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Origin: France, ca. 1840. Condition: excellent; 2 pinpoints to the bowl and a slight ding along the edge opposite the handle. Dimensions: 3-1/4 x 4-1/4 x 7/8 inches. Weight: 95.0 grams.
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Origin: France, ca. 1850. Condition: excellent, sharp detail to the tastevin, typical wear to the coin. Dimensions: 3-5/16" x 4-5/16" x 1". Weight: 95.4 grams.
$2,450.00
Napoleon, never particularly known as a shrinking violet, enjoyed commissioning medals from the Paris Mint to celebrate his victories and various life landmarks. The front of the medal (showing from the top of the tastevin) depicts the river god of the Danube being forced by the Emperor to carry a wooden pontoon bridge laden with French cannons over the river towards the Imperial Austrian capital, Vienna. The Latin inscription translates as, “Danubius, indignant at the breach/Battle of Essling/May 22, 1809.” The reverse (showing from the bottom of the tastevin) depicts the French army marching across the bridge at Wagram, urged on by the goddess of Victory carrying a laurel wreath and pointing the way. The inscription translates as, “Again crossing at the same place/July 5, 1809.” The Battle of Essling was the first defeat of the French army under Napoleon’s direct control, but that fact is obscured by combining it with the Battle of Wagram, just forty-four days later. This latter battle was one of the emperor’s greatest victories and was the largest battle in European history up to that time. The medal was created at the Paris Mint by the medalist Nicolas-Guy-Antoine-Brenet under the supervision of Baron Dominique Vivant Denon, who was Napoleon’s artistic director and to whom the emperor entrusted the Louvre after turning it into a museum. A single copy of the medal was struck in gold for Napoleon’s personal collection. Silver medals were given as gifts to the emperor’s friends and diplomats and bronze versions were available to those of lower rank.
- Origin: France, 1899-1903
- Condition: excellent, sharp detail
- Dimensions: 3-1/2” x 4-5/8” x 1-1/4”
- Weight: 201.4 grams
$150.00
Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: very good; a bit of discoloration on the blade and very light wear on the handle. Size: 12-1/2" long.
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Accomplished French silversmiths prided themselves on the ability to raise an entire tastevin from a single 5-franc coin, using only hammers and a few other hand tools to thin, spread and shape the flat coin into a finished tastevin. Only a handful of masters were capable of raising the tastevin with the words “DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE” (“God protect France”), originally found around the outer edge of the coin, still visible along the top edge of the tastevin. The last silversmith proven to have mastered this skill stopped working in 1968.
This tastevin is stamped with French silver hallmarks and has the master silversmith’s mark for Alexandre Vauger, who worked in Paris 1884-1887.
Origin: France, 1884-87. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 48 x 66 mm (1-7/8 x 2-5/8 in). Weight: 30.5 grams.
$195.00
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- Origin: France, 1819-1838
- Condition: very good, a few small flat areas from 200 years of use
- Dimensions: 3-5/8” x 4-3/4” x 1-5/16”
- Weight: 121.2 grams.
$195.00
$225.00
Origin: England, 1837. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, no monogram. Size: 6” long. Weight: 59.0 grams.
$125.00
Origin: Baltimore, ca. 1800. Condition: a few small to moderate dings in the bowl. Size: 5-5/8". Weight: 11.25 grams.
$1295.00
Origin: England, ca. 1810. Condition: excellent, no dings or cracking. Size: 6-1/4” diameter; 1-3/4” high.
$225.00
Origin: England, 1834-35. Condition: nearly mint, no monogram, sharp detail. Size: 6-1/8” long. Weight: 69.5 grams.
$250.00
Origin: America, probably New England, circa 1815. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: 6-5/16” long. Weight: 51.5 grams.
$450.00
$295.00
Origin: German States, ca. 1775. Condition: excellent, all original, very little wear. Size: 4-1/2" long. Weight: 55.0 grams.
$125.00
The tongs are marked with the lion passant and the script hallmark "GS" for George Smith, entered in London in 1782. Since the tongs bear no other marks, they were probably made to order and the duty was never paid.
No monogram and in excellent condition. 5-5/8" long.
$2,150.00
Origin: Scotland, 1795. Condition: excellent, very sharp detail, no dings, no monograms, all original. Size: 8-3/4” x 7-1/4” x 6-3/4” tall to top of handle. Weight: 398.0 grams.
$750.00
- Origin: France, 1789
- Condition: excellent
- Dimensions: 3-1/16” x 3-7/8”
- Weight: 72.9 grams