A very rare Arts & Crafts hand hammered silver sugar bowl, with twin handles, resting on a circular reeded foot. The bowl is by Philip Frederick Alexander, who has been described as "one of the greatest Arts & Crafts silversmiths" (www.antiquesilvercompany.com). The bowl has beautiful spot hammering throughout, leaving a planished appearance, with solid D shaped handles, it is also a pleasing weight. Alexander worked between 1900 and 1920, from Church Row, Hampstead, London. He also lived in Walberswick, Suffolk, both prior and after World War 1. He would have known Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who spent a year in Walberswick during the war. He had a Master of Arts degree from Oxford (unusual for a silversmith), he was also an author of geographical discovery books, including "The Discovery of America and The North West and North East Passages", still available on Amazon (www.styles-silver.co.uk, who also have a few pieces of his work, all unfortunately sold). The hallmarks are excellent, including makers mark...

A set of Cape silver tableforks in the Fiddle pattern, by the well known Cape silversmith Johannes Combrink. The forks are engraved with the initials "FtW", which is attractively engraved. The forks are good quality and a pleasing weight, they are suitable for use. The hallmarks on all 6 forks are clear. Four forks have makers mark IC only (Welz mark 31 in Cape Silver), two have makers mark IC between 2 ladder devices (Welz mark 33). Johannes Combrink was born in the Cape in 1781, he married Aurelia Lotter in 1807 and died in 1853. He worked from Dorp Street.

A set of 6 Gorham sterling silver dessert sized forks in the Strasbourg pattern, first launched in 1897. The forks are fabulous quality, as you would expect from Gorham, and are in excellent condition and without any monograms or engraving. The forks have 4 tines, these would be described as salad forks in the USA. The beautiful and graceful Strasbourg pattern is inspired by French rococo style, with a series of different sized scrolls, with shells on the finials and heels. Strasbourg, designed by William Codman who was Gorham's chief designer from 1891-1914, is described by Gorham as "one of the best loved of all Gorham designs", and according to Pinterest it was used on Air Force One, (U.S. Presidents aeroplane). All 6 forks are clearly hallmarked with the Gorham lion, anchor and gothic G, alongside STERLING and PAT. 1897. They also have an additional T hallmark, we believe this was used briefly by Gorham at the turn of the century, to denote a specific weight (T for Trade, H for Heavy). Gorham Corporatio...

A rare Cape silver Basting (or Serving) spoon in the Old English pattern, this is a good quality spoon suited for use as a serving spoon. The spoon has a colonial feel, it has an unusual rectangular shaped drop, so was probably made before 1820 when English silversmiths arrived in the Cape and influenced styles. The spoon is quite plain, no crests or initials, but it is engraved "IV" on the back of the stem. This engraving is original and quite crude (typically colonial), perhaps done by the owner himself, possibly indicating it was once part of a set. The hallmarks are excellent, makers mark IC between 2 devices (flowers?), mark 27 in "Cape Silver" by Welz. Johan Combrink was a prolific and well regarded Cape silversmith, he worked between 1814 and 1853, and was based in Dorp street.

A set of 6 Georgian silver dessert forks in the Old English pattern, made by the delightfully named Samuel Godbehere, with his partner Edward Wigan. The forks are good quality and a pleasing weight. The forks have a beautifully engraved family crest of a sun in splendour, very intricate with about 50 sunbursts, this is quality engraving. The sun in splendour crest was used by a number of families, all assistance welcome. All 6 forks have clear hallmarks, including makers mark SG/EW which was used between 1787 and 1800.

A Cape silver Basting spoon in the Fiddle pattern, with original owners engraved initials LIA in script. The spoon is a pleasing weight, and is in excellent condition, this spoon has not seen much use at all. The tip of the bowl has a strong lip, this is more a Continental than English feature, and the long rounded drop is also more Continental in style than English. The hallmarks are excellent, makers mark JT and 3 English pseudo hallmarks, duty mark, date letter a and leopards head town mark (Welz mark 121, Cape Silver). John Townsend (1800-1875) was an interesting character, descibed by Heller as one of the top 5 Cape silversmiths. He arrived in the Cape in 1821 on the ship Duke of Marlboro, and was involved in a number of businesses, including a hotel and auctioneering business, in addition to being goldsmith, silversmith, jeweller and watchmaker. He was embroiled in a number of court cases, mostly due to bad debt, in 1849 he stated "insufficient means to support his 10 children". He moved to Okiep in Nam...

A Silver Troyan 20 Ounce 999 Fine Silver Medallion, commemorating three hundred years of mining in South Africa (1683-1983). This is a huge medallion, it makes a fabulous paperweight. The front has 2 prospectors with pick and hammer, and reads "Silver Troyan 20 troy ounces 999 fine silver, 1683-1983, commemorating three hundred years of mining in South Africa". The back has the logo of the Asset Exchange, and reads "The gold and hard asset exchange, Johannesburg South Africa". The rim is hallmarked, crowned C, date letter I and No 03334, these are clearly struck. This medallion was the second in a series of 2, in 1982 the Exchange also issued a 20 Ounce 999 silver medallion commemorating 100 years of electricity in South Africa (note this first medallion was not called a troyan). We believe this troyan was part of a limited edition of 10000, we are not sure if the full edition was produced. We are interested in more information about the gold and hard asset exchange, and the origin of the troyan, all assistan...

