An interesting set of 6 sterling silver coffee (or demitasse) spoons, made in Durban, South Africa in 1963 by Norman Watson. The spoons have a distinctive design, a pointed terminal above a circular scroll, with 3 ribs along the stem, almost Art Deco in style. The spoons are dainty but elegant, around 9 grammes each but are lovely quality, perfect for an expresso cup, we really like using these spoons. All 6 spoons are clearly hallmarked with "MADE IN SOUTH AFRICA" (an unusual feature we have not seen before), along with 4 hallmarks, trademarked "Dick King on Horseback" for Norman Watson, STG for sterling, Lions head in U (South African Bureau of Standards purity mark for sterling silver, introduced in 1948), and date letter Gothic P for 1963. Norman Watson worked from 16 Fenton Road, Durban from the 1950's to 1970's, he was described as Engraver and Manufacturing Jeweller. The spoons are in their original box, with paper label of Dick King above Trademark and Sterling Silver, the box in working condition, bu...

A late 17th century Augsburg silver brandy bowl, with a beautiful embossed scene in high relief. The bowl is the traditional shape, a scalloped oval dish with 2 scroll handles, with the base and sides embossed in great detail. The base features a basket of fruit, flowers and nuts in abundance, under 2 flying doves holding a laurel wreath, below rays (we assume to signify God looking down on a bountiful harvest). The sides are embossed with scrolls, the sides are also gilded, with quite a bit or original gilding still present, the base has no gilding. The bowl is clearly hallmarked with the Augsburg town mark of a pyr (pinecone), not a pineapple as sometimes described. The bowl is also hallmarked with an indistinct makers mark, we think PL (all assistance welcome), and a well defined assay scrape (zigzag).

A Cape silver salt spoon in the Fiddle pattern, with no engraving or gilding. The spoon has clear hallmarks, makers mark LT and 4 pseudo hallmarks (duty mark, date letter d, castle town mark and bird), this is mark 132 in Cape Silver by Welz, but with the individual marks struck in a different order.

A beautiful and thought provoking pair of German silver sugar tongs, with the words "Zum Andenken" cast into the bow (translated "In Memory Of"). The tongs have 2 distinct parts, the top half has a strip with the words Zum Andenken between highly decorated flowers, surrounded by scrolling filigree work, the detail and amount of work is astounding, the bottom half have pressed acanthus leaves for the arms, with the tong bowls in the shape of hands holding 3 flower buds. The tongs are delicate but are in remarkably good condition, we assume the have been treasured and well looked after. The tongs have 2 hallmarks, a clear 13 for 13 Loth silver (813 grade), this was used before 1886. The second mark is small and distinct but we cannot identify it, possibly an animal head?, we assume it is either a city mark or makers mark. These tongs are probably "Memento Mori", and would have been presented at a funeral. This style of highly decorative German silver is typical of the Biedermeier period in central Europe (1815-...

An interesting Indian Colonial silver menu holder, awarded as a military trophy by the Viceroy of India. The trophy reads "Viceroy's Shield 1926". The holder is in the form of a shield, with a mounted soldier in the centre, surrounded by a highly ornate design of foliage, flowers, bamboo and scrolls. The shield has an attached clip at the back, to hold a menu or nametag at a dinner table, and it stands on a secure rectangular silver base with rounded front. It is engraved on the rear with the recipients details, "B" Right L/Cpl. A.H. Greatrex". The shield is hallmarked "JB&Co, Silver". the mark is legible but not clearly struck. We believe this to be the mark of J. Boseck & Company, which was established in Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1922, and still exists today. J. Boseck & Company are known as manufacturers and retailers of high end gold and silver products in India, in fact they supplied the watch presented to Sir Edmund Hilary after he successfully climbed Mt Everest in 1953. They started as an Anglo Indian fi...

