Catalog: Silver: Sterling

A generally heavy line of flatware, this 7 1/8" long dessert, aka oval soup or place, spoon in Durgin's Chrysanthemum is especially so. It weighs a full 2.0 T. oz.

In immaculate condition, appearing never to have been used, it was a presentation piece, engraved "Kathryn" in embellished script lettering on the handle front and "1905" on the reverse...

A finely crafted piece rendered in neoclassical French Empire style, this item serves a dual function.

It is firstly a 4 3/4" by 3 1/2" by 13/16" high, hinged, oval box. The hinge is on the short end, with a lip for opening on the opposite end.

It is made of 950 fine, i.e. first standard, silver (slightly higher than sterling) and marked with a "Minerva head" on the lid edge, underside of the cover, and on the lip of the base...

An early production piece, this Lily gravy ladle is marked with Whiting's "lion" emblem, "Sterling," an Old English "O," "Pat. 1902" and "R'd 1902," all in fine lettering on the handle back.

An expressive Art Nouveau design, the pattern is expressed in intricate, high relief detail on this large scale, 7 1/4" long with a 2 1/2" by 2 1/4" bowl, very heavy, 3.37 T. oz., solid silver piece...

While this matched pair of large pieces, namely a 9" long, 2.73 T. oz. fork, and a 9 1/8" long, 2.67 T. oz., spoon, form a salad serving set, they could easily be adapted individually for any number of purposes.

The spoon for example would work as a casserole, rice, or fruit server, and the fork would work as a vegetable or entree server.

Made by Reed & Barton, whose "eagle, R, bird" emblem, "Sterling," and "Pat...

Measuring 6" by 3 3/4" and weighing a substantial 2.7 T. oz., this flat-bottomed dresser or pin tray is encircled by a 1" wide, 3/8" high, raised border with an applied rim.

The rim is acid etched in an elegant design of scrolling acanthus leaves with floral compliments.

One side has a shell-like reserve that is engraved with a line script "JNE" monogram.

Measured yet expressive in style and manner, this piece evidences the dignity and proportionality of traditional classic design...

A pattern with a history rooted in the Aesthetic movement, Tiffany's original Japanese (to be distinguished from later produced and renamed Audubon) was the first of numerous American flatware patterns to be issued in a multi-motif bird motif, as indicated by William Hood writing in Tiffany Silver Flatware...

Marked with the "plumed helmet over S in a shield" emblem introduced by Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. in 1895 and continued by International after SHM merged into that amalgamation in 1898, this piece dates from the 1895-98 period or shortly thereafter.

It is also marked "Sterling" and model number "C1342."

A medium-to-large sized gravy or sauce boat, it measures 6 1/2" from handle end to tip of spout, is 3 7/8" wide, and stands 4" tall at the highest...

Outstanding among the various Medallion patterns produced during the 1860s, Gorham's version was the one chosen by Tiffany & Co. to offer under its retail banner.

This factor may explain the reason why it was more often than not made to a sterling silver standard, which Tiffany required, versus the typical coin of the period.

This 5 7/8" long, .8 T. oz., sugar spoon mirrors this practice. It is marked with a "lion, anchor, G" emblem, "Pat...

George Sharp's Ball pattern is arguably the most well known of any number of 1860s designs that incorporated a sphere, cube, orb, or other similar form, usually surmounting a tubular or faceted shank.

It was produced in a wide variety of pieces, from large servers to items as small as a master salt spoon or this, a 5" long, .3 T. oz., nut pick...

A firm with a long chronology in Albany, New York, the origins of Hall, Hewson & Brower traced to 1810, with the last configuration of the firm ending in 1898.

The company operated under several names in the above span of years, two of which, the three part "HH & B with an eagle" emblem of Hall, Hewson & Brower, and "S.D...

Gorham's numbered series were specially designed and produced items made to a higher standard than typical line pieces.

This late 19th century example of such work is No. 412, which is a 5" long, weighty at 1.5 T. oz., bon bon spoon.

The handle is cast, which technique enables a level of detail not achievable in a typical die struck item. Casting also produces a unique finish, which in this instance is softly grained.

The pattern on 412 incorporates flowers and acanthus le...

Robust, this pair of ice tongs measure 7 1/8" long and weigh a substantial 2.9 T. oz.

Well suited to their function, they have a cupped and pierced shell grip at the end of one arm, and a highly articulated claw or talon grip on the flanking arm.

The pattern is Gorham's Buckingham which bears a strong resemblance to the company's companion and immensely successful Chantilly line that was introduced fifteen years earlier.

It could be argued the two patterns are variants of ...

Alvin's Raphael is one of the most impressive of the myriad early 20th century Art Nouveau figural flatware designs offered by American manufacturers near the turn of the 20th century.

A multi-motif pattern, it features a full-sized woman in various poses, differing from piece to piece, along with floral detailing that also varies from piece to piece.

The flower on the handle of this 6" long, just over 1.0 T. oz. (32 grams), teaspoon is an orchid or iris and it repeats...

The smaller of two sizes of lettuce forks that Durgin produced in its Louis XV pattern, this piece measures 7 7/8" long and weighs approximately 1.0 T. oz.

It has three tines joined to a plain, cupped, heel. The outer two are splayed.

Issued in 1891, the design is French Rococo in manner with rocaille embellishments set in high relief.

This was originally finished with an overall gold wash, i.e. vermeil, but much of that has been polished away.

Never monogrammed, it is ...

An American variant upon the English Kings pattern, Dominick & Haff's Charles II features a convex shell on the handle front with a honeysuckle ornament and a heavily beaded border. The backside has a concave shell on the end with the same beaded border as the front, and is otherwise plain.

There is a lined script "R" monogram engraved in the area between the shell and honeysuckle.

This example is a 6 1/8" long, 1.1 T. oz., sol...

This 7" long, very heavy at 2.28 T. oz., fork is notable for several reasons.

Evolving from the immediately preceding 17th century English Trefid style with a three-lobed handle tip, this is a turn of the 18th century Dognose piece with a single, extended, slightly upturned, knobbed end.

Scarce items, Dognose forks are all the more so relative to spoons.

This has an interesting, and telling to anyone versed in such things, crest on the handle backside that portrays ...

Designed to reach deep into a narrow mouth container, a horseradish scoop or spoon generally has a relatively long and narrow handle and a paddle-like end.

This example made by Towle in its 1893 Canterbury follows that form and is fully original, i.e. not made up or custom as many such pieces currently available are. It measures 6 1/4" long, weighs an unexpectedly heavy .5 T. oz., and has the requisite cupped bowl with a rounded end.

As befits the name, Canterbury is a statel...

Model number "A9969," as stamped on the underside, along with Gorham's "lion, anchor, G" emblem, the word "Sterling," and the name of the retailer, Boston's "Bigelow, Kennard & Co.," this flat-bottomed, oval tray measures 8 1/4" long by 5 1/2" wide and weighs a relatively heavy 6.8 T. oz.

A highly decorative item, the uplifted and rounded walls have a 5/8" wide banded rim, which has a beaded margin bordering a chased design of repeating urns, rosettes, acanthus leaves and fan...