Impressive set of good quality Russian flatware, with an applied crest of what appears to be a basket of flowers over a shield, bearing the initials ES. They are of very good gauge, the individual spoons and forks weigh 80 grams each, the knives 130 grams each. The set was made in two different batches 2 years apart, the first 6 (2 of each) was made by Cyprian Labecki in 1883, the second 6 by C.H. Stern in 1885. All were assayed in Warsaw, Poland (which was part of Russia between 1850 and 1915) by O.C. (Josef Sosnkowski), who was the assaymaster in Warsaw between 1860 and 1896. The hallmarks are all clear, the 6 by Labecki have an additional hallmark of a bulls head, the 6 by Stern have a device that looks like a rams head. The knives are silver handled with steel blades (blades by Gerlach and S. Bienkowski). The hallmarks on the spoons and forks are very clear, those on the knife handles are present but worn (still discernable).

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 antique silver cigarette case, presented to a South African World War I soldier who won the Military Medal for bravery displayed at Menin Road. The inscription reads "Pte. J.J. Cronje, M.M. 4 SAI, From the Ladies of the Riversdale Red + Soc:, In Appreciation of Bravery Displayed at Menin Road, June 10th 1919". Private Cronje was part of the 4th South African Infantry Regiment, part of the larger South African Brigade, best remembered for their role in the Battle of Delville Wood in 1916, but with battle honours for Egypt, Somme, Delville Wood, Arras, Ypres, Menin Road, Cambrai, Mons and Flanders. The 4th SAI was known as the "South African Scottish", as it was raised from the Cape Town Highlanders and Transvaal Scottish Regiments, with additional recruits from Caledonian societies. Riversdale is a small farming town in the Western Cape province, en route between Cape Town and the Garden Route. We assume for the inscription it was Cronje's home town, and that the ladies of the local Red Cross Society arrange...

A fabulous set of 6 arts and crafts sterling silver teaspoons, made specially for leading Boston retailer Shreve, Crump & Low by Whiting of New York. The spoons are beautiful, the stems are hand hammered (planished) on both the back and front, and have an applied cast silver floral arrangement with flowers, leaves and berries. The bowls are gilded, these are high quality spoons and would have been expensive when new. All 6 spoons are clearly hallmarked, both with the Whiting lion holding W trademark, and retailers mark "SHREVE. CRUMP & LOW". All 6 spoons are also hallmarked "STERLING". We have not been able to identify this pattern, it does not appear in the Whiting pattern index, so we believe it was specially commissiuoned by Shreve, Crump & Low as an item exclusively available in their store in Boston. Shreve, Crump & Low is the oldest purveyor of luxury goods in USA, having been founded in 1796, it adopted this name in 1869. They still exist today, and describe themselves as "The gem of Boston and America...

An Art Deco silver and bakelite Globe teapot, made in Germany during the 1930's. The teapot is completely spherical, the spout has a triangular opening in the top for opening. The base is a circular bakelite disk, with silver nut which screws onto teapot, the bakelite handle is ear shaped and the bakelite finial is half moon shaped. The teapot is quite small, single serving size. The teapot has 2 hallmarks, 800 purity mark and makers mark of what looks like interlocking SHF in circle (but could be different sequence?).

A lovely set of 5 18th century Dutch silver Hanoverian pattern 3 pronged forks, with a matching 6th fork made slightly later by another maker, we assume to replace a loss shortly after they were made. The forks are quite plain and elegant, with turn down ends, and a prominent drop and pip, the "Amsterdam Lofje", characteristic of spoons and forks from Amsterdam. The forks have no engraving or monograms. All the forks have makers mark HK in script for Hendrik Kamerlingh II, who worked between 1730 and 1776, and Amsterdam town mark (crown above 3 crosses). The 6th fork has makers mark HO for Hendrik Overhulsman, who worked between 1790 and 1811, also with Amsterdam town mark. All 6 makers and town marks are slightly squashed, this is usual on 18th century bottom marked flatware as the spoon maker would have re-hammered the stems after return from the assay office, as the stem would bulge when the marks were struck. All 6 forks have an additional hallmark, V in shield under a crown, this is a Dutch tax mark used...

A magnificent pair of Pierced Vine (also called Chased & Pierced Vine) pattern gilded dessert spoons, these are spectacular spoons. The pattern has interwoven vines, grapes and leaves, and a vacant cartouche on the back for initials or a family crest. The spoons are hand forged, a good weight and superb quality, as you would expect from Vander. The pattern was first produced by Francis Higgins for the Great Exhibition of 1851, and was intended for dessert. The pattern is described as "one of the most extraordinary silver flatware patterns in the world" by MP Levene, London silver dealers who still produce this pattern today. The hallmarks are clear on both spoons.

