A rare Cape silver table fork in the Fiddle and Shell pattern, examples are known to exist but these are regarded as rare. The fork is single struck (pattern only on the front), the shell is a lovely feature. A similar example is depicted the book "Further Researches in Cape Silver" by David Heller, page 68, plate 13, also made by Lawrence Twentyman. English versions of this pattern are also scarce, mostly made in Scotland and Newcastle, London versions are rare (Pickford, Silver Flatware, page 114). The hallmarks are clear, makers mark LT and 4 pseudo hallmarks (crowned leopard's head town mark, date letter a, duty mark and lion passant), this is mark 135 in Cape Silver by Welz. Note: We have 2 other examples of this fork, S 11435 and S 11437.

A Cape silver table fork in the Fiddle pattern, with very clear Cape silver pseudo hallmarks for Lawrence Twentyman. The fork is engraved with an interesting family crest, a wolf's head erased, the engraving is still clearly visible. The engraving is on the back of the fork, dating back to a time when forks were placed on the table with tines pointed down. The fork is clearly hallmarked with makers mark LT and 4 pseudo hallmarks, all struck individually, pseudo duty mark, pseudo date letter e, pseudo Edinburgh Castle town mark and bird. this is mark 131 in the book "Cape Silver and Silversmiths" by Stephan Welz, but struck in a different order. Lawrence 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 lovely pair of Cape silver konfyt (preserve) forks in the Fiddle pattern with 4 tines, the forks are in excellent condition and have no engraving. Both forks have clear hallmarks, makers mark W.M and the Cape Stub mark (see our articles section) consisting of 4 English pseudo hallmarks, Lion passant, date letter capital A, Georgian kings head duty mark and leopards head (town mark for London).This is mark 100 in the book Cape Silver by Welz, except the makers mark he depicts does not have the dot between the W and M, which shows Moore had at least 2 different punches. Konfyt forks are typically Cape, they were made and sold as individual items, and are described by Welz as "having a great deal of charm" (pg 65, Cape Silver, Welz). William Moore was a goldsmith and jeweller who worked between 1840 and 1863 from St Johns Street, Cape Town, Parliament is located on St Johns street so it was a prestigious location.

An extremely rare Cape silver table fork in the Fiddle Thread without Shoulders pattern, this is only the 2nd time we have seen this pattern, see 2 dessert spoons S 11120 and S 11121 which we have already sold. David Heller, in his book History of Cape Silver Vol. 1, depicts a spoon in the same pattern (plate 50, page 124) and a similar 3 tined fork (Plate 61, page 146), these are the only examples we can find in the literature. The fork is double struck (pattern on both sides), and has a single thread, but notably without the usual shoulder where the bowl joins the handle. The fork also has a long drop, with an unusual curve, showing this fork was hand made. The fork is lovely quality, a pleasing weight, and is in excellent condition. The hallmarks are excellent, a variant of mark 138 in Cape Silver by Welz, Castle, date letter C, and Georgian duty mark, with makers mark LT, all well struck. We have 2 matching forks, S 11433 and S 11434. A close examination of all 3 forks shows slight differences to the dro...

An extremely rare Cape silver konfyt (preserve) fork with tubular handle, by Cape silversmith Lodewyk Beck. The fork has 4 tines, the only decoration is the baluster shape where the tines join the handle. The handle is similar to the Cannon handle pattern of early English flatware. The fork is clearly hallmarked with makers mark LB at the end of the handle. Similar forks are illustrated in Heller's History of Cape Silver (Vol 2, pg. 82) by Johannes Heegers, and Welz's Cape Silver (pg. 68), these are by Johannes Combrink. Lodewyk Beck worked firstly from Shortmarket Street and then moved to Greenmarket Square, still today a vibrant market in the heart of Cape Town. Konfyt forks were made and sold as individual items, and are described by Welz as "having a great deal of charm" (pg. 65, Cape Silver, Welz). Note - We have a matching fork S11422.

A rare Cape silver basting spoon with exceptionally clear hallmarks, they could not be better. The spoon is Old English pattern, but more European than English in style, with a deep bowl and strong tip, it also has a double drop, and no engraving is present with no signs of removal, we think this spoon was never engraved. The spoon is hallmarked with a flower in oval punch, flanked by 2 makers mark IL, with an indent in the top of the punch, this is makers mark 74 in the book Cape Silver by Stephan Welz. Jan Lotter, who was regarded by Heller 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. He worked from 22 Keerom Street.

An interesting pair of Cape silver spoons, one tablespoon and one dessertspoon, both by Lawrence Twentyman and both engraved with an original family crest of winged castle turret below circular cross. These spoons are of hallmarking interest, as even though they have the same pseudo hallmarks, the larger spoon has the normal sized LT makers mark punch, and the smaller spoon has the smaller LT punch. The spoons are Fiddle pattern, and are a pleasing quality and weight. The hallmarks are also very clear on both spoons, pseudo duty mark, pseudo castle town mark with flag flying, pseudo date letter C and makers mark LT (mark 140 in Cape Silver and Silversmiths by Welz). 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 1832. Note - These spoons match the pair of tablespoons S11352 and dessertspoons S 11353. Note 2 - With the assistance of a customer, we have now identified the engraved crest as the ...

