A very rare Cape silver tablespoon in the Old English pattern, by a very rare maker whose work is seldom seen. The makers mark FLH is excellent, very well struck, this is accompanied by an anchor mark in a circular punch (mark 51 in Cape Silver by Welz). Herman (or Hermann) was born in the Cape in 1778, he worked between 1810 and 1811 from 38 Long Street. He was regarded as "one of the finest of all Cape silversmiths" by David Heller, in his book History of Cape Silver. He made a very fine covered sugar bowl, which is depicted on pg 101 of Cape Silver by Stephan Welz.

A Scottish provincial silver basting (or gravy) spoon in the Fiddle pattern, made by Alexander Cameron in Dundee, with Edinburgh hallmarks for 1824. The spoon is good quality and has a good feel, it is suitable for use as a serving spoon. The hallmarks are excellent, and include the "CAM over ERON" and "DUN over DEE" marks used by Cameron, along with very clear Edinburgh marks. Cameron was apprenticed to Robert Keay of Perth, and worked between 1818 and 1849. Following the re-imposition of duties in Great Britian in 1784, a duty mark had to be struck on silver, which in Scotland could only be done in Edinburgh. This meant that the provincial silversmiths had to submit their silver to Edinburgh - often a long arduous journey, so few did. By the 1820's when this spoon was made, provincial silversmiths such as Cameron submitted a portion of their silver to Edinburgh, to satisfy the authorities.

A rare Scottish Provincial pointed end tablespoon, with excellent hallmarks by a scarce maker. The spoon has script initial M (contempory) above the number 8, we assume its position in its original set. The spoon has some overall wear, but is a good weight, still a lovely spoon. Pointed end spoons are uniquely Scottish, the style was never adopted in England. The hallmarks are well struck and very clear, makers mark S.L struck twice, with the Dundee pot of lilies and date letter m. Similar makers can be seen on lot 190, Woolley & Wallis sale of a private collection of Scottish Provincial Flatware, January 2009.

Lovely scottish provincial tablespoon with characteristic celtic point, with the silversmiths surname incised. Initial A. The hallmarks include the crowned shield and "flaming heart" used by Douglas.

A beautiful miniature Kings pattern knife and fork set in original box, probably a christening present. Complete hallmarks on knife, very clear. Hadfield was a well known Sheffield flatware maker

A Scottish provincial antique silver toddy ladle, in the Fiddle pattern, engraved with script initials TIR. The bowl is quite wide (5.0 cm) and oval in shape. The hallmarks are very clear and well struck, makers mark R&S and the A,B and D of Aberdeen struck separately. Middleton Rettie and Sons worked in Aberdeen between 1824 and 1891, they are known for their very fine silver.

A provincial silver trefid spoon, made in Exeter in 1714. The spoon has an oval bowl, rat-tail with ribs, a flat stem and the traditionally shaped end with 2 clefts, with a slight upturn. The spoon is engraved "MH 1707" on the back of the spoon, the MH are co-joined, and the engraving is contemporary. During this period spoons were placed on the table bowl down, hence the engraving on the back. The spoon is quite light, as is often the case with provincial spoons, but in very good condition, given its age. The spoon has 5 hallmarks, makers mark MA co-joined, 3 turreted castle (Exeter town mark), Brittania (very worn), lions head erased (used in Exeter between 1701 and 1720 to denote Britannia silver, which is higher grade than Sterling), and date letter O in shield for 1714. The makers mark appears to be MA co-joined, but could also be read the other way around (?W). We now believe this to be the mark of John Manley I of Dartmouth, who entered his mark in Exeter in 1705 (See mark 86, West Country Spoons and t...

An unusual pair of Fiddle pattern silver sugar tongs, with crude rounded shell grips. The pair is unusually large and heavy, and has flared and shaped arms, and a strong rounded bow. They are quite plain, with no monograms or decoration, besides the shape and shell grips. They are unusual, very unlike any of the sugartongs depicted in "Georgian Silver Sugar Tongs" by Graham Hodges, leading us to believe they are Colonial or Provincial. The only hallmarks are makers mark TH struck twice (once on each arm), the hallmarks are clear. The T is well cut, but the H is fat and less well defined in the punch. There appears to be a faint device between the letters, but this could be an imperfection in the punch. We have been unable to identify any Colonial makers with initials TH (but suggestions welcome!). However, one possible candidate for the TH makers mark is Theophilus Harvey of Clonmel, Tipperary, Ireland, circa 1810. A fish server by Harvey, with only the TH makers mark in rectangular punch, is pictured in an a...

A magnificent Cape silver gravy (also called basting or serving) spoon, in the Kings pattern, double struck with diamond heel. It has a lovely weight and is very good quality, this is one of the most substantial Cape silver spoons we have seen, and is suitable for regular use - in fact a spoon anyone would enjoy using. The hallmarks are very clear, makers mark LT for Lawrence Twentyman, and pseudo English hallmarks (leopards head, duty mark, date letter a and lion) - Welz mark 135, but in a different order. Twentyman was the most prolific of all Cape silversmiths, he had the first shop on Heerengracht (now Adderley Street) with a shop window. He worked between 1818 and 1837.

A beautiful silvergilt engine turned snuffbox with a chocolate brown agate (mocha agate) set in a rim of chased flowers, by a silversmith well known for his boxes. This box has a lovely weight and a pleasing feel.