A fabulous pair of Cape silver Old English pattern tablespoons, of the very best quality and condition, by one of the top Cape silversmiths. The spoons have strong tips, more Continental than English in style, and an elongated oval drop. The hallmarks are very clear on both, makers mark .JCL in rectangular punch between 2 seven petalled floral devices (a combination of marks 76 and 78 in the book Cape Silver by Welz, page 150). the .JCL mark is for Johannes Casparus Lotter I, who worked between 1766 and circa 1810, he was succeeded by his son (also Johannes Casparus Lotter II, 1811-1823) who used a JCL* mark, accompanied with the 7 petal floral devices. This combination of punches by different silversmiths is not unusual in the Cape, where punches were handed down and re-used. Johannes Casparus Lotter I produced excellent quality work (better than his son, according to David Heller, History of Cape Silver). The Lotter family produced over 12 Cape silversmiths between 1766 and 1879, their family tree is shown ...

A mixed and interesting set of 6 Cape silver Old English pattern teaspoons, all made by members of the Lotter family of Cape silversmiths. It consists of 3 matched spoons by Gerhardus Lotter, 2 spoons by his cousin Carel David Lotter, and 1 spoon by his brother Willem Godfried Lotter. The 3 spoons by Gerhardus are marked by makers mark GL (Welz mark 68), one spoon by Carel has makers mark CDL (Welz mark 63), the other Carel spoon has CDL between 2 stars (Welz mark 64). The Willem spoon has WGL between 2 L shaped devices (Welz mark 94), all marks are clear. One Carel spoon has original engraved initials DJLR, the other 5 have no engraving. The spoons have very slight differences in style and length, but they are close enough to be used as a set.

A rare pair of Cape silver tablespoons in the Old English thread pattern, we have only noted 2 examples of Cape silver in this pattern in the body of literature. The spoons are the usual Old English shape, but with a double thread around the edge, this is double struck (occurs on the front and back of the spoons). Both spoons are engraved with original owners initials IM in script. Both spoons are hallmarked with makers mark IC, the marks are slightly blurred, we assume the punch was worn when they were struck. The spoons are also hallmarked with the "Cape Stub", 4 pseudo - English hallmarks (lion passant, date letter, duty mark and leopard's head) struck mechanically in a fly press (see article on Cape Stub in "The Finial, 2007, and in the articles tab above), these marks have some wear but are still clearly visible. We believe these spoons were made by hand, you can see differences in how the thread has been applied, and the 2 spoons, whilst the same size, have very different weights (one is 74 grams, the s...

A rare pointed terminal cape silver konfyt fork (preserve fork), that matches the celebrated Cape silver lemoen lepels (orange spoons). The fork has 4 tines, pointed terminal, and traditional Cape bright cut prick engraving, two wavy lines around the edge of the handle. The spoon is clearly hallmarked with makers mark IL (Welz mark 71 in Cape Silver), and also has original owners stamped mark HB. This fork matches S11467, the matched set of konfyt fork and lemoen lepel. Jan Lotter, who was regarded by Heller in his book "History of Cape Silver" 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, and know we know he made matching forks. He worked from 22 Keerom Street, Cape Town.

A collection of 3 18th century miniature toy or snuff spoons, all 3 with rattails dating circa 1720. The first is by David Clayton, this spoon is 5.9 cm long and weighs 1 gramme, makers mark only (gothic script DC, Grimwade 452). This spoon is dainty with long elegant handle, and has character, it is well used, scratches, kinks to handle and bowl, but no repairs. The second is possibly William Scarlett, with clear lion passant and partial marks mark ? /S, this spoon is 8.2 cm, weighs 4 grammes, slight kinks to bowl but otherwise good condition. The third spoon has no hallmarks, it has an old repair halfway down the handle, with inserted silver bar joining the 2 halves, this spoon is 8.8 cm and weighs 4 grammes. Even without hallmarks and with an old repair, we really like this spoon. David Clayton is perhaps the most famous English silversmith who specialized in miniatures, and to quote from Wikimedia - "David Clayton was a renowned English silversmith from London active from around 1697. His work is exhibite...

A collection of 3 18th century Miniature snuff or toy spoons in the Hanoverian pattern, possibly all by the same maker Christian Hillan. The first spoon is hallmarked with makers mark CH under a star, we believe this to be the mark of Christian Hillan, Grimwade mark 326, this mark is well struck but slightly squashed by the small size of the handle. The spoon has a long drop which we date to circa 1740, the spoon is 7.7 cm long and weighs 5 grammes, the quality and condition of this spoon is excellent, we really like this spoon. The next 2 spoons are a pair, both are engraved on the back with script owners initials IJ, these spoons are possibly slightly later in date as they have no drop. They are 7.5 cm in length, and weigh 5 grammes combined. Both are in good condition, with very slight kink in the bowls. Both are hallmarked twice with the same makers mark, this is only partially visible, script letters, possibly CH for Christian Hillan (Grimwade 333), but it could also be John Hugh Le Sage (Grimwade 1681) ...