Catalog: Silver: Sterling

Issued in 1895, Durgin's Empire draws from classic French design sensibilities. It incorporates a crown, cornucopia, torches, a crossed ribbon wreath, and other festooning on the handle front and back on this server, although place pieces have simpler laurel and acanthus leaf and ribbon detailing on the reverses.

This item is a quite remarkable ice cream knife. It measures 10 1/8" long, has a hollow handle, and a solid silver, flat, blade that can only be described as a cleaver...

An original production example of Versailles, this 5 7/8" long, 1.0 T. oz., piece is stamped on the backside heel with Gorham's "lion, anchor, G" emblem, "Sterling," and "Copyrighted '88."

An old style pastry fork, it has three tines, one of which is wider than the other two and has a hooked tip.

The multi-motif pattern draws its imagery from the French palace for which it is named and in this instance features a pair of playful looking cherubs on the handle front...

An 8 3/8" long, approximately 1.9 T. oz., table serving spoon, this piece is fully hallmarked for London, sterling silver, 1775, and maker Stephen Adams I (S·A).

Having a Hanoverian handle, the end is upturned and tipt, while there is a long drop, evolved from a rattail, on the bowl backside.

The handle reverse is engraved in a period "S + S" monogram...

In his comprehensive work Tiffany Silver Flatware, author William Hood discusses a number of "not-full-line patterns without a known name or description."

This 6" long, weighty at 1.2 T. oz., specialty teaspoon falls into this category...

A 7 3/8" long, 1.1 T. oz., preserve spoon, this 19th century piece is marked "Sterling" without a manufacturer's identification.

Essentially flat-handled with a shaped margin, raised central oval, and bright cut engraved detailing, the style suggests maker Fessenden of Providence, Rhode Island.

The rounded end, shallow, bowl, has flanged and notched shoulders, a central raised vee, and is wriggle work engraved in a leaf motif set against a matte ground.

The handle front is engraved "E.C...

Each of these twelve identical, sterling silver, coffee--slightly larger than a demitasse--spoons measures 4 1/4" long with the set weighing 3.4 T. oz.

The pattern is Gorham's original Mothers issued in 1875, versus a new version introduced in 1926.

Mother's is essentially a Pointed Antique design with a plain back handle and exposed drop on the heel...

Little reference material is available about the Boston firm "N.G. Wood & Son" founded in the late 19th century, although based on the inventory of their goods still available, they were a major operation.

This item, a 5 3/4" long, .7 T...

Born in 1897, James Brett Hamlin's life encompassed nearly the full span of the 20th century as he lived until 1994.

A silversmith and pewterer with a specialty in jewelry, he studied and worked in New York City until settling in Maine about midpoint in his life, and where he remained active until about 1980. One source describes him as a "true modernist."

This 5 7/8" long, nearly 1.3 T. oz., gravy ladle is an apparently rare example of his flatware work executed in sterling silver...

Measuring a lengthy 5 7/8" and weighing a hefty near 1.7 T. oz., this pair of tongs originated in Boston and date circa 1860. Probably intended for sugar, they are large enough to be used for ice.

They are stamped "Shreve, Brown & Co.," the 1857-60 predecessor of Boston's premier "Shreve, Crump & Low," on the inside of one arm, and "925 in an oval" on the inside of the other.

The pattern is an Oval Thread with cast, sturdy and highly articulated, grips...

Well-regarded in its late 19th/early 20th century period, the Newark, New Jersey firm of William B. Kerr was particularly well-known for its Art Nouveau jewelry as well as children's items, of which this 6 1/4" diameter, 4.2 T. oz., solid sterling silver plate is an example.

It has a rolled edge with a 1 1/4" wide rim that is acid etched with the words Old Mother Hubbard interspersed with a variety of figures evoked by this nursery rhyme...

This 6" long, very heavy at 1.4 T. oz., teaspoon is an early production example of Gorham's "Cluny," marked with the company's "lion, anchor, G" emblem, "Sterling," and "Copyrighted."

Originated by renowned designer Antoine Heller, the pattern features dense, high relief, floral elements with rosette and palmetto accents.

A commemorative item, it is engraved in the bowl "Stroudsburg" in script, as well as with the date "Nov. 10. 1903" on the handle backside.

Apparently little if ever us...

Measuring 6 7/8" long and weighing approximately 1.0 T. oz., this place, sometimes referred to as a regular, fork was made by Watson whose Mechanics Division pennant emblem and the word "Sterling" appear on the handle backside.

The pattern is Bacchante, issued in 1895. It features a nude female figure holding a bay in one arm and a cluster of grapes, a reference to Bacchus, the God of wine, and the source of the pattern name, in the other arm.

The image is modeled after a statue desi...

A commemorative of the Shriner's 1903 convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this 5 3/4" long, .7 T. oz., spoon was made by the Shepard Manufacturing Company, whose "S in a circle" emblem and the word "Sterling" appear on the backside. The word "Saratoga" and date "1903" appear in the bowl.

The handle front features a full figure American Indian wearing a headdress with a quiver of arrows on his back and a bow and two arrows in his hand. He is positioned above two ears of corn.

How this i...

Issued at the turn of the 20th century, Tiffany's Florentine takes its name from the city whose identity is synonymous with the Italian Renaissance, and fittingly the decorative elements of the pattern derive from design characteristic of that period.

This example is a 6 1/4" long, very heavy relative to size at nearly 1.4 T. oz., youth fork with a line script "ALW" monogram engraved in the reserve area of the handle front.

In good condition, this retains clear pattern detail and pr...

Measuring 6 1/8" long, this relatively heavy at approximately 1.3 T. oz. sugar spoon is an early production example of Reed & Barton's Art Nouveau Intaglio pattern issued in 1905.

It is marked with R&B's "eagle, R, lion" emblem, "Sterling," and "Pat. Appl'd For," all in fine, precise lettering as would be expected on an old piece.

It also carries the retailer's stamp, "Cady & Olmstead," Kansas City, Missouri, and as was customary with this multi-motif floral line, the name of the fl...

Gorham's Angelo aka No. 10 flatware pattern forms the core of the fabled (Henry Jewett and Elvira Irwin) "Furber Collection" of silver held at the "Rhode Island School of Design Museum."

Gorham Silver: Designing Brilliance 1850-1970 edited by Elizabeth Williams recounts,

"Sitting down to the Furbers' table, one would have been confronted with a bevy of Gorham flatware--687 pieces in all. The majority of serving and dining utensils are the Angelo pattern, which d...

A highly regarded iteration of the Medallion genre popular among silver manufacturers of the 1860s, nearly all of John Wendt's product in this line was retailed through New York's "Ball, Black & Co.," whose name, along with "Patent" and "925," appear on the backside of this 5 3/4" long, approximately .8 T. oz., relatively heavy, youth fork.

Appropriate to the item function, the figure on this is young and could in fact be either male or female and thus a suitable association for a chil...

A decorative item, this 5 7/16" long, approximately 1.1 T. oz., sugar sifter has a rounded end Antique handle with a Tipt backside.

The front is bright cut engraved in a floral, starflower like, pattern along with a fancy, feathered script, "AMJ" monogram.

The essentially round, 2" diameter, pierced bowl has a scalloped edge, coffered sides, and a raised circle in the base. The interior has a satin matte finish that is wriggle work engraved with "pom pom" like detailing that ...