An interesting set of 6 Fiddle pattern tableforks, made in 1815, the year of the battle of Waterloo. The forks are a pleasing weight, and very good quality, they have a lovely feel. The forks are engraved with an interesting family crest, a leopards head with an arrow in its mouth, this is unusually engraved on the back of the forks. The hallmarks are excellent, including date letter U for 1815 and makers mark WE/WF for William Eley & William Fearn, who were leading makers of flatware. We welcome any assistance with identification of the family crest.

A beautiful Arts and Craft teapot and sugarbowl, with rosewood handles attached with silver rivets, and a conch shell motif, inspired by an Aztec design. These are from the Spratling First Design Period (1931-1946), and have the WS Print circle hallmark and Sterling mark. Spratling was an American architect who settled in Taxco, Mexico, and revived the art of silversmithing there. A similar teapot (but with a silver handle) is illustrated on page 47 of the book Spratling Silver, Centennial Edition, by Sandraline Cederwall and Hal Riney.

Lovely boxed set of antique sterling silver Gorham flatware, in the attractive New Queens pattern, with double shell finial (concave on top and convex underneath), and triple shell on heel. The set includes: 6 tablespoons, 5 tableforks, 5 dessertspoons, 6 dessertforks, 12 teaspoons, 1 soupladle, 1 sifter ladle, 1 butterknife, 1 saltspoon, 1 condiment ladle, 1 serving spoon, 1 jamspoon (total 41 pieces).The soupladle, serving spoon and and jamspoon all have rattails. Each of the 41 pieces is fully hallmarked, with the Gorham hallmarks (lion, anchor, Gothic G), and "Sterling, PAT, 1899". An additional letter hallmark (T, D or H) is also present on some pieces (H on tablespoons, T on dessert spoons and forks, D on tableforks and teaspoons). We believe these additional marks refer to the weight, T being Trade and H being Heavy, unmarked pieces are regular weight. The set is housed in an attractive solid oak box, with brass mounts on corners, brass handles and nameplate, complete with lock and key in working order...

A Georgian silver loving cup which has been used as a horse racing trophy, the cup has a beautiful engraved race horse with jockey in full flight. The loving cup is the plain standard design, with a banded girdle, sitting on a banded spreading foot, with 2 scroll handles with thumb piece for easy grip, and heart shaped ends to the base of the hollow handles. The engraving is superb, and still in crisp condition, the detail of the jockey and horse racing between two posts is very pleasing. The cup is in very good condition, and has no engraving besides the horse. The Georgian hallmarks for London 1808 are clear, the makers mark WB in rectangular punch has partial wear to the W, but still legible. William Bennett worked between 1796 and 1825, he specialized in trays and salvers, but made numerous other items of hollowware as well. His mark is often confused with William Bateman, but as Bateman only entered his mark in 1815 we can be certain this cup was made by Bennett.

A fabulous pair of cast silver mustard pots, realistically modelled as dragons, with the head resting on the lid, and coiled body forming the pot, with barbed tail forming the handle. The back of the dragon's head acts as a thumb piece, the hinged lids open to reveal clear glass liners for holding the mustard (or other condiments). These are substantial items, they weigh over 350 grammes each without the liners, the quality is superb. The bodies were cast in 2 separate sections, the solder join is visible on the interior. The hallmarks are excellent on both pieces, the lids are hallmarked as well. We have not encountered this model before, it is possible they were specially commissioned and as such are unique. C.J. Vander was established in 1886 by Cornelius Joshua VanderPump, the firm became "the last of England's preeminent silver firms, creating exceptional silver masterpieces using the time-honored traditions of the silversmith's art. It was this firm's steadfast commitment to quality that made them the ...

A fabulous quality Victorian sterling silver dinner plate, beautifully engraved with an armorial for the Taylor family. The latin motto is "In Cruce Salus", translated "Salvation from the Cross". The engraving features a shield with 2 cockerels above a chevron and stag, below a knights helmet with a cross crosslet (cross with crossbar near the end of each arm). This is surrounded by scrolls with the latin motto on a ribbon. The plate itself is the usual circular shape with raised rim, the quality of the plate is excellent, as is the condition. The base is clearly hallmarked with London hallmarks for 1878, the makers mark is partially struck, only the second letter B is visible.

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 beautiful Arts and Crafts silver dish, with planished hand hammered surface, by Leslie Durbin. The dish is oval in shape, and sits on an oval reeded foot, the 2 ends have a slight overlap, it is a lovely shape. The dish is excellent quality, and quite heavy, it is a pleasure to pick up. The hallmarks are clear, and include makers mark LGD for Leslie Durbin. Leslie Durbin was one of the most admired silversmiths of the 20th century, his silver is in the Royal collection, he was also honoured with a 1 man exhibition at the Goldsmiths hall entitled "50 Years of Silversmithing" in 1982. He produced the silver components for the Stalingrad Sword during WW II, he also designed British coinage. He apprenticed with Omar Ramsden, his students included Benney, Mellor and Robert Welsh. Durbin is included as one of the top 50 British silversmiths of his era in the book "Designer British Silver 1930-1985", pgs 186-193, by Andrew & Pearson, a book we highly recommend.

