Silver Items Archives - Purely Silver

Reales

Purely Silver — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 07:18:33 +0000

Reales were minted in both Spain and Latin America from the 16th to 19th centuries in silver 1⁄2, 1, 2, 4 and 8 reales nacional and in gold 1⁄2, 1, 2, 4 and 8 escudos. The silver 8-real coin was known as the Spanish dollar (as the coin was minted to the specifications of the thaler of the Holy Roman Empire and Habsburg monarchy), peso, or the famous piece of eight. Spanish dollars minted between 1732 and 1773 are also often referred to as columnarios. The portrait variety from 1772 and later are typically referred to as Spanish dollars or pillar dollars. Reference: Wikipedia

Below are some examples and price guides of silver bookmarks including a figural Asprey bookmark and an Art Nouveau cherub bookmark.

1797 Corolus IIII pirate treasure 8 Reales coin

Sold for US$110 at Thriftiques of Iowa in 2023

EL CAZADOR 18TH CENTURY SHIPWRECK SILVER COIN. WITH COA, BOOKLET, & WOODEN DISPLAY CASE. 1783

Sold for US$100 at Vintage Auctions in 2023

8 Reales 1863 Mo, Mexico City mint Silver, 26.86 g

Sold for €70 at LA GALERIE NUMISMATIQUE in 2023

A Mexican Carlos and Johanna example from the 1554 Padre Island Shipwreck. With Certificate of Origin as pictured. VF-30.

Sold for US$1,500 at Locati, LLC in 2023

1810 Mexico Silver 8 Reales NEARLY UNCIRCULATED

Sold for US$225 at Gold Standard Auctions in 2023

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Silver Bookmarks

Purely Silver — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:40:15 +0000

Silver bookmarks. Bookmarks are an excellent choice for starting a silver collection. They can start at very low prices and come in a range of subjects. Many silver makers and retailers made, and still make, bookmarks. They also make excellent gifts for book lovers.

Below are some examples and price guides of silver bookmarks including a figural Asprey bookmark and an Art Nouveau cherub bookmark.

Asprey Sterling Silver Book Mark
London, 20th century
in the form of a southeastern European or Turkish man in historical attire; lg. 5 in.

Sold for US$828.75 inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2022

Tiffany & Co. Sterling Silver Bookmark
Late 20th century
Length 4 inches, approximately 2 ounces.

Sold for $88 at Doyle in 2023

Sterling Silver Princess Ingrid Bookmark
Creator: Frank Whiting (Manufacturer)
Dimensions: Height: 3 in (7.62 cm)Width: 1 in (2.54 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
Materials and Techniques: Sterling Silver
Place of Origin: United States
Period: 1940-1949
Date of Manufacture: 1945

Sold for US$195 at Mynt Auctions in 2023

Turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau sterling silver bookmark. Made by William B. Kerr in Newark. Dagger blade engraved with interlaced script monogram set in open frame. Cast terminal in form of winged cherub a guiding spirit to help you keep your place. Back plain. Fully marked including no. 922. Dimensions: H 3 5/8 x W 2 x D 1/2 in.

Sold for US$415 at Bidhaus in 2023

FINE ITALIAN SILVER ROMULUS REMUS ROME BOOKMARK

Finely worked silver bookmark to symbolize Rome. Etched, stamped and repoussé flowers and leaves surrounding a bas relief of Romulus and Remus. The myth of the twins Romulus & Remus were suckled by a she-wolf and founded the city of Rome.
Marked 800.
Weight: 25.8g.

Sold for US$30 at Converse Auctions in 2023

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Silver Bird Boxes

Purely Silver — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 09:10:28 +0000

Silver bird boxes are exquisite collectibles. They are small musical boxes which have singing birds in them. Although they are normally rectangular in shape, they can also be found in novelty shapes such as pianos or bird cages.

Below are some examples and price guides of silver bird boxes including a German box by J D Schleissner and Sohne and a piano shaped bird box.

A German silver singing bird box with key
J D Schleissner and Sohne, Hanau, stamped 930
In the manner of Karl Griesbaum, shaped-rectangular form, the top with oval hinged cover opening to a singing bird automaton, ornate case decorated in relief with scrolls and birds, catch to the front in the form of a bird, with key, length 10cm.

Sold for£1,912.50 inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2023

AN AUSTRIAN ENAMELLED SILVER-GILT MUSICAL BIRD BOX
VIENNA, CIRCA 1880
In the Japonist style, rectangular on four ball feet, enamelled with a white and pale green background framed by silver-gilt borders chased with geometrical motifs, the front panel enamelled with a mother and child, the right side and back panels sparesly decorated with cherry blossoms, the left side with a pagoda and a cherry blossom tree with a branch extending on the cover centred by a hinged oval lid painted with a bird resting on the branch, opening to reveal the singing bird and an engraved grill, activated by the push button fitted on the cover, the bird rotates on its axis in time to a realistically imitated bird song and retreat inside the box when the song has finished and the lid will close, with brass key, marked underneath and stamped underneath ‘Made in Austria, Sterling’
3 7/8 in. (100 mm.) long

Sold for GBP 9,375 at Christie’s in 2021

German Sterling Silver Singing Bird Box
20th Century
Shaped rectangular decorated with birds and foliate scrolls. Length 3 7/8 inches (10 cm).