A Cape silver tablefork in the Old English pattern, with 4 tines. The fork was made by Johannes Combrink who worked between 1814 and 1853. The hallmarks are well struck and clear, Welz mark 24, makers mark IC with canted corners and anchor hallmark.

An interesting pair of Cape silver tablespoons, engraved with an original family crest of winged castle turret below circular cross. The spoons are Fiddle pattern, and are very pleasing quality and weight, the condition is good too, we really like these spoons. The hallmarks are also very clear on both spoons, pseudo duty mark, pseudo castle town mark with flag flying, pseudo date letter C and makers mark LT (mark 140 in Cape Silver and Silversmiths by Welz). 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 1832. Note - With the assistance of a customer, we have now identified the engraved crest as the Heathcote family, described as "On a mural crown, a sphere charged with a cross, between two wings". The spoons probably belonged to Captain William Lovell Heathcote (1802-1885), who was born in Hursley, U.K. and died in Colesburg, Northern Cape, South Africa. He was the son of Admiral Henry Heath...

A rare and interesting Cape silver Masking or Mash spoon, in the Old English pattern. The spoon is teaspoon size but has a much longer handle, these spoons are called Masking or Mash spoons, they were used to stir the teapot. Most of the known Masking spoons are Scottish Provincial in origin, but they are known in the Cape (see S189 for a similar example made by Jan Lotter, cousin of Carel David, which we have sold). The spoon has no engraving, and clear makers mark CDL between 2 star devices (Welz mark 64). Carel David Lotter, part of the Lotter family of Cape silversmiths, worked between 1812 to 1848.

A cape silver tablespoon in the Fiddle pattern, made by Daniel Beets, but with previously unrecorded hallmarks, so a rare spoon. The spoon has no engraving, but the bowl is quite battered, so we can only describe the condition as fair, so this spoon is for hallmarking interest rather than use. The hallmarks include makers mark DB struck twice, interspersed with 3 bird hallmarks, in round punch, this bird punch has only previously been recorded as used by Lawrence Twentyman. As we said this is a rare combination of marks, not recorded in Cape Silver by Welz, where he shows Beets with star and circular devices, but not with the bird punch. Heller shows a Beets mark interspersed with pseudo kings head duty marks, also not shown in Welz, which shows Beets did also occasionally use pseudo punches. Daniel Beets worked between 1812 and 1828, he was the illegitimate son of German Balthus Beets and Cape slave Angana. His son, also Daniel Beets, also practised as a silversmith, but as he probaly used his fathers punch...

A Cape Silver lemoen lepel, (orange spoon), in very good condition, and with very clear makers mark. This spoon is typical of the Cape lemoen lepels, with pointed terminal and bowl, the bowl itself eye shaped and quite deep. The spoon has typical Cape engraving, with a 4 petal flower and wrigglework along the edges of the handles. It also has a distinctive V joint connecting handle to bowl. The IC makers mark is well struck and clear (Welz mark 32 with canted corners). Welz describes orange spoons as"probably the most attractive type of spoon made at the Cape, derived from Dutch spoons", pg 95. He also notes that all known examples are by Cape born silversmiths of the early 19th century (so not made by the more prolific English immigrants who arrived after 1815). As far as we are aware, only Jan Lotter and Johannes combrink made lemoen lepels, probably between 1800 and 1815. Note - this spoon matches the pair S 1922 and single spoon S1923, but with slightly more wear to engraving.

A Natal Mercury sterling silver Medal, awarded in 1928 by N.A.R.A. The medal has a winged Mercury, the Roman messenger of the Gods, running across a bridge, surrounded by "Natal Mercury 1928". The reverse has a laurel wreath, and is engraved "N.A.R.A. won by" - with no name engraved. The Natal Mercury is South Africa's oldest newspaper, established in 1852, and still running today, it still uses Mercury as it's logo. We are not sure what NARA stands for, perhaps Natal Amateur Running Association? The mercury logo is also used by the Comrades Marathon, the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon race, 89 km's between Durban and PieterMaritzburg, established in 1921. All finishers received a silver medal until 1931, we are not sure if this medal was intended for the comrades. We have also seen a 9 carat gold version of this medal.

A cape silver tablespoon in the Fiddle pattern, made by Daniel Beets, but with previously unrecorded hallmarks, so a rare spoon. The spoon has no engraving, but the bowl is quite battered, so we can only describe the condition as fair, so this spoon is for hallmarking interest rather than use. The hallmarks include makers mark DB struck twice, interspersed with 3 bird hallmarks, in round punch, this bird punch has only previously been recorded as used by Lawrence Twentyman. As we said this is a rare combination of marks, not recorded in Cape Silver by Welz, where he shows Beets with star and circular devices, but not with the bird punch. Heller shows a Beets mark interspersed with pseudo kings head duty marks, also not shown in Welz, which shows Beets did also occasionally use pseudo punches. Daniel Beets worked between 1812 and 1828, he was the illegitimate son of German Balthus Beets and Cape slave Angana. His son, also Daniel Beets, also practised as a silversmith, but as he probably used his fathers punc...