A rare Tudor pattern Child's size spoon and fork, made by Chawner & Co, the leading flatware maker of Victorian England. They are not an exact set, the spoon was made in 1850 and is engraved with owners initials WM in flowing script, the fork was made in 1851 and is engraved with owners initials FB in Gothic capitals, but otherwise they match well and make a useful set, very suitable as a Christening present. The Tudor pattern is a Gothic Revival pattern, it has 2 small scroll circular projections on each side of the stem, this differentiates it from the "Straight Tudor" pattern. Both are clearly hallmarked, and both have a journeyman's mark - R on spoon and I on the fork. In addition, both also carries the British Registry design number and date chart diamond, which rarely occurs on silver flatware. The presence of the design mark indicates that Chawner registered the design to protect it being copied. Tudor is described by Pickford (Silver Flatware page 150) as "a rare Chawner & Co pattern registered Augus...

An early Georgian silver lemon (or orange) strainer, distinguished by a large bowl, a simple circular pierced design with 7 circles, and solid shaped handles. The strainer is engraved with a beautiful Scottish family crest on one handle, with motto "Audeo Quid Audeo" (translated I dare what I dare), above a rampant lion crest holding a shield (possibly with unicorn) and a bust of a man wearing head dress above a Ducal crown with strawberry leaves. The 7 circular piercings all have a pattern of 7 pierced holes in the centre, and in between on the sides of the bowl, overall simple but attractive and functional. The strainer is hallmarked with 4 hallmarks in the bowl, these are partially obscured by the piercing which was done after hallmarking. The date letter Q for 1731 is still clearly visible, the lion passant and crowned leopard head are still legible, the makers mark is partially struck, but the crown above rose in a shaped punch is clearly visible, above a partial L, so we can be confident this is the mar...

A lovely pair of Scottish silver Hanoverian pattern tablespoons, made in 1772 by Daniel Ker in Edinburgh. The spoons have a narrow rounded stem, with flattened end with noticeable rib and turn up end, and they have a double drop. Both spoons are engraved with a family crest of a cockerel under motto "Sine Metu", translated "Without Fear", this is the motto of the Jameson family (this motto is present on every bottle of Jameson's whiskey). Both spoons are bottom marked, and all 4 hallmarks on both spoons are clearly legible, which is not often the case with bottom marked spoons. The hallmarks include makers mark DK, Edinburgh castle, Scottish thistle and date letter Gothic S for 1772.

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 rare and interesting pair of Irish Georgian silver Bright Cut tablespoons, engraved "Wicklow Reg", for the 37th Wicklow Regiment, part of the Irish Militia. The spoons are Old English in shape, with the traditional "Dublin Star" engraved at the top above the oval cartouche with the regimental engraving, and traditional bright cut engraving. One spoon is in good condition with one small dent, the second has small pinhead dents to the bowl, overall quite pleasing for Regimental silver spoons which often are in poor condition. One spoon has excellent hallmarks, the second spoon has clear makers mark and date letter but worn Irish marks, still visible (spoon with good hallmarks has the dents to bowl). John Shiels (or Sheils) had a long career between 1762 and 1790, given these spoons are 1797is is possible a son took over his punches. 38 Regiments of Irish Militia were established in 1793 (one from each county) after the outbreak of war with France, to free regular soldiers up and to control the Irish rebellion...

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 British Bulldog Club sterling silver trophy table fork, which is in good condition. The fork features a well modelled bulldog head, above legend "THE BRITISH BULLDOG CLUB". The fork is based on a single struck Kings pattern, but was specially commissioned by the club who wanted to present a more useful trophy than a medal. The club was established in 1892, and still operates today (although I doubt they still have such beautiful silver trophies!). The hallmarks are clear, this fork was made in Birmingham in 1936 by Fattorini & Sons, who specialized in medals and trophies. Note: We have another example of this Bulldog Club fork, S 11402.

A rare Tudor pattern sugar spoon, made by Chawner & Co, the leading flatware maker of Victorian England. The sugar spoon is a pleasing quality, and is in excellent condition, it has no engraving. The Tudor pattern is a Gothic Revival pattern, it has 2 small scroll circular projections on each side of the stem, this differentiates it from the "Straight Tudor" pattern. The sugar spoon is clearly hallmarked, it also has a double dot journeyman's mark. In addition, it also carries the British Registry design number and date chart diamond, which rarely occurs on silver flatware. The presence of the design mark indicates that Chawner registered the design to protect it being copied. Tudor is described by Pickford (Silver Flatware page 150) as "a rare Chawner & Co pattern registered August 14th 1850, along with Straight Tudor, it appears in the Chawner Pattern book (page 218). Odd pieces may on rare occasions, be found, but building a service would be extremely difficult". The Tudor pattern is showcased in the V&A ...