Sold for $2,016 (includes buyer’s premium) at Doyle in 2023

GERMAN 925 STERLING SILVER SINGING BIRD BOX CIRCA 1900 WITH CHERUBS
Composition: Sterling Silver

Sold for US$20,000 at Mynt Auctions in 2023

A LOVELY ANTIQUE SINGING BIRD SILVER AUTOMATON SINGING BIRD BOX decorated with putti and figures. 521 grams. 10 cm x 8 cm.

Sold for £1,100 at Hannam’s Auctioneers Ltd in 2023

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Babies Rattles

Purely Silver — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 06:45:27 +0000

Silver babies rattles have fallen in price over the past few years but they are still collectible items. They can come in many shapes including animals and some have teethers and / or whistles as well.

Below are some examples and price guides of silver babies rattles including a Hermes rattle with a rocking horse and a Goldsmith and Silversmith’s Asprey rattle.

SET OF THREE: A SILVER CHEVAL Á BASCULE RATTLE & TWO SILVER ROUND RATTLES
HERMÈS, CIRCA 1996

GRADE: 3.5
8 cm x 8 cm, 2.5 cm d, 2.5 cm d
includes three boxes and two dustbags

Sold for EUR 882 at Christie’s in 2022

AN ANTIQUE SILVER AND MOTHER OF PEARL BABIES RATTLE. 60 grams. 14.5 cm x 4.5 cm.

Sold for £45 at Hannam’s Auctioneers Ltd in 2022

A Victorian silver and coral teether rattle, London 1877, hexagonal section, chased and engraved with knotted ribbon panels between foliate scroll motifs, 13cm long

Sold for £150 at Kinghams Auctioneers in 2022

A GOLDSMITH AND SILVERSMITH’S ASPREY & CO. LTD. SILVER GILT BABY’S RATTLE with coral end.
London 1992 in a red box.

Sold for £220 at John Nicholson Auctioneers in 2022

Two silver rattles, Torino, 19th century

Designed as lanterns, suspending several bells

Sold for 756 EUR at Sotheby’s in 2022

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Swan Scent Bottles

Purely Silver — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 07:17:59 +0000

Swan Scent Bottles. This post has a gallery and information on scent bottles either in the form of swans or with swan decoration. Thomas Webb and Sons made some excellent scent bottles in the form of swans with silver mounts.

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Pig Pin Cushions

Purely Silver — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 07:26:32 +0000

Pig Pin Cushions. Pin cushions in the form of pigs are an excellent way to start a collection of novelty pin cushions. They are probably one of the most frequently found pin cushions and subsequently the cheapest. They range in sizes from very small to large.

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Cocktail Shakers

Purely Silver — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 16:02:13 +0000

Cocktail shakers were extremely fashionable in the 1920s and 1930s and most were designed in the popular Art Deco style. Sterling silver cocktail shakers were much rarer.

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Tankards

Purely Silver — Fri, 12 Apr 2019 13:18:30 +0000

Tankards. A tankard is a form of drinkware consisting of a large, roughly cylindrical, drinking cup with a single handle. Tankards are usually made of silver, pewter, or glass, but can be made of other materials, for example wood, ceramic or leather. A tankard may have a hinged lid, and tankards featuring glass bottoms are also fairly common. Tankards are shaped and used similarly to beer steins. Reference: Wikipedia

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Teaspoons

Purely Silver — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 16:08:54 +0000

Teaspoons. A teaspoon is a small spoon suitable for stirring and sipping the contents of a cup of tea or coffee, or adding a portion of loose sugar to it. These spoons have heads more or less oval in shape. Teaspoons are a common part of a place setting.

Teaspoons with longer handles, such as iced tea spoons, are commonly used also for ice cream desserts or floats. Similar spoons include the tablespoon and the dessert spoon, the latter intermediate in size between a teaspoon and a tablespoon, used in eating dessert and sometimes soup or cereals. Much less common is the coffee spoon, which is a smaller version of the teaspoon, intended for use with the small type of coffee cup. Another teaspoon, called an orange spoon (in American English: grapefruit spoon), tapers to a sharp point or teeth, and is used to separate citrus fruits from their membranes. A bar spoon, equivalent to a teaspoon, is used in measuring ingredients for mixed drinks.

A container designed to hold extra teaspoons, called a spooner, usually in a set with a covered sugar container, formed a part of Victorian table service.

The teaspoon is first mentioned in an advertisement in a 1686 edition of the London Gazette. Reference: Wikipedia

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Platters

Purely Silver — Sun, 24 Mar 2019 19:34:40 +0000

Silver Platters. A platter is a large type of dishware used for serving food. It is a tray on which food is displayed and served to people. Its shape can be oval, round, rectangular, or square. It can be made of metal, ceramic, plastic, glass or wood. Plain and ornate platters suitable for more formal settings or occasions are made of, or plated with, silver, and antique examples are considered quite valuable. Especially expensive and ceremonial platters have been made of gold. Reference: Wikipedia

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