A 9 carat gold Natal Cadet Bisley shooting trophy medallion for 1907. The medallion has the emblem of the Natal Carbineers, South Africa's senior regiment, used prior to 1910, with the British Royal Coat of Arms above two running antelope. The Royal arms include mottoes "Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense", and "Dieu en Mon Droit" clearly readable. The medallion has clear hallmarks, including E & Co for Elkington, a leading British silversmith, and the numbers 9 and 375 representing 9 carat gold. The original loop is also gold, and is hallmarked with tiny marks. This medallion would be suitable to be worn as a pendant. Bisley is a small English village that since 1890 has been the home of the National Rifle Association championships, hence the name of the shooting medallion. The Bisley revolver has been used for target shooting since 1894.

A set of 2 Victorian silver salt spoons, both with additional Broad Arrow hallmarks, indicating the spoons were owned by the British War Department or War Office, so probably used by the military, possibly an Officers Mess. The spoons are Old English pattern, and have gilded bowls, to protect the bowls from corrosive salt. The spoons are almost identical but not a pair, the first was made in 1855 by George Adams (Chawner & Co.), the second in 1859 by Robert Garrard II, who were appointed Goldsmiths & Jewellers to the King in 1830, they still hold the Royal Warrant today. The Garrard spoon has engraved initial F, and has more prominent yellow gilding, it is very slightly shorter and lighter than the Adams spoon (2 grammes lighter). Both spoons have clear hallmarks and well struck broad arrows, the Adams spoon also has a journeyman's device, the Garrard maker mark is partially worn, but the crown above the letters is clearly visible. The Broad Arrow was originally used by the British Board of Ordnance to mark i...

A RFC (Royal Flying Corps) 9 carat gold pilot's wing sweetheart brooch, dating back to the Great War (World War I). The RFC logo between two feathered wings is mounted on a slender bar (also 9 carat gold), which is clearly hallmarked J.F for James Fenton of Birmingham, and 9CT for nine carat gold. The hinge and clasp are also gold, the pin is not. This brooch also has a suspension ring with gold chain and gold safety pin, to prevent the brooch being lost. This brooch is quite small and light, but still a rare and lovely item. The RFC was established in 1912, and in 1918 it was merged with the Royal Naval Air Service to form the Royal Air Force (RAF), so only existed for 6 years. 11 RFC members received the Victoria Cross during the War, mortality rates for pilots was extremely high.

An interesting set of 6 Victorian silver teapoons and matching sugartongs, with a 15th Century soldier carrying a halberd. This appears to be a private pattern, we have not been able to trace it in the pattern books (all assistance welcome). The pattern is very detailed, both on the front and the back, we love these spoons. In addition to the soldier, complete with collar, the front has what could be an apple tree, the back has a shield (unengraved, intended for family crest) and a different flowering plant, with a stipple background. The spoons and tongs are also great quality and a good weight, as one would expect from Elkington. All 7 pieces are clearly hallmarked, they also carry a registration mark "RD105810", so Elkington protected the design. All the spoons are 1892, the tongs are 1893. Elkington was one of the leading British Silversmiths in the 19 and 20th centuries, they were founded in 1836, and are known for their excellent quality. Note - We have now identified this pattern as "Tudor Men & Women"...

An interesting Irish Silver dish commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising (Irish: Eiri Amach na Casca), also known as the Easter Rebellion or Sinn Fein Rebellion. The dish is circular with a scalloped edge, and contains a sterling silver medallion, with the burning Post Office "AIS EIRI na CASCA", 1916-1966. The back contains 7 signatures who were the signatories of the proclamation, all were executed by the British. They include: Tom Clark, Sean MacDermott, Thomas MacDonagh, Padraig Pearse, Eamon Ceannt, James Connolly, Joseph Plunkett. All were members of the Supreme Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). Their graves in the former military prison of Arbour Hill in Dublin is now a National Monument. The dish has 5 hallmarks in the bowl, including maker's mark RISL for Royal Irish Silver Limited, Hibernia, Harp Crowned, date letter Y and the Sword of Light 1916-1966 Jubilee mark, only used in 1966 to celebrate the anniversary. The medallion is also hallmarked, including mak...

