Early sealtop spoon with squat fluted baluster terminal, engraved with original owners initials VV (or W). These initials are repeated on the bowl above the hallmark. The stem is hexagonal and tapered, and the V joint attaching the finial is clearly visible. The bowl has deep concave sides, and curves steeply from the base of the stem. The stem has 3 hallmarks at the base, a clearly visible "orb and cross" makers mark, and worn marks indicating lion passant and date mark S. The bowl has the usual towmmark, but this is worn, with only the outline visible. This spoon comes complete with an original receipt from H Perovetz Ltd of London, who sold it to Mr McCay of South Africa in 1979 for 700 pounds. The receipt and original Perovetz tag confirms the maker and date, and refers to Jackson pg 105 and How pg 228, plate 8. (Note: In our previous description we had mentioned some doubt about the London attribution, suggesting the makers mark could possibly be the Cobbold's of Norwich, given the shape of the shield ...

A rare and possibly unique Chinese Export Silver Pickle Fork and matching spoon, with extremely long handles. The pair are in the Fiddle, Thread and Shell pattern, and have no engraving or monograms. Both items are just over 27 cm long, the spoon has a teaspoon sized bowl, and the fork has 4 long tines. Both are double struck (pattern on both sides), and interesting to note the spoon end turns down, while the fork turns up. The fork has the "Chevron seam found in Fiddle, Thread and Shell pattern flatware" (Forbes, Chinese Export Silver page 65), this is not visible on the spoon. The hallmarks on both items are clear, and include pseudo duty mark, makers mark KHC, pseudo crowned leopards head town mark, and pseudo lion passant. Khecheong was one of the most prolific Chinese Export silversmiths, he worked from Club Street, Honam Island, Canton between 1840 and 1870. He has been described as a "good silversmith" Forbes, Chinese Export Silver 1785-1885, page 255 - a book we highly recommend. A very similar long ...

A set of 24 silver knives, 12 table knives and matching 12 dessert (or bread) knives, in the Louis XIV pattern, made by the leading silversmiths of the period. The knives are very good quality, perfectly suited for regular use. The knives have sterling silver handles and steel blades. The pattern is a Kings pattern variant, with shell and reeded edge, this particular pattern is the Louis XIV pattern. All 24 knives are fully hallmarked, with R&B makers mark for Roberts & Belk, and Sheffield hallmarks (some 1970, some 1971, so the set crossed the date letter change). Roberts & Belk were founded in 1810, in 1960 they were acquired by CJ Vander, the leading silversmiths of the period.

A fabulous quality Royal Fusiliers City of London Regimental sweetheart brooch, with 77 diamonds set in Platinum and 9 carat gold. The badge consists of a Fused (or smoking) Grenade, above a Tudor rose enclosed by Royal Garter, with motto "Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense", translated "evil to him who evil thinks", surmounted by Royal crown. The grenade has 63 diamonds, the rose has 11 diamonds, gold lettering surrounded by blue enamel, and the crown has 3 diamonds and red enamel. The pin, clasp and hinge are all solid 9 carat gold, the diamonds are set in platinum. The brooch is hallmarked "9Ct" for 9 carat gold, and "PLAT" for platinum. Platinum usage in high end quality jewellery only commenced at the turn of the 20th century during Edwardian times, it's usage had died out by World War II due to expense, so we can date this brooch to either the Boer War or World War I. The Royal Fusilier (or 7th Regiment of Foot) regiment dates back to 1685, and has seen service in the American War of Independance, Napoleonic War...

A fabulous set of 2 serving spoons with matching sifter ladle, with magnificent cast terminals featuring Mr. Punch with truncheon, jesters hat and humpback, and Judy his wife, holding the baby, the 3rd character is Toby the dog, complete with ruff and feathered hat. The cast figures sit on a seal top pedestal, the spiral twist handles are hollow, with a central ball grip, joined to the bowls with acanthus leaf drops. The serving spoons have oval shaped bowls, please note the spoon bowls have been re-gilded. The sifter bowl has scroll, diamond and circular piercing, the original gilding both inside and outside the bowl is still in pristine condition. Overall these are fine quality spoons, amongst the best figural castings we have seen on a spoon, we love these spoons. All 3 spoons are clearly hallmarked for London 1895 by Horace Woodward & Co. Ltd, they worked between 1875 and 1916, primarily from Birmingham but also from Hatton Gardens, London. In addition both serving spoon bowls have pattern number 9685 on ...