Cape Fiddle pattern saltspoon complete with makers mark and pseudo english hallmarks (clearly visible), gilded bowl and engraved monogram TTA. The spoon is slightly longer than others we have seen. Townsend was a leading Cape silversmith, who had a shop on Heerengracht in Cape Town, and is regarded as one of the finest and most versatile of Cape silversmiths by Heller.

A very rare Cape Silver konfyt (preserve) fork, in the Feather Edge pattern. The fork has makers mark DHS, well struck and clear, along with a bunch of grapes with vine leaves in a circular punch (mark 109 in Cape Silver by Welz). Schmidt arrived in the Cape from Strelitz, Germany, as a soldier in 1768. He worked as a sword cutler for the Dutch East India Company, and became a burgher and silversmith in 1779. He died in 1811 (Cape Silver by Welz, pg 139). He is described by David Heller (in his book History of Cape Silver) as the "greatest Cape silversmith". Heller goes so far to describe Schmidt as a "master craftsman, whose work can be compared to Paul Storr" (History of Cape Silver, pg 79).

A lovely 18th century Dutch silver miniature milk jug, baluster shape on 3 scrolling feet, with a wavy rim. It is excellent quality, very well made, and in wonderful condition. It was made by Johannes van Geffen, grandson to Arnoldus van Geffen, the most celebrated of all Dutch miniature silver makers. This jug is identical to a jug depicted in Miniature Silver Toys by Victor Houart, pg 62, even the detail on the legs and handle is identical. The one depicted in the book was made in 1762 by Arnoldus van Geffen, so interesting to see the grandson copying his grandfather's work with such exact detail. The hallmarks are very clear, Amsterdam town mark with date letter Z for 1784, and makers mark of a hunting horn in a heart, topped by a crown for Johannes van Geffen. Johannes worked between 1766 and 1798. This milkjug matches a teapot (S 1576) also made by Johannes van Geffen in 1784. A very similar miniature milk jug, made by Hendrik Duller in 1792, is depicted in the book "Tall and Small, Antique Dutch Silver ...

A delightful 18th century Dutch silver miniature teapot, spherical in shape, with S shaped spout, scrolling handle, and original lid. It is excellent quality and in very good condition. A very similar spherical miniature teapot can be found in the V&A museum in London. It is depicted in the book "Miniature Silver Toys" by Victor Houart, pg 67, this teapot was made in 1758. The base is recessed, so the hallmarks are well preserved - Amsterdam town mark, and makers mark for Johannes Van Geffen (hunting horn within heart under crown). The makers mark overstrikes the date letter, but sufficient can be seen to determine that it can only be the Z of 1784. This teapot seems to match the miniature milk jug, S 1575, also made by van Geffen in the same year. Johannes van Geffen, grandson of Arnoldus van Geffen, worked between 1766 and 1798.

Rare Cape Silver Christening mug, by the highly regarded Cape Silversmith John Townsend. The body is plain and cylindrical, the handle has a lovely leaf cap, and the mug is of good gauge. David Heller, author of "Cape Silver", described Townsend as the "most versatile" of all the English silversmiths who worked at the Cape. The hallmarks are clear, being makers mark and pseudo English hallmarks which are slightly worn (duty mark, date letter a, leopards head and date letter J) -(see Welz, Cape Silver, pg 122).

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 Dutch silver miniature kettle, circa 1725, by the prolific Frederik I van Strant, who made a large number of miniature silver objects in the course of his career (Houart, Miniature Silver Toys). A very similar kettle also by van Strant can be seen in figure 69 of the book described above. Unfortunately this kettle has lost its original lid, this lid is a replica copy of the lid depicted in the book. The makers mark is very clear, the Amsterdam town mark partially visible, and the assay scrape is also present. An almost identical miniature silver kettle, also by Frederik van Strant circa 1725, is depicted in the book "Tall and Small, Antique Dutch Silver Miniatures" by Aardewerk Antiques of The Hague, pg 153, image 346. We highly recommend this book.

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 pair of Georgian silver wine labels, engraved "Madeira" and "Teneriffe". They are rectangular in shape, with a reeded border, and are complete with their original chains. Both are fully hallmarked, with makers mark DH for Daniel Hockly, duty mark, lion passant and date letter P for 1810. Daniel Hockly is an interesting silversmith, he started his career in London, entering a mark as a smallworker in 1810, it seems he specialised in wine labels. In 1819 he boarded a ship with his family and sailed for the Cape Colony, as part of the wave of English settlers (now known as the 1820 Settlers). He continued working as a silversmith in the Cape, he is known to have worked in Grahamstown and Graaf Reinet. His most famous work is the staff of office made for Andries Waterboer, Chief of the Griquas (Heller, Cape Silver, pg 62). It is currently in the 1820 Settlers Memorial Museum (a picture can be seen in Cape Silver by Welz, pg 94). Hockly was born in 1787, he sailed for the Cape in the ship Chapman with his wife a...

A Georgian silver wine label, engraved "Madeira", by Daniel Hockly. The label is rectangular with a reeded border, and has its original chain. It is fully hallmarked, the hallmakrs are clear. Hockly emigrated to the Cape Colony as part of the 1820 Settlers, where he continued working as a silversmith, also using a DH makers mark. Hockly is mentioned as one of 5 wine label makers worthy of mention for the quality of their product amongst the new generation of specialists (Wine Labels, 1730-2003, pg 154)