A fabulous Victorian Scottish silver Rams Head snuff mull cover, decorated with an impressive faceted semi precious stone and 6 hardstone cabochons. The cover is dome shaped with a circular base, and is embossed and engraved with Scottish thistles and Celtic knot designs. The central diamond shaped crystal has a diameter of 3.7 cm, this is a large stone. The six hardstone cabochons are 2.2 cm in diameter, colours range from green to red to brown, we imagine Scottish granite. The interior is gilded, and the hallmarks are perfectly preserved. This is the largest and most impressive Rams head snuff mull cover we have seen, we have seen similar smaller examples. The cover would have been mounted on a ceremonial Rams head, used to dispense snuff at a table - we prefer this cover without the original rams head! Mackay & Chisholm were a prestigious Scottish firm, the worked between 1834 and 1941 from Princes Street, Edinburgh.

A very rare and well preserved slip top spoon, of good gauge, by one of the "First Fifteen" London spoonmakers as identified by Tim Kent (London Silver Spoonmakers, 1500-1697). The slip top is engraved "BB, Feb 13, 1632", in a very attractive fashion, so probably was a Christening present. The spoon has a curved fig shaped bowl, and tapered hexagonal stem, ending in the slipped end. The bowl is hallmarked with crowned leopards head, the base of the stem with makers mark "D enclosing C" for Daniel Cary, alongside a well struck lion passant, and date letter O for 1631, struck at the end of the stem, as is usual during this period. The stem is attached to the bowl with a very stubby and rough rat tail, also usual for the period. This is a lovely spoon, and has a very good feel about it, I am tempted to use it (but have resisted!). A very similar spoon to this by Daniel Cary was sold in the Alexander James Collection of Early English Spoons, by Phillips in 1979. Lot 36 (pg 55), shows a slip top spoon made by Dani...

An extremely rare child's puritan spoon, dating back to the Commonwealth period, when Oliver Cromwell was Lord Protector of England. The spoon has a flat stem with straight sides, and a curved spade shaped bowl. The spoon also has a small V shaped drop. The puritan spoon replaced the slip-top spoon (with hexagonal stem and fig shaped bowl) during the early Commonwealth period, and gained it's name from Cromwell's Puritan soldiers opposed to King Charles I, who considered the more elaborate Apostle spoons "irreverant" (Gask, Old Silver Spoons of England, pg 92). Given that so much silver was melted down during and after the English civil war, Puritan spoons are rare, and the smaller children's puritan spoons are extremely rare. A very similar spoon to this, described as "Rare Charles I child's puritan spoon, 1646, exhibited in Cardiff Museum" was sold as lot 35 of the famous "Alexander James Collection of Early English Silver Spoons", Phillips 1979, with an estimate of GBP 500-600. Steven Venables worked in L...

A rare set of early Scottish Provincial tablespoons from Aberdeen, in the Old English pattern. The spoons all have engraved initial "P", which is contemporary. The spoons are early, and have a double drop. The spoons have pleasing dimensions, and are a good weight. The hallmarks include makers mark "AT" in script for Alexander Thompson, who worked between 1770 and 1779 in Aberdeen. The second mark is "ABD.n" in script, for Aberdeen (see Jackson pg 584). All 8 spoons are hallmarked, but some hallmarks have been slightly compressed during shaping of the spoons, and some are lightly struck or worn. Alexander Thompson was apprenticed to Coline Allan (one of Aberdeen's finest silversmiths), he was free in 1770, but unfortunately died young in 1779. He made very high quality spoons (Michael Wilson, Aberdeen Silver, A Collectors Guide, pg 32, which is a book we highly recommend).

An extremely rare Victorian silver triple compartment stamp box, retailed by Thornhill of Bond Street. The box is a circular dish shape, with three triangular sprung lids, the design is ingenious. The lids have heart shaped plastic covered stamp covers, with original half penny, one penny and two and a half d stamps, these stamps are the 1887 Jubilee issue, securely held in place from behind with red wax seals. The centre has a triangular polished green hardstone which anchors the 3 hinges. Three silver wire work scrolls decorate the top between the lids, these match the 3 wire work scroll feet. Each lid has a shaped thumb piece for easy opening. The 3 interior compartments are gilded. The quality and feel of this stamp box is excellent, one of the best we have encountered. The base is engraved "W Thornhill & Co. Ltd. 144 New Bond St W.", Thornhill was the retailer. The base is clearly hallmarked, as is each of the 3 lids, the interior gilded compartment is also hallmarked - the makers mark Gy&Co appears 5 ti...

