Catalog: Antiques: Decorative Art: Metals: Silver: Sterling (177)

A lovely set of six sterling silver demitasse spoons in the "Floral" pattern by Tiffany & Co. This lovely Victorian spoons feature a different old-fashioned flower on each handle. The tip of each handle is the flower blossom, while the neck is fashioned as the plant stem and foliage. The flowers represented are marigold, clover, daisy, iris, violet, and wild rose. The unusual elongated bowls are similar to those on egg spoons, and retain their original matte gilding. The backs are marked "Tiffany & Co. Stg."

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: 4-1/16" long. Weight: 52.4 gr.

Beautiful set of six sterling silver seafood forks in terrific Art Nouveau pattern by Joseph Seymour. Each piece is covered from the tip of the handle to the very beginnings of the tines with curves and stylized chrysanthemum-like blossoms in the Japonaise style. The tines are nicely curved and barbed. The backs are hallmarked by Seymour.

Origin: America, ca. 1885. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, no monograms. Size: 6-1/8” long. Weight: 87.5 grams.

Six lovely Victorian sterling silver cocktail forks decorated in a pattern of roses and foliage. The backs are also decorated and are hallmarked with a 4-leaf clover, but I cannot identify the maker. They are also marked "Sterling Pat. '92[1892]". Very nice quality.

Origin: America, circa 1892. Condition: excellent; period monogram "CLM". Size: 5-5/8" long.

Six very nice sterling silver cocktail or seafood forks elegantly decorated on both the front and back sides. The backs are marked "Sterling Pat. Jan. 21 [18]'99". Unknown American maker.

Origin: American, circa 1899. Condition: excellent; no monograms. Size: 5-1/8" long.

An uncommon set of six nut picks, the mother of pearl handles attached to the silverplate picks with sterling silver ferules. The ferules are decorated with ropetwist borders flanking an ornate acanthus leaf pattern. In the Victorian era, fresh nuts would have been served alongside and cheese and fruit as a dessert course. The ferules are marked "Sterling".

Most sterling silver flatware services before 1900 had mother of pearl cutlery instead of knives that matched the rest of the service. Mother of pearl pieces such as a nut picks are considerable less common than knives.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, no plating loss. Size: 5-1/4".

A set of eight sterling silver fruit spoons in Gorham’s elegant 1910 “Buckingham” pattern. The handle is bordered by a series of intertwined scrolls before terminating in an acanthus leaf motif. The backs of the handles have decoration mirroring the fronts. The pattern is extremely similar to “Chantilly” and could easily be used with a Chantilly service. The backs are marked with Gorham’s early 20th century hallmarks.

Origin: America, ca. 1910. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, no monograms. Size: 5-25/32” long. Weight: 251.0 grams.

Eight sterling silver dessert or salad forks in Manchester's lovely 1910 "Southern Rose" pattern. The repousse decoration is similar to Kirk's "Repousse" and Stieff's "Rose".

Origin: America, circa 1910. Condition: excellent, no monograms. Size: 5-7/8" long.

An elegant and rare set of nine sterling silver demitasse spoons in Whiting’s highly desirable 1898 “Pompadour” pattern. The bowls have lemony traces of the original matte gilding. The handles are ornately decorated and have never been monogrammed. The backs are marked with Whiting’s hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent very sharp detail, fading of original gilding on bowls. Size: 3-7/8” long. Weight: 73.5 grams.

Sterling silver sugar spoon with very fine decoration of a peacock amidst trailing foliage. The bowl is parcel gilt and is decorated with bright-cut engraving. The reverse is marked "Sterling". Before 1916, many American silversmiths did not mark their name on flatware.

Origin: America, circa 1885. Condition: excellent, period monogram "B" on reverse side. Size: 5-5/8" long.

Outstanding sterling silver pastry serving fork in Alvin's rare Art Nouveau "Majestic" pattern. Created in 1900, this pattern was a multi-motif design--each piece was decorated with a slightly different floral pattern. This piece features beautifully detailed daffodils and sinuous foliage. Excellent condition with sharp details and no monogram. 7-1/4" long.

