Catalog

Used to separate checks that at one time were printed on large, undivided sheets, cutters typically followed the form of this 8 1/2" by 2 1/4", 3.5 T. oz., solid silver, flat bar with a straight, beveled, edge.

Desk items, check cutters are to be distinguished from page turners, with which they are frequently confused.

This has an applied decorative upper edge that employs shell and acanthus leaf detailing evocative of Georgian design.

The front is engraved with a script letter "T.R.L."...

Located in Newburgh, New York, John L. Westervelt was a significant silver maker of the second half of the 19th century.

Dorothy Rainwater in Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers notes that he produced a "number of standard patterns," plus "at least half a dozen fancier, die struck patterns, including a Medallion pattern," of which this lengthy, 8 1/8", 1.4 T. oz., coin silver master butter knife is an example.

In his foundational work Silver Medallion Flatware, D. A...

Fully in the Arts & Crafts style of early 20th century hand-forged silver, this 5 1/4" long, .6 T. oz., cream ladle is marked "Sterling," with an "arm holding a raised hammer" emblem, and a script "L."

References do not offer a ready attribution for the maker, although one possibility is Karl F. Leinonen whose usual mark employs a dominant cursive "L" flanked by a "K" and "F."

Leinonen was associated with both Arthur Stone and Boston's Handicraft Shop, and, whether by him or not, the work...

Mirroring Beaux-Art architectural design, Gorham's Paris pattern was issued just after the turn of the 20th century and reflects the burgeoning promise of the age in its expressive detailing.

Multi-motif, a common feature across the various flatware pieces is a pair of cherubs or putti flanking either side of the handle front, with a variety of figural and non-figural elements arrayed on the area below this. The backside is equally complex, save the putti are absent.

This example is...

Measuring 7 1/4" by 5 1/8" by 1" deep and weighing 5.1 T. oz., this bowl or dish has a narrow 3 3/4" by 2" flat bottom base.

The sidewalls have a rope-like border and are hand raised in a Repoussea pattern that is decidedly Baltimore in style, although the maker's mark is not definitive.

It is stamped on the underside with an overlapping "AJ," which is not readily identifiable. If indeed this is Baltimore in origin, two possibilities are A. Jacobi or James Arminger, both working eit...

A large piece measuring 7 1/2" long and weighing approximately 1.7 T. oz., this master butter knife is an early example of Gorham's Versailles marked with a "lion, anchor, G" emblem, "Sterling," and "Copyrighted," on the blade backside.

A multi-motif line, the figure on this piece is a seated woman, perhaps Ceres, holding a sheaf of wheat in one arm and surrounding by other agricultural products.

The other prominent feature is a bull's head set midway on the handle front.

Never m...

An early example of Gorham's Cottage, which was issued in 1861 to a coin silver standard and continued in production for many years through and beyond the company's transition to sterling in 1868, this 9" long, approximately 2.5 T. oz., ice cream spade is marked "Patent 1861," "Coin," and "Shreve Stanwood & Co.," for the Boston firm that eventually became that city's renowned "Shreve, Crump & Low."

A relatively plain pattern, this is embellished on the handle front with a delicately en...

Dating from 1875, Murillo stands alongside numerous other Wood & Hughes patterns of the period, Alhambra, Venetian, and Angelo among them, that embody Renaissance Revival and Moorish design sensibilities.

This example is a 5 7/8" long, just over .7 T. oz., early form pie or pickle fork.

It has three tines, the lower one of which is notched, wider than the other two, and has a beveled edge. The front surface of the tines, along with the heel, is finished in a matte gold...

Measuring 6 1/8" long and weighing approximately 1.2 T. oz., this spoon is marked "S. Kirk & Son" and "Sterling" in a letter style that Dorothy Rainwater in Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers indicates was used 1932-61.

The pattern is the company's flagship Repousse, with a smooth backside.

A sugar spoon, it has a desirable "shell" rather than "plain" bowl.

Never monogrammed and in unworn estate condition, it is free of polishing wear, dents, nicks, or bends in ...

Although estate items, these various pieces of Reed & Barton's 1906 Marlborough appear unused, i.e. in like new condition.