An important Royal silver brandy saucepan, which was given by Queen Victoria to her grandson Prince Christian Victor (Christle) of Schleswig-Holstein in 1868 as a christening present. The quality of the saucepan is excellent, it is the usual bulbous shape with a spout and turned ivory handle. It has a detachable domed lid, with a hinged projection for covering the spout, and an ivory and silver finial. The interior is gilt, it sits on a raised foot and has the traditional heart shaped join between body and handle. The saucepan and lid are both decorated with scrolling foliage and flowers, which is beautifully engraved. The lid fits snugly, the hinge is excellent, and the handle and finial are firmly secure. The saucepan is engraved "From his Grandmama Victoria R, 14 April 1868" on the front, the back has a scrolling foliate cartouche with the engraved initials "CV" below a coronet. The hallmarks are very clear, and are accompanied by the number 113 struck into the base (perhaps a pattern number?). The base al...

A fabulous set of 4 cast Britannia (950 grade) silver candlesticks with 2 matching detachable two light candelabra, which slot into the candlesticks. The candlesticks are octagonal with diamond facets, with the stems and sconces conforming in outline with the bases, a "pleasing and balanced design" (Peter Waldron, Price Guide to Antique Silver, No 115, pg 52). These are reproductions of a very popular Queen Anne style, made circa 1710, described as "the most desirable of Queen Anne candlesticks (Waldron, as above). The candlesticks are cast, and are exceptional quality, weighing around 530 grammes each (these are not loaded, total set weight 3.064 kilogrammes, or 108 ounces). The candlesticks have no engraving or armorials, and nothing has been removed. The two detachable 2 light candelabra slot perfectly into all 4 candlesticks, so quite a versatile set. They follow the same design as the candlesticks, with the addition of octagonal drip pans. The 2 candelabra were hallmarked in 1930 (so slightly before th...

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 provincial silver Seal Top spoon, with an acanthus baluster seal top, which is probably a Taunton casting. The seal top is well made, and has remnants of gilding throughout, especially in the recessed areas. The stem is flattened hexagonal, and the bowl is the traditional fig shape, and it has a small rat-tail . The seal top has remnants of prick engraving, some pricks clearly visible, but not enough to read what was engraved. The spoon bowl itself is the traditional shape, with deep bowl, curving down from the stem. The spoon is struck 3 times by the same makers mark, once in the bowl and twice on the stem. The marks are not very clear, either they are worn or more probably struck with a worn punch. The punch has a rough shield shape with irregular edge, with a trifid top edge (Poole, Identifying British Silver, punch shapes, pg 15). The figure in the punch has a smaller roughly circular shape on top of a larger circular shape, our imagination runs to a crown over rose, piece of fruit or even a bird (with ...

An extremely rare, Brittania silver, rattail soup ladle in the Hanoverian pattern, of good gauge. The patination on the ladle is lovely, and the bowl, rattail and handle are in proportion, with no sign of alteration. The ladle has the initials E*G scratch engraved on the back of the handle. The stem rises at a sharp angle (almost 90 degrees) to the bowl, the characteristics of a ladle as opposed to a spoon. Snodin (English silver spoons, 1974, pg 46) describes the earliest ladles as dating from the 1730's, this is a rare early example. The hallmarks are worn but visible, the makers mark is very worn, with only the outline of the shield and a ghosting of the makers initials visible. The date letter is poorly struck, but visible enought to determine D from 1719 fairly confidently. Given the wear on the makers mark, an interesting debate has ensued as to the maker. The first letter is definitely S, the second is unclear, the distinctively shaped shield surrounding the makers mark is clearly visible. We had origi...

A magnificent 950 grade French silver gravy or sauce ladle in the Renaissance pattern, that carries the marks of 2 of France's greatest silversmiths - Christofle and Cardeilhac. The ladle has a pierced tri-lobe finial, with a smiling cherub's head in the centre, surrounded by very ornate scrolls. the centre of the stem is decorated with a reverse baluster design, and the stem is rectangular, with 90 degree angles. The oval double lipped bowl is connected to the stem with an ornate rat-tail, and the base of the bowl has a channel to allow for easy pouring. The bowl also has a guard over the channel to assist pouring and prevent splashing. Needless to say, the quality and feel of this ladle is fabulous, and it is made of the higher grade 950 silver (as opposed to Sterling which is 925). The Renaissance pattern honours the Renaissance period, and has been described as one of Christofle's most prestigious models, it is entirely hand made in the Haute Orfevrerie workshops in Paris - which produces Christofle's fi...

A rare surviving set of 8 Georgian silver dessert knives, in the popular Fiddle Thread and Shell pattern, with silver as opposed to steel blades. The knives are in good condition, and are suitable for use. All 8 knives have an engraved family crest of a lion with raised paws looking backwards, we see that 1 is engraved on the other side. All 8 knives are clearly hallmarked, both on the silver blades and handles, for London 1832 with makers mark WC for William Chawner II, and all the marks are clearly legible. William Chawner II was a specialist spoon maker, he was freed in 1804 and worked until his death in 1834. He was part of the famous Chawner dynasty of silversmiths, his Father, brother and son were all silversmiths, the Chawner family were one of England's dominant producers of silver flatware in the 19th century, they supplied all the leading retailers, including Hunt & Roskell, Garrards and Elkington.