Catalog: Silver: Coin Silver

Marked for the prominent Cincinnati firm of "Duhme & Co.," this 6" long fork, 6 3/8" knife, and 6" spoon set has additional provenance as each piece is engraved what appears to read, "Andrew K. Reuss" on the handle front and "Jan. 26th 1872." on the reverse.

Artfully crafted, the hollow handles have rounded ends with a "Thread" design and arum leaf detailing at the join with beaded and engraved banding...

As was a practice with many American silver manufacturers working in coin, even more so did Canadian silversmiths employ pseudo hallmarks imitative of English silver to identify their work.

This 8 5/8" long, weighty at 2.1 T. oz., circa 1840, coin silver table serving spoon is a case in point. It is stamped with a "crown, bust, lion" along with "IM" for John Munro, and "NB" for the province of New Brunswick, the city of St. John in this case, for the this maker...

A popular 1850s design, the leaf form on this 8 5/8" long, 1.9 T. oz., coin silver spoon was made by several makers with slight variation, including William Gale & Son who produced this piece, Gorham whose pattern was named "Josephine," and Henry Hebbard.

The leaf appears on the handle end front and back sides, in elaborated manner on the reverse heel of the bowl, and in smaller stylized form on the front join with the bowl...

Born in 1785 in Albany, New York, sources indicate that Thomas H. Carson was working as a silversmith in that city in 1810 and in partnership there with Green Hall 1814-19.

This lengthy, 8 7/8" long, 1.9 T. oz., serving spoon is stamped with the "C&H" mark indicating that partnership.

The form is consistent with the period. The handle is plain front with a rounded end and a midrib on the backside and a plain drop on the heel of the bowl...

A matched set, this c. 1835, coin silver, 6 5/8" long, likely pickle, fork and 7 1/2" knife, 2.8 T. oz. combined weight, are marked "S. Richard" for the New York City silversmith Stephen Richard.

The handles are filled (which is included in the total weight above), and feature a complex, double-sided, pattern that incorporates leaves, scrolls, flowerets, and two kinds of shells, one that is spiraled and one that appears to be a nautilus...

A matched set, each of these four place, aka dessert or soup, spoons measures 7 1/8" long, with the group weighing 5.0 T. oz.

They are all stamped "Duhme & Co.," for the Cincinnati manufacturer and jeweler, and all have the same feathered "TGM" monogram inscribed sideways on their handle.

The pattern is "No. 1," introduced in 1869...

Very early examples of San Francisco marked flatware, this set of six, matched, 8 3/8" long, 10.9 T. oz. the lot, coin silver spoons date circa 1860.

They are stamped on backsides "G.C. Shreve & Co., which firm according to an entry in Dorothy Rainwater's Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers, was established in 1852.

It eventually became the West Coast's premier jeweler and silver manufacturer...

A substantially sized item that measures 7 1/2" long and weighs just under 1.4 T. oz., this master butter knife traces to mid 19th century Boston.

It is stamped "Shreve, Brown & Co.," which was an 1857-60 partnership in the chain of evolution for the firm that eventually became Boston's carriage trade "Shreve, Crump & Low."

It is also marked "Sterling," which is early for this period when coin silver was the prevailing silver standard...

Dating from the mid 19th century, this preserve or jelly spoon measures 7 1/4" long and weighs 1.0 T. oz...

Having rounded, double scroll shoulders, with a triple leaf drop and a different single leaf also flanked by scrolls set mid handle, "Pacific" issued in 1870 by San Francisco's Schulz & Fisher was very much a period design. It is highly reminiscent, for example, of Knowles & Ladd "Crete" and Gorham's "Pompeii," both contemporaneous with "Pacific."

This example is an 8 7/8" long, 1.9 T. oz., pie server marked "coin" for the silver content.

It has a generously proportioned, 4 1/2" by 2 7/8" ...

Writing in Silver Medallion Flatware, D. Albert Soeffing comments that "[Philo B.] Gilbert was a prominent New York City manufacturer, working for about thirty years. Although not well know today, he was one of the leading producers of his day."

This 6" long, .8 T. oz., coin silver sugar spoon is an early example of his "Medallion" pattern, marked only "Patent 1867."

Relatively rare, the line is multi-motif, featuring a variety of different helmeted knight's heads facing left. This ...

The pattern on this 9" long, weighty at 2.8 T. oz., pie server is a "Leaf & Scroll" design that is indigenous to Philadelphia.

It is illustrated in a "handle patterns" unit of Catherine Hollan's Philadelphia Silversmiths, where it is attributed to Robert and William Wilson, a partnership that dates from the second quarter of the 19th century, and their "R.&W. Wilson" mark does appear on the backside of this coin silver piece.

The handle is flat and double die struck, meaning the pat...

This 7" long place or dessert spoon stands apart on several counts, the first of which is its exceptionally heavy weight at marginally over 2.0 T. oz.

Secondly, marked "Tiffany & Co.," it traces to the early years of the firm when it operated solely as a retailer.

In this case the maker was Henry Hebbard, whose three part "star, H, anchor" pseudo hallmark appears on the handle backside.

Thirdly, it is to a coin silver standard, so stamped, which is unusual for Tiffany which prompted, in...

A major mid 19th century silver manufacturer, Boston's Farrington & Hunnewell produced a number of die cut patterns as well as an extensive array of engraved designs.

This 6" long, 1.3 T. oz., shell bowl, sauce or cream ladle, is an especially fine example of the later form.

It has a gracefully arched, broad, "Reverse Tipt" handle that is bright and diamond cut on the front in a floral, leaf, and swag design.

There is a central reserve area that is engraved in a leaf script "W" monogram...

One of Gorham's earliest full line patterns, references date it to 1865 although this 7 3/4" long, 1.4 T. oz., solid silver master butter knife is stamped "Patent 1867," indicating a later date and situating it just before the company's conversion to a sterling standard in 1868.

Other marks on this include Gorham's "lion, anchor, G" emblem, and the name of the retailer, Philadelphia's "Geo. H. Bechtel."

"Ionic" is a Greek Revival design that incorporates a central rosette with a stylized a...

Catherine Hollan in Philadelphia Silversmiths offers dates of 1876-87 for the firm of "McCarty & Hurlbert," which is the name that is imprinted on the backside of this 9 1/4" long, 2.4 T. oz., berry spoon. Antecedent firms trace back to c. 1845.

It is also marked "Coin," which is late for this standard, as most manufacturers had converted to sterling by the 1870s.

It has an "Old English" handle with a tipt backside and a bright cut fine flower and leaf theme on the front.

The poi...

Likely dating 1855-1862, this sugar sifter measures 7" long and weighs 1.2 T. oz.

It was made and sold by Philadelphia's "Bailey & Co.," and is so marked, along with a "lion, S, shield" with additional "lion" pseudo hallmark that was used while George Sharp was the company's manufacturing manager 1852-c. 1862 (Catherine Hollan Philadelphia Silversmiths).

The "S" indicates sterling, while a like mark with a "U" indicates coin silver, with the former introduced in 1855 (Hollan).

Th...

Measuring 8 1/8" long and weighing 1.8 T. oz., this coin silver item has a generously sized, 2 1/2" diameter, shell-shaped, pierced, bowl and "Reverse Tipt" handle.

Generally identified as a large sugar sifter, there is some argument to be made that pieces this scale from this period were actually early ice spoons.

In either case, it is a fine representation of what it is.

It is stamped "R. Fisher, Jr." and "331 Broad Way, N.Y." on the reverse, for Richard Fisher, working 1846-50, also ...