A magnificent Highland Light Infantry antique silver kilt sash brooch, used to hold the shoulder plaid in place. The brooch has the monogram HLI inside the Infantry French bugle horn, set on the diamond cut Star of the order of the Thistle, with Imperial King's crown above, and "ASSAYE" scroll and elephant below. This is surrounded by a thistle wreath with 30 battle honours, all earned before 1914, these include: "Carnatic, Hindustan, Sholingur, Mysore, Gibraltar 1780-83, Seringapatam, Assaye, Cape of Good Hope 1806, Rolica, Vimiera, Corunna, Busaco, Fuentes d'Onor, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajos' Almaraz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse, Peninsula, Waterloo, South Africa 1851-2-3, Egypt 1882, Tel-el-Kebir, Modder River, South Africa 1899-1902". The wreath is surrounded by an engraved scrolling border. The HLI monogram, crown, Assaye scroll and Elephant are all gilded, the gold colour stands out against the silver background, this is a lovely feature. The brooch is made with from 3 sep...

A beautiful Dutch silver chestnut vase, possibly made in the late 18th century by Hendrik Jurrien Wolters in Zutphen. The vase is urn shaped, on a stepped and reeded oval base, with matching reeded rim. The lid has an ivory oval baluster finial, capped with a silver ball, and the faint remains of an engraved crest and owners initials. The interior of the lid is gilded. The base interior has no gilding or engraving. The base has 3 hallmarks, cross (possibly Zutphen town mark), head or tree mark (similar to English Georgian duty mark), and makers mark HI or IH, or possibly even HP. We have tentatively identified this as Zutphen, given the similarity of the cross to the Zutphen town mark, and Hendrik Jurrien Wolters, who used a mark HIW (all assistance welcome). Previously this vase was described as Indian Colonial or Cape Silver by a Cape Town based auction house, we prefer the Dutch attribution, we even considered the vase could be Dutch Colonial in origin. This vase was also previously described as a tea cad...

A Dutch antique silver pipe lighter (Zilver Pijpenkomfoor), made by Jacob van Nieuwcasteel in Utrecht in 1797. The silver frame is circular, beautifully decorated with pierced flowers and a reeded design, on 3 legs. It is fitted with a copper dish, which is fastened to a wooden mahogany base with 3 feet, by an iron screw with 2 leather circular nuts. The hallmarks are clear, and include makers mark IVN, Utrecht town mark struck twice (grote keur), and date letter Z for 1797. A very similar pijpenkomfoor, made by Jacob van Nieucasteel in 1816, is present in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, described as follows "Pijpenkomfoor van zilver op blad van mahoniehout en met binnenbak van rood koper. Gewelfd en aan beide zijkanten iets oplopend. Vier gebogen poten, Jacob van Nieuwcasteel, 1816". Van Nieucasteel worked between 1790 and 1818, his work is preserved in numerous museums. These items are also found in the Cape made by Dutch silversmiths, referred to as "Tessies".

A fabulous set of 6 Tiffany Sterling silver Indian Chrysanthemum tablespoons, in immaculate condition, they could not be better. The pattern is truly beautiful, it extends right down the back of the spoon bowls as well. All 6 spoons are clearly hallmarked "TIFFANY & Co STERLING PAT.1880.M, the M indicates these are early pieces (the pattern was produced from 1880-1934). This must be one of the most beautiful example of hallmarks, with the design wrapping over and through the hallmarks. Each individual spoon weighs 120 grams, certainly the heaviest tablespoons we have encountered (the very best quality English tablespoons can reach 100 grammes). Indian Chrysanthemum has been described as "one of the most magnificent and celebrated sterling silver designs of the 19th century. Chrysanthemum represents one of the last great designs of the Victorian period" -(www.replacements.com), it was designed by Charles Grosjean. "Master silversmith Charles T. Grosjean joined the Tiffany firm as the Superintendent of Silverwa...

A fine set of 12 Victorian Scottish silver table forks, in the plain Old English pattern, these forks have a very good weight and feel in the hand. The forks are engraved with the original owners initial A with a typical Victorian flourish. The forks are in excellent condition, with long tines, these forks have not seen much use. All 12 forks have excellent hallmarks that are well struck and very clear, event Queen Victoria's hair is visible in the duty mark. The town mark also has clearly defined bird, bell and fish in the tree, the coat of arms of Glasgow. Robert Gray and Sons of Glasgow produced "some of the finest British silver of the period" (Walter Brown, Finial, June 2006).

