A rare Victorian silver triple stamp box, one of the nicer ones we have see. The box is rectangular with concave sides, and is on four ball feet, the hinged lid has a sliding insert with glass top, to enable stamps to be placed in the lid. The interior is gilded, and has 3 compartments for 3 different denomination stamps, with 2 original wooden curved inserts, to easily slide a stamp out. It is quite a substantial, well made box, it would have been an expensive item when new. The box is clearly hallmarked, the lid and sliding insert are hallmarked as well. George Unite was established in 1825, Unite apprenticed with Joseph Willmore, he died in 1896, the business was continued by his sons.

A rare set of Georg Jensen Beaded pattern ice cream (or sorbet) spoons (6), made in very limited quantities. The spoons are small teaspoon size, and have flat oval bowls for eating ice cream, the bowls are planished (hand beaten marks, hand forged). The beaded pattern (Kugle in Danish, Jensen pattern # 7) has a beaded pattern around the lower edge of the handle, it was designed by Jensen himself in 1916, described as "an elegant composition, that remains contemporary in design while imparting a timeless quality" - Georg Jensen, Tradition of Splendid Silver, page 267. All 6 spoons are hallmarked with Danish marks GJ in circular bead with 925 standard mark, and English import marks for 1925, with importers mark GS for George Stockwell & Co, (imported Jensen silver between 1909 and 1931).

A set of 5 Cape Silver tablespoons in the Fiddle pattern, with initials GHJ which are clearly engraved. The spoons have a chamfered edge (very Continental in style), and all 5 spoons have clear hallmarks (Welz mark 135). The marks include crowned leopards head, date letter a, duty mark and lion passant.

An interesting silver standing salt made to commemorate the coronation of Edward VII in 1902 by Elkington, who are known for their fine replicas of earlier styles. The quality is superb, and it is a very good weight. The salt is an exact replica of a salt made in 1626, engraved "This Salt is the Gifte of John Waterworth 1626". It has the crest of the "Worshipful Company of Innholders", with St Julien's Cross sable and chevron between three oatsheaves. The company, which still exists today, was created in 1514, and is no. 32 in order of precedence of the 107 London companies. The Company of Innholders has the original Waterworth salts (a pair), we assume the replica was commissioned by them in 1901. The originals are described in an article entitled "The Old English Silver of the Innholders Company, London" by Arthur Butler, in "The Connoisseur Illustrated Vol 1, pg 236, Sept - Dec 1901." Butler describes them as "of very massive silver, the well turned moulding and sensible proportions amply compensate for th...

A Liberty & Co Arts and Crafts sterling silver sugar bowl, with a planished (hand hammered) squat circular body. The jug is decorated with embossed celtic style buttons (8) and matching border, with a little heart shaped design. The bowl sits on 4 button feet, and has plain handles. The bowl is clearly hallmarked with Liberty's distinctive L&Co in diamond shaped punch mark, along with Birmingham hallmarks for 1928. The bowl 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 bowl 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 warships. Note- we have a matching ...

An exceptionally large Danish silver serving spoon, in the Old Danish pattern (Dobbelt riflet), wih matching large bowl. The spoon is double struck (pattern on both sides), the pattern has a reeded edge, and the handle is fluted. The weight and quality is very pleasing, heavier and with a larger bowl than other examples we have seen. This type of extremely large serving spoon is unique to Denmark, very suitable for serving a generous portion. The hallmarks include the Danish 3 towers mark with date letter 36 for 1936, assay masters mark JS for Johannes Siggaard (who worked between 1932 and 1960), and makers mark HS in script for Horsens Solvvarefabriek which was established in 1904. We have sold a similar spoon S1293, and have a similar example S 11024.

A very interesting and beautiful German silver spoon made by J. F. Nicolassen in Hamburg, Germany, circa 1820. The spoon is well made and has lovely decoration, it has a deep fig shaped bowl, connected to the stem with a rat-tail. The handle is most unusual, with irregular scrolls finely engraved with a leaf pattern, with a tight scroll at both ends. This has been termed the auricular style (resembling ear lobe or conch shell) or lobate style, it originated from German Mannerism in the early 17th century, later adopted by the famous van Vianen Dutch silversmiths (Newman, Illustrated Dictionary of Silverware, pg 28, a book we highly recommend). This style was adopted by a few 17th century German and Dutch silver spoonmakers, but these spoons are rare today (see S 1181, Dutch silver Memorial spoon and fork set, for a similar example). This spoon is a 19th century replica of this earlier style, but still we believe a rare item, we cannot recall seeing similar examples. The hallmarks are very clear, and include t...

