Catalog: Silver: Sterling: Flatware

The larger of two sizes of sugar tongs that Reed & Barton produced in one of its flagship Art Nouveau designs, Les Cinq Fleurs, this item measures 4 5/8" long and weighs a relatively heavy 1.2 T. oz.

Issued at the turn of the 20th century, the pattern features a variety of deeply textured and highly detailed flowers, each one specific to the particular item.

The portraiture on this is poppy.

It has talon grips and a wide arch with raised edges on either side...

Lengthy at 10 1/4" and weighing 2.6 T. oz., this all silver server is likely a fish slice although some sources identify it as an ice cream server.

Ice cream servers tend to be more bulbous or stubby than fish slices, while conversely the later is more slender and generally has a more pointed tip and flatter surface than the former, and this goes in that direction...

A long handled version, this olive spoons measures 7" as against a regular length 5 1/2" or so for this form. It weighs .7 T. oz.

Made by Watson, the pattern is Bridal Flower, introduced in 1910.

Although dating from late in the Art Nouveau period, this follows fully after that style, with a very fluid interpretation of the lily blossoms that form the centerpiece of the design...

One of several specially designed, numbered, oyster, aka shrimp or seafood cocktail, forks that Gorham presented in its 1886 catalogue (see enlargement 2), No. 10 features a ball top with twisted stems.

This offering is for a full set of twelve matched pieces, all in flawless, original condition.

Each one measures 5 7/8" long, while the group weigh 4.7 T. oz...

Marked with Durgin's "D" emblem along with "Sterling" and the number "2," this 7 3/4", approximately 1.0 T. oz., long handle olive spoon is not immediately identifiable as a regular line pattern.

The open work at the end of the handle, in company with the design details, evoke the Durgin's rarely found 1887 Alcazar pattern, although this is not an exact match. Other aspects of the pattern resemble Durgin's (French) rococo 1891 Louis XV...

Marked with Gorham's "lion, anchor, G" emblem, "Sterling," and "Copyrighted" on the backside heel of the bowl, this is an early production example of the company's 1888 Versailles pattern.

A table, i.e. serving, spoon, it measures 8 1/2" long and weighs an exceptionally heavy 2.44 T. oz.

The pattern is multi-motif and known for its portraiture of scenes from daily life at the palace of Versailles and the court of French King Louis XIV...

Designed for a very specific purpose, claret ladles are necessarily lengthy, and this solid silver example is especially so at 13 1/4". It weighs a substantial 2.4 T. oz.

Made by Gorham, it is stamped with the company's "lion, anchor, G" emblem, "Sterling," and model number "912."

While the handle is rendered in Gorham's beaded-with-tipt-end Newcastle pattern, the fact that it is numbered indicates it was a specialty piece independent of the flatware line per se...

A 7" long, 1.1 T. oz., preserve or jelly spoon, this piece has a generously sized, 2 1/2" by 1 5/8", shell shaped bowl with a scalloped edge and slightly pointed tip.

Made by John Wendt in his Medallion pattern, it is stamped with his characteristic "Patent" and "925," along with the name of the retailer, Boston's "Bigelow Bros...

Stamped "Sterling" and with the "H&S" emblem of Hotchkiss & Schreuder, Syracuse NY, and retailed by "Austin & Prescott," Batavia NY, this piece measures 8 3/4" long and weighs 1.7 T. oz.

The pattern is Longfellow, which clearly follows after the Moorish and Egyptian Revival trends popular in its 1870s period.

It features a repeating series of palm fronds, palmettes, rosettes and ivy leaves along a shaped handle with a pyramid end...

Finely crafted, this 8 5/8" long, 1.74 T...

An early line pattern, Gorham's Louis XIV, is Greek Revival in style in spite of carrying a French name.

The main feature is an anthemion leaf, with additional detailing reminiscent of Gorham's also Greek Revival Corinthian design of the same period.

This example is a lengthy 5 1/4", .9 T. oz., pair of sugar tongs with gold washed claw or talon grips and columnar legs.

In superb condition, this pair have never been monogrammed on either the reserve shields on the ar...

One of William B. Durgin's earliest patterns, dating circa 1870, and commonly identified as Spray, this design features a bouquet of woodland flowers and grasses tied by a bow.

This motif appears in the top center of the handle, and is repeated on the lower front and backside heel of the join with the blade of this 6 3/4" long, 1.0 T. oz., master butter knife.

There is a script letter "R" monogram on the handle front.

The blade has a scalloped upper edge, upswept and pointed tip,...

One of Gorham's earliest full line patterns, patented in 1868 as stamped in the reverse of this 6 1/4" long, .6 T. oz., sugar spoon, Ivy has a tubular stem and broad, convex handle end that features an intricately rendered portraiture of ivy leaves and berries set against a stippled ground.

The handle reverse is engraved with a delicately inscribed, feathered "HC" monogram.

Additional marks include the company's "lion, anchor, G" emblem, the word "Sterling," and the name of the reta...

A not readily found pattern, Frank Smith's 1912 George VI aka Ridgefield is, appropriately, a regal looking design that features a variety of raised acanthus leaves and scrolls set on a shaped handle with double lined margins.

The handle backside is less elaborate than the front, but still quite detailed.

This example is a 7 5/8" long, 1.77 T. oz., cold meat fork.

The serving end has four, slender and splayed, tines with scrolled bases, all joined to a deep, ...

One of the last American companies to produce fully hand worked silver, "Old Newbury Crafters" items show the skill of the individual maker in every piece.

That is the case with this 8 1/2" long, 2.6 T. oz., solid silver, serving serving spoon in the company's 1939 Oak Leaf pattern.

Modernist/Deco in style, the handle has straight, tapered edges, with a tip that is surmounted by a representational oak leaf flanked by what are presumably two acorns.

The front of the ...

Measuring 5 3/4" long each, and weighing 4.6 T. oz. the group, these solid silver oyster aka shrimp or seafood cocktail forks are all stamped with Gorham's "anchor, lion, G" emblem and "Sterling."

The pattern is Antique, issued in 1875. Akin to Old English, it has a rounded end with a tipt backside attached to a narrow shank.

There are three tines on each of these pieces, the lower one of which is hooked and wider than the other two.

In choice estate condition and never mo...

Issued in 1910, Buckingham bears a strong resemblance to Gorham's companion and immensely successful Chantilly line that was introduced fifteen years earlier.

It could be argued the two patterns are variants of the same design, with the former incorporating English style detail and the latter French, as intimated by their respective names. Buckingham is also more robust, i.e. generally heavier weight, than Chantilly, and often has more elaborated serving ends.

T...

Around the turn of the 20th century, Gorham produced an array of specialty silver stand alone items grouped together in what is known as H series pieces.

This 5 1/8" long, .45 T. oz., is model number "H239" from that series.

A lemon fork, it has the requisite three, narrow and splayed, tines that define its function.

Evidencing the precision of finish and substance of H series items, it has an open work handle that is reminiscent of the Chippendale style, rendered i...