An interesting Royal Cape Golf Club silver commemorative medallion, celebrating it's 100 year anniversary in 1985. The obverse depicts 2 golfers with trees in the background, this is a faithful reproduction of the oldest known photograph showing golf being played in South Africa, which is owned by the Royal Cape Golf Club (see https://www.royalcapegolf.co.za/about). The medallion reads "LT. GEN SIR HENRY D'O TORRENS, FOUNDER OF THE CAPE GOLF CLUB, 14 NOV 1885, FIRST MONTHLY MEDAL, WATERLOO GREEN". The reverse has the logo of the Royal Cape Golf Club, with "100 CENTENARY 1885-1985". The medallion is hallmarked "SILVER", and has the number 115 stamped on the side. The medallion is perfectly preserved in it's original box, which reads "McCallum and Stevens Cape Town". The medallion is good quality and is also a good weight. Henry Torrens (1823-1889) was a British Army officer and Colonial Governor, he served in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and was awarded the French Legion of Honour in the Crimean war. He served i...

A Cape silver tablespoon in the Fiddle pattern, with unascribed maker mark I.D. The spoon has original owners engraved initials, now worn, first letter probably A. The makers mark is very distinctive, I.D in serrated punch, between 2 five pointed stars. This mark is not described in any of the Cape silver textbooks. The reason for ascribing this maker to Cape is that 3 known examples have now appeared, and all were sourced in the Cape, hence the attribution. The first was posted in the WWW.925-1000 silver forum in 2012 by a Cape based South African dealer, where Dognose tentatively ascribed it to American silversmith Jabez Delano (1763-1848), see the post http://9251000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=31240. The photographs supplied have now been used on the ancestry website for Jabez Delano, in our view in error. A second tablespoon appeared on the website of South Africa's leading silver dealer, The Old Corkscrew, described as Cape but unascribed (we agree), item S373, www.theoldcorkscrew.co.za. This spoon is...

A Cape silver tablespoon in the Old English pattern, with rare Cape hallmarks not shown by Welz in his book "Cape Silver and Silversmiths". The spoon has been well used, and has a small split (see condition description). The spoon has original owners initials CW engraved on it, the C is larger than the W, so probably done by the owner himself (overall quite quaint). The hallmarks consist of makers mark IL co-joined in oval punch, in between 2 "birds foot" devices, these marks are well struck and clear. The IL makers mark is mark 71 Welz, but the birds foot device is not recorded (Lotter also used a floral hallmark which is recorded). However, the birds foot device used by Lotter is recorded by Morrison (Silversmiths and Goldsmiths of the Cape of Good Hope, 1936, page 57, where this makers mark is pictured). A variant of this mark is also recorded by Heller (History of Cape Silver, 1949, page 151, mark MM40, which shows an extra arm to the birds foot). We can only assume this is a rare mark that was not seen b...

A lovely pair of Cape silver teaspoons in the Fiddle pattern, in excellent condition and with very clear hallmarks. The spoons are clearly hand made, you can see very slight differences in the shape and size of the Fiddle and bowl shape when comparing closely. The spoons are good quality and a good weight. The spoons have no engraving with no initials removed, completely original. Both spoons are clearly hallmarked with 4 pseudo hallmarks, all struck individually in the same order - pseudo duty mark, bird, pseudo Edinburgh Castle town mark and pseudo date letter B. This is mark 134 in the book "Cape Silver and Silversmiths" by Stephan Welz, without makers mark - but clearly Twentyman as he was the only Cape silversmith who used these punches. 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. We really like these spoons. Note - we have a matching set of 6 , S 11196.

A rare early Cape Silver three pronged fork, in the Hanoverian pattern. The fork is a lovely shape, long and elegant, with long tines. The fork has makers mark DHS, with some wear but clearly visible, along with a bunch of grapes with vine leaves in a circular punch (mark 109 in Cape Silver by Welz). This fork also has a small Dutch ZII hallmark, for 835 purity, indicating the spoon was imported into the Netherlands at some stage. The fork also has a small owners cross hatch scratch mark next to the makers mark. Three pronged forks were common in the early 18th century, they were gradually replaced by 4 prongs after 1760, perhaps a little later in the colonies, but we believe this dates to the early part of Schmidt's career. 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...

A Cape silver konfyt fork in the Fiddle pattern, with 3 tines. The fork is quite colonial in character, the tines have slightly different thicknesses, overall a little crude but clearly hand made. The fork has makers mark DBD between 2 five pointed stars (Welz mark 44), this is clearly struck with slight wear along the top. Dominique Baudouin Du Moulin worked between 1818 and 1833, he arrived in the Cape from Brabant (now Belgium) and married the sister of Cape silversmith Johannes Hendricus Beyleveld (Cape Silversmiths by Welz, page 131.). His work is only found occasionally.