A Regency silver sauce boat, by the highly respected firm of Emes and Barnard. The sauce boat is the traditional shape, with leaf capped flying scroll handle, 3 shell and hoof feet, and heavy cast gadroon border. The boat is a generous size and weight, over 330 grammes, this is a good quality sauce boat, as you would expect from these makers. The boat has a lovely engraved family crest, a church with spire, with crosses on the roof and spire. The hallmarks are very clear, including makers mark RE over EB and date letter e for 1820. Rebecca Emes was married to John Emes, who was in partnership with the Chawners, he died in 1808 and Rebecca became a partner. Edward Barnard rose from workshop manager to full partner, also in 1808. Emes and Barnard was one of the most successful London silver businesses in its day, they supplied many leading retailers, including Rundell, Bridge and Rundell. Barnard was joined by his 3 sons, Culme describes Edward Barnard & Sons as an important firm, the oldest manufacturing silve...

A set of 4 Irish Georgian silver tablespoons in the Fiddle pattern, made by Samuel Neville of Dublin. The spoons have no initials or engraving, and no signs of removal. The hallmarks on all 4 spoons are excellent, all individually struck. They include makers mark SN, Hibernia, Crowned Harp and date letter I for 1805. Samuel Neville worked between 1795 and 1851, he was a respected member of the community, he was Warden between 1804 and 1807 and was also elected to the Dublin City Council in 1807. He was Master in 1807 and 1827.

Two Cape silver four prong Old English pattern konfyt (preserve) forks, by Johannes Combrink. The forks are similar but have slight differences when viewed together, so probably made at different times. The longer fork has a wider stem end, but shorter tines, and is 1 gramme heavier. Both are hallmarked with a single makers mark IC (Welz mark 32, pg 147), both are clear and well struck.

A set of Cape silver dessert forks in the Fiddle pattern, with engraved initials "WAM". These forks have a strong colonial feel, the shape and size differs from the traditional English Fiddle pattern. The forks are a small, delicate size, my better half describes them as "sweet". The hallmarks on all 8 forks are excellent, and consist of makers mark JT (with indent to top of makers mark) with individually struck pseudo English hallmarks (duty mark, lion passant, date letter a and tree), Welz mark 123 in Cape Silver. Townsend was described as "the most versatile of all the Cape English silversmiths" by Heller (pg 101).

A Liberty Cymric nail vanity set, complete with buff, tweezers, file, scissors, knife and shaper, all steel manicure tools with silver handles set with turquoise cabochons on each side (10 in total). Each piece is fully hallmarked with "L & Co" makers mark, townmark, date letter and sterling mark, but none have the "cymric" stamp, as they were probably too small. Handbeaten silver set with turquoise cabochons is classic Arts and Crafts, probably designed by Archibald Knox, who designed for Liberty until 1912. The scissors do not have cabochons, but are a lovely shape (unfortunately one steel tip is broken off). The nail buff has its original leather base, which is worn but still intact. This set matches item S 1361.

A set of 6 Georg Jensen sterling silver Cypress pattern fruit spoons with triangular bowls, these would be called grapefruit spoons by the English. This is a fabulous set of grapefruit spoons, stunning design and very practical for use, strong bowl tips. This is a vintage set dating from 1960, all 6 pieces are fully hallmarked. The hallmarks include "GEORG JENSEN" in oval dots, above "STERLING DENMARK". All 6 pieces also carry London import marks, sponsors mark G.JLd for Georg Jensen (their London branch), oval U import mark, .925 sterling mark and date letters e and f for 1960 and 1961. The Cypress (or Cypres) pattern is #99 in the Jensen catalog, it was designed by Tias Eckhoff in 1954. The Cypress pattern won the design competition held for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Georg Jensen company (Georg Jensen, A tradition of Splendid Siulver, page 282). Tias Eckhoff, a Norwegian, has been described as one of Norway's most versatile designers. Note: - We also have a Jensen Cypress pattern flatware...

An interesting open salt in triangular form, with central circular salt, and 3 cast hoof feet. The salt is decorated with 3 male busts, with high collars and long flowing hair, completed with hanging swags, which are repeated in the hand chased pierced border, which is very intricate with gadrooning and balls. The triangles on top have a floral design. Three hallmarks are present, small crown, large Fleur De Lys, and small device (possibly flower in pot?). We are not able to positively identify these hallmarks, one possibility in Neisse on the Polish border, but all assistance welcome, thank you. We have found similar examples of this triangular formed salt in the V&A museum, hence our tentative attribution to 17th century Germany, they are described as "Small triangular salt cellars mounted on three feet were common pieces of tableware in affluent homes in late 16th-century Germany. The cities of southern Germany dominated the goldsmiths craft there from the 15th to the early 19th centuries. Their goldsmiths...