A Gold and enamel sweetheart brooch for the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own), set on a gold safety pin for attachment. The brooch has the regimental badge, complete with battle honours "ALBUHERA" in white enamel, "ICH DIEN" and "MIDDLESEX REGT" in blue enamel, and the Royal coronet of the Duke of Cambridge in red enamel. The badge also has gold Prince of Wales plumes, and the cypher of Prince George, Duke of Cambridge. The brooch has no hallmarks, but most brooches of this period were 15 Carat gold. The regiment existed between 1881 and 1966, but has battle honours from Albuhera (Peninsular War, 16 May 1811), their nickname was the "Die Hards". They fought during the Anglo Boer War (Relief of Ladysmith), First World War and Second World War, when they were a machine gun regiment. We believe this brooch to be either Boer War or WWI period.

A 9 carat gold and green enamel sweetheart brooch, for the Irish regiment the Royal Ulster Rifles. The brooch has the regimental crest of Irish winged harp below Royal crown, and motto " Quis Separabit" (Who shall separate us). It also has a shamrock and hunting horn below the harp, the detail is lovely, this is a very good quality brooch. It is mounted on original gold brooch safety pin, which is in perfect working order. It is stamped with 9CT indicating it is 9 carat gold. The original leather box with gold trim is also lovely and well preserved, even the silk lining is still good. It is marked "W.P. Lewis & Co, Goldsmiths, Successors to Pim Bros Ltd, 19 Exchequer St, Dublin", the original retailer. The Royal Ulster Rifles also served in the Anglo Boer War, so this brooch could be older than our World War 1 date, as sweetheart brooches were also popular then. As this is a high quality gold brooch, it probably would have been presented by an officer. The Royal Ulster Rifles have won 7 Victoria Crosses, 4 in...

An interesting Hanau silver circular box, the lid an exact copy of a famous silver Dutch medallion of 1653 by Wouter Muller commemorating the death of Admiral Maarten Tromp. The lid has rich detail, a naval engagement with two Man-of War ships at close range, with an English ship sinking in the foreground, other ships in the background, all in high relief. The inscription around the edge reads :Waarom doet Muller Tromp door kunst van gout en silverleeven: om dat hy'd yzer eew door krygsdeugd heeft verdreven, obyt den. 10 aug: 1653", translated "Why does the art of Muller make Tromp live in gold and silver? Because his valour has removed from us the age of iron. Died 10 August 1653". The circular edge of the box is decorated with putti playing musical instruments, with birds (peacocks and owls), interspersed with blank oval cartouches. The interior is gilded, so it was possibly a snuff box, but could be used on a desk or dressing table for small items (ideal for cufflinks). The base is clearly hallmarked with ...

A collection of 6 silver South African Military wrist identification tags (dog tags) dating back to World War II, and specifically the campaign in Egypt. They are all wrist identification tags, as 5 still have their original silver wrist chains, we are not sure if they were military issue or if they were purchased privately (we suspect the latter as they all have different designs) We believe them all to be sterling silver, 4 are clearly hallmarked with Egyptian hallmarks, the cat standard mark, and Arabic town marks and date letters (Cairo and date letter I for 1940 are present, amongst others). The 5th is hallmarked "Sterg" for sterling and makers mark HA&S (possibly Henry Allday & Son of Birmingham), and the 6th has a partial mark "ling" which we suspect was Sterling. The 6 tags are as follows: 1- "Maj. D. Macdonald Pres Cameron Highlanders" - with HA&S mark, fob chain, end loop missing. 2- "Lt W.T. Arthur Pres 193790", with ling hallmark, fob chain, end loop missing, solder repairs. 3- "SPR E. Gillespie N...

