Novelties - niederkornsilver

Styled to look like a fashionable man’s top hat, this was most likely a cigarette urn or a toothpick holder. It stands about 2 9/16” high and is about 3 9/16” wide. The brim of the top hat has a rolled edge and stacked machined lines give the illusion of a hat band. The interior of the hat is gold plated. The top of the hat is stamped “STERLING”, a crown and a lion on either side of a “W” in a chevron reserve, and “E 14”.

An aide-memoire is a notebook for jotting down notes to one’s self to aid the memory. Shaped like a leaf, this aide-memoire has two silver covers that protect four celluloid note pages. It is probably from the late 1800s and was probably intended to hang a chatelaine, which were fashionable at the time. The front cover has raised naturalistic birds among blossoms. The back cover was dedicated to “Lilian” in engraved script that bursts with scrolling lines that sprout leaves and blossoms ― a beautiful example of the engravers art. The celluloid note pages have a faint grain pattern to imitate the look of ivory. The cover and the note pages pivot on a pin at the top of the aide-memoire that also holds in place the bail for attaching to a chain. The aide-memoire is about 1 ¾” high by 1 ½” inches wide. The back cover is stamped “STERLING . The aide-memoire is in excellent antique condition.

Around the turn of the 19th century, Gorham Manufacturing Company, of Providence, Rhode Island, made this style heart dish in at least six different sizes. The present heart dish is one of the middle sizes, measuring about 8 1/8” inches long, by 7 ¼” inches wide, by 2” high. The dish has a foliated edge around a lip that is pierced with crosses and dots, intermittently interrupted by raised scrolling cartouches that surround a pattern of ovoid piercings, about 3” or so inches before dropping into the plain heart-shaped well of the dish. Three ball feet attached on the back of the dish at the sides of the well suspend the heart dish. The back of the dish is marked: “SHREVE CRUMP & Low CO” (retailer), over Gorham’s maker mark (a right facing lion in an octagonal reserve, an anchor in a shield reserve, and a gothic “G” in an octagonal reserve), over “STERLING”, over “A4310. The heart dish is in excellent antique condition, having no splits or dents in the surface; however, there appears to have been a monogram removal in the bottom of the heart-shapedwell.

Graff, Washbourne & Dunn of New York, New York, made this loving cup for J. E Caldwell & Company, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, probably in the late 1800s or early 1900s. While this loving cup is basically shaped as loving cups have been traditionally shaped, this cup does appear to have a Art Nouveau influence in the graceful silhouette. The loving cup stands about 6 ½” inches high and is about 7 ½” inches wide. The bottom of the loving cup’s foot is stamped in four different spots : The north spot has “Caldwell & CO” arched over “925” over “STERLING” over “Philadelphia” in a mirroring arch; The east spot is stamped “1017”; the south spot has Graff, Washbourne & Dunn’s maker mark, an oblong ovoid with semicircle inflates in the center and flanked on either end of the oblong ovoid by a diamond shape with concave sides; the west spot is stamped “STERLING” over 5 ½” IN”. The loving cup has three small dents where the bottom of the cup flairs out, but otherwise this cup is in excellent condition, having no monograms or dedication.

This sterling silver dish shaped and modeled to look like an maple leaf was made by R. Blackinton & Co. of North Attlboro,, Massachussetts. The maple leaf dish measures about 4 1/4” inches long by about 4” wide. On the reverse of the dish is stamped: “STERLING”; the R. Blackinton & Co. manufacturer’s mark “R”, “B” with a dagger through its center, and “Co” in rounded corner rectangular reserves; and the item number “501”. This item is in very good antique condition and has now monograming.

This sterling silver dish shaped and modeled to look like an oak leaf was made by R. Blackinton & Co. of North Attlboro, Massachussetts. The oak leaf dish measures about 5 5/8” inches long by about 3 ¾” wide. On the reverse of the dish is stamped: “STERLING”; the R. Blackinton & Co. manufacturer’s mark “R”, “B” with a dagger through its center, and “Co” in rounded corner rectangular reserves; and the item number “498”. This item is in very good antique condition and has now monograming.

Sterling Silver Doe and Fawn Miniatures Capturing a Naturalistic Feel of Animals in the Wild

Sterling silver trash cans like this were probably originally intended for cigarette ashes; but have found and alternate use, today for discarded hors de oeuvres and cocktail picks, or as simple miniature novelties. The form resembles a tin trash can without a lid, fluted all around and having two opposing handles on its side. The silver trash can stands about 2” high, by 2 1⁄8” wide. It is marked on the bottom, STERLING and PAT. PEND.

This sterling silver dish shaped and modeled to look like an sycamore leaf was made by R. Blackinton & Co. of North Attlboro,, Massachussetts. The sycamore leaf dish measures about 5” inches long by about 4 3/4” wide. On the reverse of the dish is stamped: “STERLING”; the R. Blackinton & Co. manufacturer’s mark “R”, “B” with a dagger through its center, and “Co” in rounded corner rectangular reserves; and the item number “488”. This item is in very good antique condition and has now monograming.