orleans firm Hyde & Goodrich, which both retailed silver and made pieces in-house. This may be a New Orleans-made spoon as there are no manufacturer's marks, only the maker's mark of Hyde & Goodrich This spoon is not monogrammed, and there are no obvious signs of an erasure, though it can't be ruled out. This spoon measures about 6 3/8 inches in length and weighs about 26 grams. Condition overall... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230907-03   Sold

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Offered is a good American silver (early 1870s sterling silver, in a coin silver pattern) teaspoon in fiddle thread, bearing the mark of A.B. Griswold & Co. of New Orleans, as well as a sterling mark and the manufacturer's mark of Wood & Hughes of New York. This piece has a period engraved block letter monogram. It measures about 6 inches in length and weighs about 20 grams. Condition is good overall, with minor surface wear and a small shallow ding to the bowl, and other modest signs of use;... Click for details

Old Friends  
5407f   $32.00

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Dating from the mid 19th century, these two matching master salt spoons each measure 3 3/4" long and weigh .6 T. oz. combined.

An Oval Thread pattern, they are stamped "Squire & Lander" for the New York City jeweler, along with the "star, lion, D" manufacturing mark of John L. Westervelt, Newburgh, New York.

The rounded bowls measure 1" by 3/4" and are moderately deep at 1/4".

They are engraved "Thorpe." in script set sideways on the handle fronts.

In excellent condition, the... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230902-05   $15.00

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Offered is a nice typical 1820s Boston coin silver spoon by T. A. Davis. It has a rubbed but legible maker's mark and a period engraved script monogram of "BL". The form is consistent with Boston spoons of the 1820s - fairly light, square shoulders, and monogram running across the spoon. This spoon measures about 5 3/8 inches in length and weighs about 11 grams. Condition is fairly good, with modest wear and the bowl very slightly out of round, but no splits or repairs. All in all a nice... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230902-04   Sold

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Offered is a very nice and well-preserved American coin silver teaspoon marked ANDERSON in a rectangular punch; this spoon has a Pennsylvania or perhaps Maryland or Virginia feel to it, but of course could have been retailed by a Southerner elsewhere. This mark has at times been attributed to makers in South Carolina and Ohio, but I'm not at all sure of any attributions for this mark. Joseph Anderson of Philadelphia is one possibility, as he was working circa 1858-61 and this spoon would be... Click for details

Cliff Nunn - Antique Silver and Decorative Arts  
20230902-03   Sold

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Offered is a nice American coin silver teaspoon marked J.W.JOHNSTON and also marked with a wheel-form manufacturer's mark often associated with Detroit. The only J. W. Johnston I've found is a jeweler working in Pittsburgh between at least 1863-67, and because spoons with this mark are sometimes found here in Pittsburgh, I've tentatively assigned this mark to that man. The marks on this piece are rubbed but mostly legible, and the spoon also has a period engraved script monogram of "LRB". It... Click for details