An Arts and Crafts silver sugar bowl with fitted lid, the lid has a foot and can also be used as a dish. It is a copy of an early Georgian design, circa 1735 (Miller's Silver and Plate Buyers Guide, pg 27). This is a lovely bowl, hand hammered in typical arts and crafts fashion leaving a planished finish, it is also very good quality and a pleasing weight. This would make an ideal Christening present. The Chester hallmarks are clear, the lid is also hallmarked.

In our opinion, a 19th century copy of an 18th century Dutch silver miniature chamber pot. This we believe has been cast from an original, the solder line joining the 2 halves of the casting are visible in the interior (although the base could be original?). The interior also has some crack marks, another sign this has been cast. The original would have been a rare item, a very similar miniature chamber pot, currently in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, is depicted in the book "Dutch Silver" by MH Gans, pg 68, bottom right. The maker of the original, Arnoldus van Geffen, was one of the greatest of the Dutch silver miniature makers. Whilst this is probably a copy, it is still well made, and a faithful copy of the original, so would still be a nice addition to a collection. A very similar miniature chamber pot, made in Amsterdam in 1670 by Wessel Jansen, is depicted in the book "Tall and Small, Antique Dutch Silver Miniatures", by the Dutch antique dealers Aardewerk, pg 101, image 226 - which is a book we highly ...

Swedish Art Nouveau bowl with superb bearded iris design repeated on 4 sides of the bowl, by a well known Swedish maker. The lip of the bowl is wavy, in keeping with the style. Hallmarks are clear, being CG HALLBERG, triple crown Swedish national mark, St Erik's head for Stockholm, and Y6 datestamp for 1901. (Note: please forgive our previous incorrect attribution of this bowl to Copenhagen).

An antique 9 carat gold and enamel burgee flag brooch or pin, for the Royal Yacht Squadron. The brooch is fabulous quality and in excellent condition, the flag has waves in it so it appears to be fluttering. The gold base and pin shows details of the rope, and the enamel flag has 4 colours - red cross on white background with gold crown with black detail. The brooch is fully hallmarked with makers mark JWB, crown 375 nine carat gold marks, Birmingham anchor and date letter k for 1909. "The Royal Yacht Squadron is one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the Suffix RYS to their names, and permitted to wear the White Ensign of the Royal Navy rather than the merchant Red Ensign worn by the majority of other UK registered vessels. The club's patron is Queen Elizabeth II and the club's admiral is Prince Philip who is also a former club commodore." (source wikipedia). The club was founded in 1815, an early...

A set of 6 Irish Georgian silver dessert spoons in the Fiddle pattern, made by Samuel Neville of Dublin in 1804. The spoons have no initials or engraving, and no signs of removal. All 6 spoons have good hallmarks, makers mark SN for Samuel Neville (struck both ways). They also have Hibernia and Harp Crowned, and date letter H for 1804 (note absence of duty mark, only introduced in Ireland in 1807). 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.

A sterling silver quaich, in the traditional form with engraved lug handles, sitting on a raised ring foot. The engraving on the handles is quite attractive, a repeated geometric pattern. This is a really solid and good quality quaich, most we see are much lighter (this is over 200 grammes), and in excellent condition. The hallmarks are clear, and include the Jubilee mark used in 1934 and 1935 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary, and the base is engraved "Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Company, 112 Regent St". Quaich's have Scottish origins, dating back to the 17th century when they were used as marriage cups (Price Guide to Antique Silver, Waldron, pg 351), they are also used for traditional whisky tasting and are also used as Christening presents. Inverness, the capital of the Scottish Highlands, is regarded as the spiritual home of the quaich, about half of known antique Scottish quaich's originated there (Fothringham, Small Inverness Quaichs, Antique Collector April 1973, pg 73). ...

An antique sterling silver shoe, we hesitate to call it miniature as it is almost real size, perhaps a child's size, we assume originally intended as a sugar bowl. It is in the traditional form as silver miniature shoes, a replica of a 16th century court shoe, profusely decorated with flowers, leaves and scrolls, with a bow on the front, and shaped heel at the back. it has been well preserved in its original box (silk and velvet, a good quality box), the box reads "Cutler Jeweller Jersey". The shoe is clearly hallmarked, the hallmarks hidden in the decoration but clearly legible, the base of the heel is also hallmarked. JF Cutler was a prestigious Jeweller who operated from 2 Queen's Street (still a jeweller today trading as Goldsmiths), he is known to have been there between 1900 and 1920.

A lovely Scottish silver cigar or cheroot case, with motto "Should auld acquaintance be forgot", and the Carstairs family crest and motto "Te Splendente", translated "Whilst thou art shining". The case is beautifully engraved with a spectacular interlocking architectural pattern interspersed with different flowers, this is one of the nicest we have seen. The case has a pleasing shape and feel, easy to slide into a pocket given its curved shape. The front of the case has "Should auld acquaintance be forgot" in the top panel, and Carstairs family crest and motto in the bottom, along with "DC to FC", we assume members of the Carstairs family. The Carstairs armorial has a chevron between 3 primroses, with sun darting its rays on a primrose above. The back has 2 circular panels, with finely engraved flowers, we assume a primrose. The hallmarks are clear, but cleverly hidden in the engraving. George Cunningham only worked between 1855 and 1858, but given the quality of this case must have been a master craftsman.