A rare Sampson Mordan sterling silver thermometer case, made to be attached to a chatelaine. The case is tubular, the sliding lid also attached to the chain so it can never be lost. This is a quality item, extremely well made. The original chain is connected to the lid and body with 6 silver eyes, it also has suspension link for attachment to chatelaine. The body is plain apart from incised circles, the base and lid have a raised circular end. The base of the tube is stamped with number 13. The tube is clearly hallmarked with Chester marks for 1910, alongside worn but legible makers mark, all underneath a clear "S. MORDAN & Co". The lid is not hallmarked. The thermometer (which is not working) is marked "SM Made in China" with centigrade symbol, we assume it is not original, but are not sure if the SM could be Sampson Mordan?

A Patrick Mavros silver sculpture of a lion on a black hardwood base, medium in size. The lion is realistically modelled, roaring with raised paw, standing on black hardwood base. The base has a silver PM button trademark, the lion is also fully hallmarked with PM makers mark and the Zimbabwe sable in triangle standard mark. Patrick Mavros (www.patrickmavros.com) has built a luxury Africa themed silver sculpture business over the last 35 years, he is based in Harare, with outlets in London, Mauritius and Nairobi. His customers include the Royal Family, Prince William and Kate are collectors. Other customers include JK Rowling and King Carlos of Spain. This model is an early Mavros model, and is no longer in production.

A fabulous cast silver vine leaf wine label, pierced for Sherry, made by Benjamin Smith II for Rundell & Bridge. The label is single leaf, symmetrical in design, with textured finish, with a vine branch for attachment to the chain. The label is large and heavy, at 41 grammes one of the heaviest we have encountered. Most vine leaf labels are stamped from dies, and as such are much lighter. The book "Wine Labels 1730 -2003" notes that "Philip Rundell and Benjamin Smith III produced elegant cast symmetrical leaf labels" (page 90), and they depict a similar label, for Burgundy (fig 342, page 91), but with different vine stem design. The hallmarks are clear for 1832, no town mark is present. The makers mark BS in rectangular shield is clearly visible, but slightly obscured by the underlying texture of the leaf. This is mark 230 in Grimwade "London Goldsmiths" for Benjamin Smith II, different in shape and style from the marks used by Benjamin Smith III, his son, so at odds with quote from Wine Labels above. Benjami...

A rare pair of Tudor pattern sauce ladles, made by Chawner & Co, the leading flatware maker of Victorian England. The ladles are fabulous quality, and in excellent condition, they could not be better. The Tudor pattern is a Gothic Revival pattern, it has 2 small scroll circular projections on each side of the stem, this differentiates it from the "Straight Tudor" pattern. Both ladles are clearly hallmarked, they also carry the British Registry design number and date chart diamond, which rarely occurs on silver flatware - class I for metal, date letter v for 1850, and R 14 indicating 14 August. The presence of the design mark indicates the Chawner protected the design to protect it being copied. Tudor is described by Pickford (Silver Flatware page 150) as "a rare Chawner & Co pattern registered August 14th 1850, along with Straight Tudor, it appears in the Chawner Pattern book (page 218). Odd pieces may on rare occasions, be found, but building a service would be extremely difficult". The Tudor pattern is sh...

A Georgian silver wine label by Hester Bateman, engraved for Brandy. The label rectangular with a pierced fret dome, this neoclassical design originated in the Bateman studio, and was copied by others, including Susannah Barker and Hampston & Prince in York (Wine Labels 1730-2003, pages 174 and 234). The label has a zig zag feather edge border, raised eyelets, the piercing of the scrolls in the dome is lovely. The label has 2 hallmarks, both clearly struck, makers mark HB in script for Hester Bateman and lion passant. The absence of a duty mark enables us to date the label to before 1784 when the duty mark was introduced, this neoclassical design is thought to orininate around 1770 (Wine Labels page 50).

A Liberty & Co Arts and Crafts sterling silver milk (or cream) jug, with a planished (hand hammered) squat circular body, with a high pouring lip. The jug is decorated with embossed celtic style buttons (4) and matching border, with a little heart shaped design. The jug sits on 3 button feet, and has a plain handle. The jug is clearly hallmarked with Liberty's distinctive L&Co in diamond shaped punch mark, along with Birmingham hallmarks for 1928. The jug also has a design number, 50014, perhaps some-one with access to the Liberty archives will be able to do further research. Arthur Liberty used his shop to showcase the work of leading designers, including Archibald Knox, Rex Silver, Bernard Cuzner and Jessie King (Liberty's, Biography of a Shop, A Adburgham, 1975, pg 81). It is possible this jug was designed by one of these designers. The Liberty store founded in 1875, and still thrives today. Their current Tudor Revival building on Great Marlborough Street was completed in 1924, using the timbers of 2 wars...

