A World War 1 Royal Artillery 15 carat gold and enamel sweetheart regimental bar brooch, clearly hallmarked 15 CT for 15 Carat gold, both the badge and the bar. The detail is lovely, red enamel crown above blue enamel "UBIQUE" (Everywhere), above a gold cannon, above blue enamel motto "QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT" (Wherever right and glory lead). The bar, pin and clasp are also 15 carat gold, the clasp has a clever locking mechanism to prevent loss, this was an expensive quality item when originally purchased. 15 Carat gold was discontinued by Britain in 1932, hence we can date this brooch to the Great War. The Royal Artillery, commonly referred to as "The Gunners", was formed in 1799, and comprises of 13 regular army regiments today.
A brass trench art military cap snuff box, with engraved inscription from the South Staffordshire Regiment, dating back to World War I. The snuff box is realistically modelled in the shape of an Officers cap, these were made from shell casings. The cap visor acts as the thumb piece to open the hinged lid, which is in excellent condition. The top of the cap is engraved "Sergt. Major A. Wilson. 11th. S. Staffs. Regt - 1915." The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment created in 1881, they served in the Anglo Boer War, WWI and WWII. During WWI they served on the Western front, Gallipoli, Egypt, Italy and Dublin (the 1916 Easter Rising). The Regiment raised a total of 18 battalions and was awarded 66 battle honours, 3 Victoria Crosses and lost 6,357 men during the course of the war. The 11th Battalion was a reserve unit formed in Jersey 1914, and was absorbed into training reserve battalion in 1916. We have not been able to trace Sergeant Major Wilson, all assistance appreciated.
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 German sterling silver cigarette case, made in 1936 to commemorative the Winter Olympics held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, which at the time was under Nazi rule. The Cigarette case in the usual rectangular shape, with a slight curve on both sides, with a push button clasp. The case is planished (hand hammered) in Arts & Crafts style on both sides, and is very pleasing quality, it is a pleasure to hold and use. The front is engraved with the 5 Olympic rings, with "GARMISCH - PARTENKIRCHEN 1936" below, this is filled with black enamel, note the slight enamel loss on 3 letters. The interior is gilded, and is engraved with previous owners name "T. BOSCH". The case is clearly hallmarked with 4 hallmarks, all on the clasp, they include German moon and crown, makers mark LW entwined in a shield for Lutz & Weiss, 925 and STERLING standard marks. The winter Olympics were held in February 1936, this was followed by the summer Olympics in Berlin in July 1936 (the last time the winter and summer Olympics were he...
A British Military World War II Silver Chaplain's Chalice Set (an identical pair, but one is sterling silver and the other is silver plate). The Chalices are a standard design dating back to the 17th century, with a semi spherical bowl, a knobbed baluster stem (designed for grip with thumb either above or below), and a circular domed foot with a rim. Both chalices are engraved with a cross, and are on the small size, so probably designed for travel. The silver plated chalice has a gilded interior, the gilding is good. Whilst both chalices appear identical, the sterling silver one is heavier (171 grams vs 142 grams for the plated version. Both chalices are clearly marked with the broad arrow (sometimes called crows foot or pheon), this mark is associated with the War Department, but has a history that dates back to Henry VIII and the establishment of the Board of Ordnance by Sir Philip Sydney, originally to mark supplies to the Royal Navy. In 1875 the symbol was listed in the Public Stores Act, and was used to...
A pair of Jugendstil German silver serving spoons, 800 purity, made by Lazarus Posen of Frankfurt, Germany circa 1900. The spoons have an interesting diamond shaped bowl, the bowls are gilded on both sides, so can be used for serving salty dishes. The handles are single struck in typical Jugendstil (German Art Nouveau) style, with a central wreath surrounding engraved initials MJL. Both spoons are clearly hallmarked, makers mark script P in shaped outline, 800 standard mark and German crescent moon and crown hallmarks. Lazarus Posen was founded in Frankfurt in 1869, they specialised in Judaica, they became one of Germany's leading silversmiths, receiving a Royal warrant in 1903. They closed in 1938 due to Kristallnacht.
An Arts & Crafts silver vase stand, made by William Hutton & Sons in 1901, and designed by Kate Harris. The vase holder is cylindrical, with six stylised flower heads angled out of the cylinder, and 3 long pad feet with stylised leaf, and crenulated top. This would have originally contained a Powell green glass vase, unfortunately now missing. The vase is clearly hallmarked with makera mark and London 1901 hallmarks, above registration design mark "Rd 372480". "Kate Harris was Hutton’s leading designer c 1898-1904, based in their London studio, and is famous for her distinctive British art nouveau style". - Source Peartree Collection, which we highly recommend. A complete version of this vase can be seen on the Style Gallery website www.styleantiques.co.uk.
A beautiful Norwegian silver replica of a 17th century figural spoon, which makes an ideal Christening present for a girl. The spoon has a well modelled cast finial of a bust of a female warrior, complete with armour, standing on a pedestal decorated with a feeding bird, masks, flowers and scrolls. The traditionally shaped bowl is gilded, the gilding still well preserved. The quality of this spoon is outstanding, clearly made by a master craftsman, and the condition is excellent. The spoon is hallmarked with makers mark MH and grade 830S, so we can date this spoon to prior to 1920, when Norwegian silversmiths moved to the sterling 925 standard. Marius Hammer (1847-1927) was one of Norway's leading silversmiths, employing 130 staff in 1914, they even supplied the Prince of Wales. In addition to high end souvenirs, they produced replicas of notable Scandinavian silver, including this spoon.