A beautiful pair of Art Nouveau or Jugendstil 800 silver milk or cream jugs, decorated with applied poppies, these are very small jugs, they could almost be described as miniature. The milk jugs are baluster in shape, with a generous pouring lip, and double scroll handles, and flat bases. The interiors are gilded, we can imagine these being used with expresso coffee cups. Both jugs are clearly hallmarked with 4 hallmarks, the German Crown and Crescent mark used after 1888, makers mark LW intertwined in a shield for Lutz & Weiss, 800 standard mark and a lion passant also used by Lutz & Weiss. Lutz & Weiss Silberwarenfabriek was founded in 1882 in Pforzheim, they were an important German firm of silversmiths.

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...

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.

A set of 12 ribbed rat tail trefid teaspoons, reproductions of a 17th century style, these spoons have just reached the 100 year milestone so are now classified as antiques themselves. The spoons are in good condition, they do not appear to have seen much use. The spoons have no engraving. Reproductions of earlier styles was common in the early 20th century. All 12 spoons have clear hallmarks, including makers mark W.H.H for William Hair Haseler Ltd, who worked between 1882 and 1941. Haseler is remembered as the manufacturer for much of Liberty's Cymric silver and Tudric pewter, including pieces designed by Archibald Knox.

A Victorian miniature silver brandy saucepan in the traditional shape, with turned bone? handle. The saucepan has an engraved family crest of a an eagle with talons and wings outstretched, the engraving is very clear. the base is clearly hallmarked for London 1865, with makers mark RS for Richard Sibley II, (mark 2440 in Grimwade), his father Richard Sibley I also used this mark, Richard Sibley II worked between 1829 and 1873. The saucepan is also marked "Thomas Bond St." for FB Thomas & Co, a well known firm of retail silversmiths who operated from 153 Bond Street between 1807 and 1943 (the shop was severely damaged in an air-raid in 1941). Francis Boone Thomas joined the family business in 1851, he died in 1900. Richard Sibley II supplied many items of silver to FB Thomas between 1847 and 1873, in fact they shared premises, so must have had a close informal partnership.

A lovely Irish Georgian silver tablespoon in the Old English pattern, with an engraved family crest for the Newton family of Dunleckney, County Carlow, featuring a Ducal coronet. The spoon has a pleasing quality, and is in excellent condition, the engraving is also crisp and clear. The crest features a boars head above Ducal coronet (with strawberry leaves), with 2 ostrich feathers above the coronet. The spoon is also engraved with owners initials N/GG on the drop. The hallmarks are clear, the makers mark JB has slight wear to the J. John Bayly worked between 1787 and 1804 (Bennett mark 204). This spoon would have been made for Colonel Philip Newton (1770-1833) and his wife Sarah when they inherited the Dunleckney estate in 1802. Note - We have a matching pair S11388.

A rare pair of Georgian silver Coburg pattern sugar tongs, made in 1825 by Randall Chatterton. The tongs have the Coburg pattern on both arms, the bow has never been engraved. The tongs have the usual oyster heel (oyster shell on the bowls). The quality and weight is very pleasing, at 68 grammes they are heavier than most sugar tongs, and the condition is excellent. The hallmarks are clear, including makers mark RC (Grimwade 2290), this mark is often confused with Richard Crossley, who worked until 1812. The Coburg pattern was "designed for Rundell, Bridge & Rundell in 1810, this rare pattern was made by Paul Storr and is perhaps the pattern for which he is best known" - Ian Pickford, Silver Flatware, page 134. The Coburg pattern was also depicted in the Chawner & Co. pattern book of 1875 (Silver Flatware page 220). Randall Chatterton was a spoon maker, he was freed in 1809 and worked until 1845. He is not recorded as a known maker of Georgian silver sugar tongs by Graham Hodges in his book "Georgian Silver S...