A pair of Victorian silver grape scissors, with attractive handle design of symmetrical scrolls and loops. The set is very finely engraved (on the front side only) with a foliage pattern, very intricate, in typical Victorian fashion. The blades are the traditional grape scissor design, with one blade thicker with right angle to accommodate the other blade. The hinge has a silver cover, also engraved, the pin is silver as well. The hallmarks are clear but hidden by the engraving, both arms are hallmarked, including makers mark A&S for Aston and Son of Regent place, Birmingham, Thomas and William Aston ran the business between 1856 and 1861. Henry Aston (we assume another son) took over the business in 1862, it was still operating in 1930 as wedding ring manufacturers (Culme, Gold and Silversmiths, page 18).

A set of 6 Irish silver dessert spoons, in the Fiddle pattern with rat-tails, a feature of Irish flatware of the period. The spoons have original owners engraved initials WMH. The hallmarks on all 6 are excellent, and include makers mark IB for James Brady, who worked between 1821 and 1842. The spoons also have the retailer's mark, NEILL, which is very clear on all the spoons. Irish retailers were among the first to mark flatware, early adopters of corporate branding. NEILL was a leading Belfast retailer, first established by Robert Neill in 1803, the firm survived until 1960.

A pair of rare Old English Feather Edge and Cartouche silver tablespoons, made by William Pinder in 1771. The spoons are lovely quality and in excellent condition, we really like these spoons. The cartouche has been chased and engraved by hand, you can see small differences between the 2, notably the size and orientation of the scroll underneath. The cartouches are engraved with a family crest, a Griffin's head erased, this is the family crest of the Nalder Family (Fairbairns crests). Whilst Old English Feather Edge is a common pattern, the addition of the Cartouche, first produced around 1770 by Thomas Northcote, is rare (Silver Flatware, Ian Pickford, page 105). The pattern was revived late 19th century by Carrington, who called it Carrington Shield. The hallmarks are bottom marked, and include clear makers mark WP, with the W and P co-joined for William Pinder, who worked from Bunhill road between 1770 and 1784 (Grimwade page 624). The crowned leopards head and lion passant are partially worn but still cle...

A rare and lovely early Scottish Provincial Hanoverian tablespoon, with excellent marks. This is a very fine spoon, good weight and condition, a pleasure to hold. The spoon has a long drop, and quite a wide end with an oval shaped bowl. The spoon is initialled with script letter K, this is contemporary, and is engraved on the back of the spoon. The spoon has four very clear hallmarks, makers mark IS struck twice in a distinctive shaped punch, with two indentations on each side of the punch. The third hallmark is the Dundee "Pot of Lilies" town mark, the shape of each lily clearly visible. The forth mark is a letter "M" with unusual shape, occasionally used by John Steven (Turner, Directory of Scottish Provincial Silversmiths, pg 62, and Jackson, pg 600). A similar spoon by John Steven, without "M" mark, was sold as Lot 192 of "Private Collection of Scottish Provincial Flatware, Woolley & Wallis, January 2009, pg 34". John Steven was a very fine silversmith, we have just seen a pair of cast candlesticks...

A lovely 9 carat gold HMS Conway rowing medallion, awarded to L.H. Barradell, rowing at position 5 (we assume of 8). The medallion is beautifully cast, with a very realistically modelled ship. The medallion is perfectly preserved in its original box, marked "Old Fields Limited, Post Office Place, Church St, Liverpool". The hallmarks are very clear and include "9" and "375" indicating 9 carat gold. HMS Conway was a 19th century wooden battleship, used as a Naval Training School for cadets. It was stationed on the Mersey in Liverpool, which accounts for the origin of the medallion. It operated between 1859 and 1953. The motto was "Quit Ye Like Men Be Strong". L.H. Barradell rose to the rank of Commander, he completed his career in Kenya. He was awarded the Legion of Honour (Crois de Chevalier) by the President of the French Republic in recognition of his services during the war, during the battle of Jutland, when he was a Lt RNR (Lieutenant Royal Naval Reserve) (www.hmsconway.org web site). We have now...

A lovely antique silver child's porringer, in traditional Queen Anne style, although it was made in Georgian times. The porringer has a central cartouche with script initials MB, which are Victorian in style so would have been added by a later owner. The porringer is decorated with curved lobes and flutes, and the cartouche is surrounded by foliage. The porringer also has punched floral decoration, and the S shaped handles are banded. The gauge is quite thin, more suited for display than for use. The base of the porringer is engraved "RB over IG, 1769", in contemporary engraving, indicating the porringer could have originally been a wedding present, or a christening present for a child born the following year. Porringers of the small (child's size) size are quite rare, few have survived. The hallmarks are very clear, and although the makers mark punch has some wear, it is still legible.

A lovely antique silver and enamel vesta case, with a circular dog enamel, we guess a border collie (assistance welcome, thanks!). The vesta is quite small, rectangular in shape, and is engraved with scrolling foliage, it also has a silver suspension ring, which is also hallmarked. The hallmarks are small but clear, in the usual position on the rim of the vesta case.