Silver Flatware Sets the Holiday Table

With Thanksgiving and winter holidays right around the corner, this is the perfect time of year to bring out cherished silver flatware sets. Stainless steel or (gasp) plastic might be fine for everyday use, but many of us demand something much fancier for a festive feast. Whether you inherited a full set from a relative, […]

It’s a Wonderful Dinner!

The holidays are a joyous and busy time, especially when you’re preparing to entertain family and friends. What holiday feast would be complete without showcasing your special dinnerware made for these occasions? A recent Doyle auction in New York City featured elegant dinner services for 12 along with glassware, silverware, dining room furniture and accessories—the […]

Victorian Baby Rattles Are Unique, Collectible 

Toys that made noise when shaken or used to sooth have long been popular for babies. It was common during the 18th and early 20th centuries for babies to be given silver rattles at their christenings. A recent sale by Morphy Auctions of Denver, Pennsylvania, had 60 elaborately embossed and detailed baby rattles made with […]

How to Identify Silver and Find the Marks 

Did you fall in love with a silver item in a thrift store and bring it home? Or did you inherit some silver from a relative? It is a good idea to find out exactly what you have when determining value. That is done by looking for a mark — often found on the bottom, […]

Silver

Sometimes identifying a maker by his or her mark is like solving a puzzle. There are books and websites (like Kovels.com) that can help, but you have to know where to begin. You can search on words in the mark, the shape of the mark, things pictured in the mark, or letters and dates included […]

Sterling Meat Platter

Q: Please help me identify and price my sterling silver tray. It’s marked “Lord Saybrook International Sterling, W4-408-4.” It’s heavy and sits up on little legs. The design on the tray is a tree with impressed “valley” branches and a deep hole at the base of the trunk. A: International Silver Co. of Meriden, Conn., made […]

Arts & Crafts Jewelry

These are marks of some of the American silversmiths who made jewelry in the early 1900s, during the height of the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States.                                                     […]