There are three each of a 7 1/4", 1.7 T. oz., place fork, a 6 1/8", 1.2 T. oz. salad fork, a 5 3/4", 1.2 T. oz. cream soup spoon, and a 5 3/4", 1.1 T. oz. teaspoon.

All pieces are marked "Sterling," with the fork and teaspoon bearing the early R&B "eagle, R, lion" emblem, and the salad fork and cream soup imprinted "Reed & Barton."

They have never been monogr...

A late 19th century design, Durgin's Empire incorporates a crown, cornucopia, torches, a crossed ribbon wreath, and other festooning on the handle front, and simpler laurel and acanthus leaf and ribbon detailing on the reverse.

This example is a 7 7/16" long, 1.8 T. oz. server.

Likely a (small) pea or ice spoon, the 2 1/2" diameter ribbed bowl is scallop-shaped, is pierced in a design that resembles a fleur-de-lis in part, and is finished in a pale gold wash front and back sides.

An oval soup or dessert spoon, this piece measures 7" long and weighs a substantial 1.4 T. oz.

A Wendt pattern named Bird, it is a kindred design with others by Tiffany, Whiting, and Wood & Hughes that are all named Japanese (Tiffany's later became Audubon). Bird, 1865, predates these others, however, which all trace to the 1870s.

Aesthetic in mode and influenced by Asian style sensibilities, Bird is multi-motif, featuring various portraitures of these wi...

This orange or citrus spoon has an unusually shaped bowl that is largely associated with William B. Durgin, the maker of this 5 3/4" long, .9 T. oz. piece. The form is sometimes identified as a pap spoon.

It is a souvenir of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as identified on the handle front, along with a detailed, chiseled-looking, portraiture of the "Old Wentworth Mansion."

In flawless condition, this is without wear or damage and has a rich finish overall.

Marks are Durgin's "D" emblem, "St...

A naturalistic pattern that shows Art Nouveau influences, Royal Oak was patented in 1902, as imprinted on the backside of this lengthy, 8 1/16" long, and weighty at nearly 1.9 T. oz., master butter knife.

Other marks include Gorham's "lion, anchor, G" emblem and the word "Sterling."

The oak and acorn elements that constitute the design are offered in high relief, densely arrayed, and finely detailed, front and backsides of the handle and extending onto the heel of the blade.

The ...

This 5 1/2" long, .8 T. oz., knife is stamped "S. Kirk & Son" along with the peculiar-to-Baltimore standard mark "10.15," which is roughly equivalent to coin silver. This specific combination of marks was used 1846-61 (Dorothy Rainwater Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers).

Small and with an elongated blade, its function is indeterminant. Perhaps it is a butter or other spreader.

Whatever the purpose, it is an early example of the Repousse style for which Baltimore ...

This matched pair consists of a 4 3/4" tall pepper shaker companioned with a 1 1/4" high by 2 1/2" diameter open master salt.

Solid silver, they are marked "Sterling" on the underside, along with the name of the Manufacturer, Amston (Meriden, Connecticut, first half of the 20th century) and model number "415."

The shaker weighs 2.2 T. oz. and the salt 1.4 T. oz.

English Georgian in style, both pieces stand on three "lion head" feet and have plain, round, bodies. The caster has a ...

Very much a period table piece, this 8 1/4" long, 1.5 T. oz., spoon has a rounded end with a tipt backside, and an exposed drop on the bowl.

The handle front is diamond cut and wriggle work engraved, and has a block letter "E S" monogram, in a manner that bespeaks its age.

The handle reverse is fully hallmarked with a castle assay mark for Exeter, England, 1799-1800 date letter (George III), duty bust, lion for sterling silver, and "RJ" for silversmith Richard Jenkins (d. 1807).

The bow...

Marked with an "H in a diamond," which was Gorham's designation for "heavy," with the company's "lion, anchor, G" emblem, and the word "Sterling," this teaspoon measures 5 7/8" long and weighs 30 grams, approximately 1.0 T. oz.

It is a particular well-crafted example of Versailles in exceptionally fine condition.

The cherub with hair of grape clusters and leaves and holding a lute shows in full detail, as do all other aspects of the design.

The bowl is without dents, bends, or di...