A rare Cape silver marrow scoop, in the Fiddle pattern, by Willam Moore, who worked in the Cape between 1840 and 1863. The scoop is the traditional design, with 2 differently sized scoops at either end, used for eating bone marrow, a "popular delicacy at the Cape" (Welz, Cape Silver and Silversmiths, pg 76, where a similar fiddle pattern scoop by Moore is depicted, but in much worse condition than this one.) The scoop is in excellent condition, no dents, scratches or repairs, it does not appear to have seen much use. The Cape hallmarks are very clear, and include makers mark WM and the Cape Stub mark (see article in our articles section) of 4 pseudo English hallmarks struck in a stub (Welz mark 101). A very similar Cape silver marrow scoop by Willam Moore, but with makers mark struck the other way, can be seen on the Steppes Hill website (http://www.steppeshillfarmantiques.com/silver-and-porcelain/d/rare-19th-century-cape-silver-marrow-scoop/98455/216995).

A rare pair of Cape silver tablespoons in the Old English thread pattern, we have only noted 2 examples of Cape silver in this pattern in the body of literature. The spoons are the usual Old English shape, but with a double thread around the edge, this is double struck (occurs on the front and back of the spoons). Both spoons are engraved with original owners initials IM in script. Both spoons are hallmarked with makers mark IC, the marks are slightly blurred, we assume the punch was worn when they were struck. The spoons are also hallmarked with the "Cape Stub", 4 pseudo - English hallmarks (lion passant, date letter, duty mark and leopard's head) struck mechanically in a fly press (see article on Cape Stub in "The Finial, 2007, and in the articles tab above), these marks have some wear but are still clearly visible. We believe these spoons were made by hand, you can see differences in how the thread has been applied, and the 2 spoons, whilst the same size, have very different weights (one is 74 grams, the s...

A rare pointed terminal cape silver konfyt fork (preserve fork), that matches the celebrated Cape silver lemoen lepels (orange spoons). The fork has 4 tines, pointed terminal, and traditional Cape bright cut prick engraving, two wavy lines around the edge of the handle. The spoon is clearly hallmarked with makers mark IL (Welz mark 71 in Cape Silver), and also has original owners stamped mark HB. This fork matches S11467, the matched set of konfyt fork and lemoen lepel. Jan Lotter, who was regarded by Heller in his book "History of Cape Silver" as "a highly skilled craftsman", only worked for 4 years between 1813 and 1817, so he probably died young. He made most of the prized Cape silver "lemoenlepels" (orange spoons) known to exist today, and know we know he made matching forks. He worked from 22 Keerom Street, Cape Town.

A collection of 3 18th century miniature toy or snuff spoons, all 3 with rattails dating circa 1720. The first is by David Clayton, this spoon is 5.9 cm long and weighs 1 gramme, makers mark only (gothic script DC, Grimwade 452). This spoon is dainty with long elegant handle, and has character, it is well used, scratches, kinks to handle and bowl, but no repairs. The second is possibly William Scarlett, with clear lion passant and partial marks mark ? /S, this spoon is 8.2 cm, weighs 4 grammes, slight kinks to bowl but otherwise good condition. The third spoon has no hallmarks, it has an old repair halfway down the handle, with inserted silver bar joining the 2 halves, this spoon is 8.8 cm and weighs 4 grammes. Even without hallmarks and with an old repair, we really like this spoon. David Clayton is perhaps the most famous English silversmith who specialized in miniatures, and to quote from Wikimedia - "David Clayton was a renowned English silversmith from London active from around 1697. His work is exhibite...

A collection of 3 18th century Miniature snuff or toy spoons in the Hanoverian pattern, possibly all by the same maker Christian Hillan. The first spoon is hallmarked with makers mark CH under a star, we believe this to be the mark of Christian Hillan, Grimwade mark 326, this mark is well struck but slightly squashed by the small size of the handle. The spoon has a long drop which we date to circa 1740, the spoon is 7.7 cm long and weighs 5 grammes, the quality and condition of this spoon is excellent, we really like this spoon. The next 2 spoons are a pair, both are engraved on the back with script owners initials IJ, these spoons are possibly slightly later in date as they have no drop. They are 7.5 cm in length, and weigh 5 grammes combined. Both are in good condition, with very slight kink in the bowls. Both are hallmarked twice with the same makers mark, this is only partially visible, script letters, possibly CH for Christian Hillan (Grimwade 333), but it could also be John Hugh Le Sage (Grimwade 1681) ...