Silver & Silver-plated items

Barkentin and Krall chalice

Barkentin and Krall chalice - £27,500 at JS Auctions.

When it comes to antique silverware, the size and weight of objects does not always determine value. Grand works by the likes of London-based Huguenot Paul de Lamerie or the Germain family in Paris have acquired huge status and value, while small objects such as nutmeg graters, early spoons or vesta cases can command high sums as they have a strong specialist collecting base.

The system of silver hallmarks serves as a quality control, giving an official stamp from showing the metal is of requisite purity, but the marks (or punches) also reveal the year, the place of origin and the identity of the maker, providing pieces of silverware with their own stamped passport of information.


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Thieves steal precious baroque treasures from German museum

25 November 2019

Dresden’s Royal Palace has been targeted by thieves who cut the electricity supply to enter exhibition rooms at its museum containing thousands of valuable antiques.

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Philip Rundell silver dishes among sales at the west London winter staging of Olympia antiques fair

25 November 2019

A pair of George III covered serving dishes made in London 1819 by Philip Rundell sold from the stand of Mary Cooke Antiques during the latest edition of the Winter Art & Antiques Fair in Olympia.

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Cartier cigarette case and presentation trowels give echoes of the First World War at Cirencester auction

25 November 2019

Differing echoes of the First World War attracted bidders at Dominic Winter’s (20% buyer’s premium) Cirencester auction in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday.

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George III trophy heads to South Africa

25 November 2019

An impressive piece of neoclassical silver gilt with an impressive provenance, this George III trophy was consigned to Gerrards (18% buyer’s premium) by a vendor whose great-grandmother had apparently been given it ‘by royalty’.

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A price not to be sneezed at

18 November 2019

In the first decades of the 19th century, watchmakers in many parts of Europe made a living by producing highly ornate watches and gold boxes, many of them for Chinese buyers.

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Unsentimental decision to split Queen Anne silver tazza and tankard after 300 years together

18 November 2019

Although the catalogue noted the rarity of a Queen Anne silver tazza and tankard having been together for more than 300 years, they were offered separately at Lawrences (25% buyer’s premium) of Crewkerne.

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Little silver collection coming to auction includes big rarities

11 November 2019

The Little collection of early English silver is coming to Christie’s London on December 3. The auction comprises 26 domestic vessels from the Tudor and early Stuart periods that survived the tumult of the Civil War period. Some pieces are considered the last of their type in private hands.

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Irish silver is the Maine attraction

28 October 2019

This Irish silver two-handled footed cup will be included in the three-day, multi-discipline sale taking place at Thomaston Place Auction galleries from November 8-10 at Thomaston, Maine.

Moshe Oved lion ring

Moshe Oved silver ring, rare British petrol pump globe and William Gladstone’s grandfather clock – six auction highlights that caught bidders’ eyes in the last week

25 October 2019

ATG’s selection of hammer highlights this week includes a silver ring by Moshe Oved that made 70-times estimate, a rare British petrol pump globe that doubled predictions and a longcase clock believed to have been owned by former British Prime Minister William Gladstone that chimed with bidders.

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The web shop window: silver vinaigrette

21 October 2019

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

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Silver linings: Qing and later Chinese silver gets moment in spotlight

21 October 2019

Dismissed a generation ago as decorative export wares, Qing and later silver is today the focus of lively academic and commercial attention.

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Pick of the week: Dürer medal to honour emperor

14 October 2019

Albrecht Dürer’s medal dedicated to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, is among the most important medals of the Northern Renaissance. As only four are known to commerce, the appearance of one for sale is significant.

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Strong private buying helps to fuel high hammer total and selling rate in Nottingham

14 October 2019

Nottingham auction house Mellors & Kirk (20% buyer’s premium) added to the cautiously feel-good mood created by some highly successful autumn sales in the provinces when strong private buying brought impressive results across the board.

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On the scent of silver at Marlborough College Fair

14 October 2019

A hardstone inlaid scent bottle, c.1905, by Joseph Cook & Son of Birmingham, is among the wide selection of silver available at the next Marlborough College Antiques & Fine Art Fair.

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Marks makes vendor happy on a modest estimate

07 October 2019

The catalogue description correctly read ‘Art Nouveau silver powder bowl by Gilbert Marks, hallmark London 1900, weight approx 8.79oz, 273.4gms, decorated with stylised thistles repousse’.

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Buyers vote for political mementos

30 September 2019

Turbulent as politics are today, they have yet to reach the rumbustious heights of a notorious 1826 by-election in Northumberland, memories of which were revisited at Newcastle auction house Anderson & Garland (20% buyer’s premium).

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New guidance for jewellery dealers after hallmark launched for jewellery stamped outside UK by Birmingham Assay Office

26 September 2019

The British Hallmarking Council has issued new guidance for jewellery dealers on articles hallmarked outside the UK by the Birmingham Assay Office.

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Artisan stories: Four cases of contemporary art and craft supported by the antiques trade

24 September 2019

Auction houses Bonhams and Sworders, dealer association BADA, and the Goldsmith Company have all supported craftspeople and artists in new initiatives this autumn.

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The Bauhaus influence on show at Heidelberg sale

23 September 2019

Even though the Bauhaus design school was forcibly closed in 1933, its influence continues to this day.

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Top Marks for the start of LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair with early sales

16 September 2019

A set of 12 silver plates by Gilbert Marks, offered by The Peartree Collection, were among the stand-out sales from the opening hours of the LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair.

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