A magnificent and rare Dutch silver tea caddy, octagonal with baluster shape, with pull off domed lid with 4 sided pointed terminal. The caddy has lovely decoration, combining flowers, shells and acanthus leaves in a simple but effective style. The decoration is all hand engraved, and is a little crude. The caddy is well made and is a good weight, individual hammer marks can be seen on the inside. The caddy is quite small, as is usual for these early octagonal baluster tea caddies, when tea was an expensive commodity. Tea would have been poured from the caddy directly into the teapot, this style pre-dates caddy spoons (Delieb, Investing in Silver, pg 27, where an English version of similar style to this caddy is depicted). The hallmarks are clear and include date letter V for 1754, makers mark V.M in heart for Andreas Cornelis Muller (Schadee, Zilverschatten, Drie Eeuwen Rotterdams Zilver, pg 233), citymark for Rotterdam, Dutch lion assay mark (935 silver, this is higher grade silver than sterling 925 stand...

A rare early Georgian silver brandy saucepan or warmer, made in 1727 in Plymouth by Richard Freeman, and hallmarked in Exeter. The brandy saucepan is the traditional baluster shape, with a short beak shaped spout at right angles to the handle, with decorative silver ball underneath, and a concave base which has preserved the hallmarks. The turned wooden handle is securely fastened with a brass pin, the silver handle has a tear-drop shaped reinforcing plate where it connects to the pan. The handle has a thumb sized slice out of the wood on the side, we assume done by the original owner to improve the grip. The hallmarks are excellent, and include makers mark R.F in shaped shield (makers mark M50 in the book "West Country Silver Spoons and their makers 1550-1750", by Tim Kent, page 90, where he describes Freeman of Plymouth as "a prolific local goldsmith whose career extended over 50 years" (1701-1753). He was admitted to the Freedom of Plymouth in 1719, and entered this particular mark in Exeter in 1720 (the n...

A fabulous quality Georgian silver dinner plate or dish, in the traditional shape with applied gadroon border and contemporary family armorial and Royal coronet indicating a son of the Sovereign. The armorial is the Marital arms of Evans-Freke and Gore, the Royal Cypher is for HRH Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex. Whilst these are called plates, it is more of a dish or bowl in shape, and is the smaller diameter, so probably used for a starter dish - but very suitable for use as a bowl today. It must have belonged to a large set, as the base is engraved "No 64", along with 18.10. The hallmarks are clear, the makers mark has been partially double struck with a partial repeated G and pellet above, but still clearly Grimwade mark 852 for George Methuen. He was freed as a large worker in 1743, he worked until 1761, so this dish was produced in his last year of work. Grimwade notes his principal output was salvers, dinner plates and dishes, and notes "his work shows a high standard of design and finish, i...

A lovely commemorative Scottish silver box, beautifully engraved on the lid with 3 different armorials. The sides of the box are decorated with an attractive flower, leaf and bow design, and the interior is silver gilt. The inscription reads "From Friends at Archers Hall to Charles Stewart, Match Secretary, 1891-1901, 22nd October 1901." Archers Hall was built in 1777 for the Royal Company of Archers, the oldest surviving company of longbowmen in Britain. Today a private club, they provide the bodyguard for the sovereign in Scotland (ceremonial today). Members must be Scottish, and are drawn from politicians, military officers and nobility. They compete annually for the "Edinburgh Arrow". The central coat of arms, with motto "Nobilis Ira" (Noble Wrath), has the shield topped with Peers helmet and demi lion rampant. This is the coat of arms of the Stewarts. The armorial to the left is the Royal coat of arms as used in Scotland, but unusually with the English motto "Dieu et Mon Droit" (God and my Right). The 3...

A Rare Set of 6 Liberty & Co. Japanese Sterling Silver Gilded Octopus Teaspoons, made by Sadajiro of Musashiya (Yokohama), these were amongst the first silver items imported by Arthur Lasenby Liberty for his Liberty Arts & Crafts Department store. The spoons have octopi finials, bamboo cane handles, and ormer (abalone) shell bowls, what is remarkable is that each octopus is different. The octopi have been described as "comical, scratching their heads or frowning, adding a wonderful touch of humour" - Simon Moore, Artists Spoons, page 50. The spoons are beautifully gilded, and retain much of the original gilding, their is slight wear on the handles from use. This gilding of the entire spoon is unusual, we have seen other sets without gilding and one set with gilded bowls only. The spoons are well preserved in their original wooden Liberty & Co. box, with green plush velvet interior and green leather exterior with the Liberty logo stamped in gilt lettering, it reads "Liberty & Co. Ltd. Jewellers 218a Regent St....