A South African Medical Corps WW II gold sweetheart brooch, mounted on a bar brooch, the bar with scroll engraving on either side. The badge itself is a red tinged gold, the bar is yellow gold The badge features the rod of Aesculapius with a serpent entwined round it, head uppermost and looking left, all within a laurel wreath, under a Royal crown, the same badge as used by the Royal Medical Corps. The Scroll below reads "S.A.M.C / S.A.G.D.", translated in Afrikaans the Suid Afrikaanse Geneeskunige Diens. The brooch is clearly hallmarked 9CT for 9 carat gold.

A lovely 15 carat gold and enamel RAF (Royal Air Force) sweetheart brooch, with very good detail. This is very pleasing quality, it would have been an expensive item when first made. The brooch has RAF in red enamel under a red enamel crown, above a green enamel laurel wreath, all set in gold, with the feathered wings either side. In addition to the attachment pin, the brooch has a fine gold safety pin and chain, for added security, to prevent the brooch being lost. The back is clearly stamped "15", indicating 15 carat gold, which was a British Commonwealth standard until it was discontinued in 1932 (hence our dating the brooch between 1918 when the RAF was established and 1932).

A lovely set of Jugendstil German 800 silver teaspoons, of very good quality. The spoons all have a cast crest depicting an eagle within a shield, over a cross within another shield. This has the appearance of a military crest, but this is not our area of expertise. The spoons are in their original box, marked "HG Berg, Guldsmed, Sandefjord", which is in Norway - so the possibility exists that the spoons were manufactured in Germany for the Norwegian market, so the crest could be Norwegian. Note - The spoons weigh 145 grams, not 160 grams as per our original description. Close inspection also reveals that 4 spoons are by maker S in circle (which we have not been able to identify), 2 spoons have a zig-zag makers mark, which we believe is Wilhelm Muller of Berlin, who worked between 1880-1940.

A collection of 10 sterling silver rifle shooting trophy and Boer War souvenir spoons. Five spoons have enamel finials, 8 spoons are shooting trophies and 2 spoons are Boer War. The spoons include: 1. P.E.R.C. (Port Elizabeth Rifle Club), E.F. Wilson, 103, enamel shooting range (round medallion), Birmingham 1928, Birmingham Medallion Company, gilded 2. P.E.R.C. (Port Elizabeth Rifle Club), E.F. Wilson, 1927, 100, enamel bulls eye, gilded, crossed rifles, Birmingham 1925, Birmingham Medallion Company 3. & 4. - Toll Gate Miniature Rifle Club, enamel finials with twisted stems, Birmingham 1912, William James Dingley, both engraved "Won by" 5. Man at Arms Competition, Lovely shooting soldier handle, Birmingham 1912, William James Dingley, engraved "Won by EF WILSON PET GRC, score 98, 18 Jan 1913 6. & 7. - Rifle Club, crossed rifles, Birmingham 1909 and 1911, Elkington & Co, engraved "D Coy CP Rifles and A Coy PWCRCPR", nice quality 8. Bloemfontein Rifle Club (English and Afrikaans), City armorial, gilded, B...

A magnificent silver beaker, decorated with 10 silver staves, which in addition to being decorative greatly improve the grip. It is extremely good quality and weight, and a pleasure to hold. The base is engraved "Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co, Regent St, W", and the hallmarks are clear. The Goldsmiths and Silversmiths company existed from 1880 to 1952, when it was absorbed into Garrards, the Crown Jewellers. Given it's date of 1916, we imagine it was used for water or whisky by an officer in the Great War. This beaker is a replica of a medieval beaker dated 1496 (Henry VII), that used to belong to Cardinal Wolsey. It is featured in an advertisement for Alexander Clark Co Ltd of Oxford Street, London, priced at 3 pounds 10 shillings, that appeared in The Connoisseur magazine of July 1912, which advertised reproductions of historical and classic cups, including the tudor bowl and cup, and Pompeii jug. High quality reproductions of famous silver items were popular in the early years of the 20th century, they ar...