Lovely sterling silver bowl by Gorham. The bowl is basically formed in the traditional Revere style, but has a folded over rim enhanced with an Art Nouveau border of waterlilies and lilypads. With Gorham's usual attention to detail, the waterlilies are presented in several stages of development from early bud to full bloom. The bottom is marked with Gorham's hallmark along with date mark for 1898.

Condition: very good; the decorative detail is very crisp; the interior of the bowl shows light scratching from normal use; there is one pinpoint ding on the bottom of the bowl; retains lemony-tinted gilding in and near the decorative areas; no monograms or removals. Size: 6.5" diam.; 2.25" high. Weight: 8.8 troy ounces.

Exceedingly rare custom-made sterling silver golf trophy by Shreve & Company, California's premier 19th century silversmiths. The trophy, in the form of wine ewer or pitcher and displaying the sinuous curves of the Art Nouveau style, is fainly reminiscent of some of Gorham's Martélé pieces. The body is decorated with a superb applied design cast in the form of a laurel wreath woven with golf clubs. The quality is breathtaking. Notice that one club is a putter, and the other is an wood. The body is raised on an assymetrically lobed foot decorated with applied thistle blossoms and foliage--reminding the viewer of golf's Scottish heritage. The ewer is finished with an exagerated curving handle. The trophy was never engraved. The bottom is marked "Shreve & Co./San Francisco/Sterling". This is a simply phenomenal piece of earlier California silver and a phenomenal piece of silver trophy art.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, a 1/2" flat ding on one side (could be professionally removed). Size: 12-3/4" tall. Weight: 941.0 grams.

A lovely sterling silver fancy serving fork in an unnamed Art Nouveau pattern by the Baird-North Co. The handle is beautifully decorated with a thorny vine of wild roses. The back is decorated in a simpler design of roses. The splayed tines are ornately pierced. A fork of this shape would probably have been used to serve bacon, but it might also be useful for cold meats. The reverse is marked “Sterling/Pat. 1903”. There is no maker’s mark (maker’s marks were not legally required until 1906), but we’ve had pieces in this pattern that have bear Baird-North’s hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1903-1906. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, no monograms. Size: 8” long. Weight: 35.5 grams.

Sterling silver cream or sauce ladle with an Art Nouveau design of lilies. This form was used to ladle cream or other sauces for the desert course. They could also be used for main course sauces that did not require a full-sized gravy ladle. The reverse is marked "Sterling Pat. 1902". Before 1916, many American silversmiths did not mark their name on flatware. Unknown maker.

Origin: America, circa 1902. Condition: excellent, no monogram. Size: 4-3/4" long.

Elegant sterling silver meat fork featuring an Art Nouveau design of lilies. The back is marked for Baker-Manchester Manufacturing Co. (Providence, RI). The company was in business for only about fifteen years, and was well known for its ornate serving pieces.

Origin: America, circa 1900. Condition: excellent; no monogram; the faintest hint of lemony matte gilding remains on the tines. Size: 7" (more uncommon than the larger size).

A superb Victorian Art Nouveau baby rattle, the handle carved from a large piece of mother-of-pearl and adorned on either side with a gorgeous Art Nouveau lady's head worked in sterling silver and finished with three silver bells. Although unsigned, the particulars of the design are very similar to a known Unger design. Marked "Sterling".

Origin: America, ca. 1895. Condition: excellent except for the bells which show considerable wear from a toothing child. Size: 4-1/2" long.

An elegant sterling silver pierced olive spoon with an ornately pierced gilt bowl and and the handle decorated with wild roses enclosed in a curving border. The back is marked “Sterling Pat. 1903”.

Origin: America, ca. 1903. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, original gilding intact, no monogram. Dimensions: 6-3/8” long. Weight: 13.4 grams.

An elegant sterling silver olive serving spoon in an unnamed floral pattern by Baker Manchester Silver Co. This maker was especially known for their elegant silver serving pieces instead of full flatware services. The Art Nouveau style is evidenced by the trio of fully-opened roses that decorated the tip and center of the curving handle. The design is repeated in the scalloped and pierced bowl, and is shown in reverse on the back side of the spoon. The bowl retains its original matte gilding. The back is hallmarked by Baker Manchester.

Origin: America, ca. 1905. Condition: excellent, sharp details, original gilding, no monogram. Size: 6-1/2" long. Weight: 14.5 grams.