A fabulous quality gold and Diamond World War II Sweetheart brooch, for the Gordon Highlanders Regiment. The brooch has a textured 9 carat gold stags head with impressive antlers, green cabochon eyes (we assume emerald) and two red faceted stone nostrils (we assume ruby). The stags head is surrounded in a wreath of 18 leaves (white 9 carat gold), each leaf contains a diamond, and sits above a crown (which also contains 5 diamonds, so 23 diamonds in total, all are present). The regimental motto "BYDAND", translated as "Stand and Fight", in gold letters set in blue enamel sits in a gold scroll at the base. The hallmarks are clear, and include makers mark J.W.B, 9 and .375 indicating 9 carat gold, anchor town mark for Birmingham and date letter R for 1941. The pin is also hallmarked 9 .375 indicating it is also 9 carat gold. John William Barrett was a manufacturing jeweller who worked between 1903 and 1953, a number of other high quality sweetheart brooches are known by him, so we assume this was an area of spec...

A magnificent Scottish kilt sash brooch, used to hold the shoulder plaid in place. The brooch has cast thistles and leavesin the outer rim, engraved celtic design in inner rim, surrounding a spectacular cairngorm (commonly known as citrine, also called black quartz or smoky quartz). The gemstone is very impressive, amongst the largest we have seen. It has been estimated at over 100 carats, and is a round brilliant cut. The hallmarks are clear, with makers mark R&HBK for Robert and Henry Bruce Kirkwood, who worked between 1882 and 1900. Scottish citrine is called cairngorm after its place of origin in the Scottish Highlands, and is the November birthstone, also the symbol of brightness, life and hope. Note - We sold a similar Scottish Silver Kilt Sash Brooch S 1372, this brooch S 1968 is larger, heavier and the cairngorm is also larger.

A lovely set of 12 Scottish Georgian silver tablespoons in the Old English pattern, made in Edinburgh by Francis Howden in 1807. All 12 spoons have original owners engraved initial B, and each spoon is also engraved with numbers 1 - 12, all the engraving is clearly visible. These are great quality spoons, with strong tips, and a generous size and weight, and their condition is excellent. All 12 spoons have clear hallmarks. Francis Howden was freed in 1781, he was Deacon between 1811 and 1813, he was a highly respected member of the Goldsmiths Incorporation, he established the Widow's fund in 1817 (Source: Silver Made in Scotland, Dalgleish & Fothringham, page 222). He died in 1848 aged 90.

A fabulous Tiffany Sterling silver Indian Chrysanthemum soup ladle, in excellent condition, it does not appear to have seen much use. The pattern is truly beautiful, double struck on both sides, with a vacant cartouche for initials or a family crest (this has never been engraved). The bowl is also fluted and has a scalloped edge. The soup ladle is clearly hallmarked "TIFFANY & Co STERLING PAT.1880.M, the M indicates this is an early piece (the pattern was produced from 1880-1934). This must be one of the most beautiful example of hallmarks, with the design wrapping over and through the hallmarks. The soup ladle weighs over 350 grams, so quite hefty to hold, needless to say the quality is excellent. Indian Chrysanthemum has been described as "one of the most magnificent and celebrated sterling silver designs of the 19th century. Chrysanthemum represents one of the last great designs of the Victorian period" -(www.replacements.com), it was designed by Charles Grosjean. "Master silversmith Charles T. Grosjean jo...

An Arts and Crafts napkin ring set with 4 silver coins, by Charles Robert Ashbee, who was a major force behind the British Arts and Crafts movement. The napkin ring is hand beaten, and the rim has an attractive punched dot pattern. The 4 coins include: 1. Roman Denarius, 46BC, produced by the military mint travelling with Caesar in North Africa. Venus head on obverse, CAESAR, reverse has Aeneas holding his father Anchises on his shoulder, holding palladium in other hand. 2. Danish Krone (Christian IV), dated 1643 3. Danish Krone (Frederik III, brother of Christian IV), dated 1667 4. English shilling (George III), issued in 1787, with kings head in roman attire on obverse, 4 angular shields surrounding garter star, with crowns in angles of shields The hallmarks are very clear, including makers mark CRA in shaped shield. The napkin ring is in excellent condition, thanks to it being preserved in its original box (box is intact but in poor condition). We can only guess as to the origin of the napkin ring, p...