A World War II 9 carat gold and enamel sweetheart brooch for the Durban Light Infantry Regiment of South Africa. The brooch features the infantry bugle with tassels under the Royal crown. The brooch has 2 colours of enamel, red in the crown and green for the letters DLI. It is mounted on a bar brooch, also 9 carat gold, the pin is also gold, often the pins are a base metal. The brooch is clearly hallmarked 9CT for nine carat gold, the clasp is also marked 9 for 9 carat gold. The George VI crown shows this dates to WW II, the DLI fought in North Africa and Italy (including El Alamein and Monte Cassino). The regiment was founded in 1854, and still exists today, they were called the Royal Durban Light Infantry between 1935 and 1961 when South Africa became a Republic.

A Royal South African Air Force gold sweetheart brooch, dating from World War II. The brooch features the crest of the old Union of South Africa, with 4 quarters for the four provinces, an ox wagon representing Transvaal Province, a woman with an anchor representing Cape Province, two wildebeests representing Natal Province and an orange tree representing the Orange Free State Province. This is surrounded by a laurel wreath, under the Royal crown of King George VI, between the traditional pilots feathered wings. This badge is incorporated into a bar brooch (not added as is usual for sweetheart brooches), the hinge, clasp and pin are also gold. The brooch also has a suspension loop attached to a fine gold chain and gold safety pin, all in perfect condition, this was a good quality brooch when it was made. The brooch is clearly hallmarked 9CT for nine carat gold. The Royal South African Air Force provided 35 squadrons during World War II, mostly in North Africa and Italy, with 18000 staff deployed.

A WW II South African Artillery Regiment 9 carat gold and enamel sweetheart brooch, the detail is lovely. The brooch features a cannon under Royal crown with red enamel, with motto "UBIQUE" (everywhere) in blue enamel above cannon, and "South Africa / Suid Afrika" in blue enamel below. The brooch is clearly hallmarked 9CT for 9 carat gold, the clasp and hinge are also gold but the pin is not, it is stamped "Metal". 14 South African artillery regiments served in North Africa and Italy during the second world war.

A 9 Carat gold World War II Transvaal Scottish Volunteers Regiment Sweetheart brooch, with motto " Alba nam Buadh (Scotland, Home of the Virtues), in full working order. The brooch is lovely quality, with 2 tones of gold (yellow and red), set on a bar brooch. The back of the brooch is engraved "MOIRA 12/6/42", and both the brooch and the clasp are clearly hallmarked 9CT for nine carat gold. The Transvaal Scottish Regiment was established by John Murray, 7th Earl of Atholl, in 1902 at the end of the Anglo Boer War, it still exists today. During World War 2 when this brooch was presented, the regiment fought mostly in North and East Africa, notably at El Alamein.

A REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) Regimental 9 carat gold Sweetheart Brooch. The badge depicts a horse rearing with a coronet around its neck, linked via a chain to a globe the horse is standing on. Behind the horse there is a lightning flash, which symbolises electrical engineering while the globe stands for the world-wide role of the unit. The chained horse symbolises power under control. The badge is completed with the British Royal Crown. The flash and crown are clearly hallmarked 9 carat yellow gold, the horse is a much lighter colour, we assume it is white gold. The hinge, pin and safety clasp are also yellow gold. The brooch also has a gold suspension ring behind the lightning flash, possibly for another form of attachment. The brooch is clearly hallmarked for Birmingham 1967, 9 carat gold and has makers mark W.O.L, they worked between 1953 and 1970 but are currently un-identified, possibly W.O. Lewis. This badge is described by members of the REME as "a horse dropping a bollock".

A W.R.N.S. (Women's Royal Naval Service) 9 carat gold and enamel Sweetheart brooch, probably dating back to WW II. The brooch has lovely detail, with 2 tones of gold, the W.R.N.S. badge of a bird (wren) sitting on an anchor behind the naval crown, above W.R.N.S. scroll in blue enamel. This is mounted on a 9 carat gold bar brooch, with gold pin and locking clasp, often these pins are not gold. The bar is clearly hallmarked 9CT for 9 carat gold. The W.R.N.S. (popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the Women's branch of the Royal Navy, served as cooks, clerks, wireless telegraphists, radar plotters, weapons analysts, range assessors, electricians and air mechanics, in 1944 they had 75000 service women.