New Uses for Georgian Sugar Tongs

Many people collect Georgian silver sugar tongs. Bright-cut sugar tongs (or nips or bows) from the reigns of George III and George IV are sought after by collectors. Silver tongs from the short reign of William IV are rare and are also highly prized by enthusiasts.

The silver tongs shown below are by Charles Boyton and were assayed in 1836.

As fewer people take sugar, let alone sugar lumps, new used have been found for antique sugar tongs. The most common is asparagus tongs, although Georgian sugar bows are often used for picking up pickles and olives.

Posh Fish & Chips! A Silver Fish Slice by George William Adams

Increased interest in fine dining has led to greater demand for high quality silver for the dinner table. This whopping 12" Victorian silver fish slice is an excellent example of high quality work by the London silversmith George Adams. It has a Victoria hallmark, weighs 168 gms and a date mark for 1852. More details are available at:

 

Collecting silver by George William Adams

George William Adams is a highly regarded silversmith from the early Victorian period. He was made a partner in the historic Chawner company in 1840.

Chawner & Co produced high quality silver flatware during the 19^th Century. Examples of George Adams’ work can be seen below:

This Victorian fiddle pattern .925 silver ladle is fully hallmarked and is in very good condition. It was made by the highly regarded London silversmith George Adams in 1852. It has a Victoria hallmark, weighs 66 gms and is about 18 cm long.

The following example is a fish slice by George Adams:

Both the fish slice and the ladle have an attractive engraved crest of a crowned lion as shown below:

Increased demand for antique silver

Over the past few years there has been a significant return to fine dining in the UK. This has increased demand for high quality silver with silver ladles providing a sound medium to long term investment.

These George IV .925 silver fiddle back ladles were made by the highly regarded London silversmith William Chawner II in 1823. They both have a George IV duty mark and weigh 120 gms. They are both about 18.5 cm longs and are typical of the type of antique silver being collected in the UK. They can be purchased at:




 

Georgian & Victorian Silver Ladles

Good quality Georgian silver can be found at antique fairs, from specialist dealers and on-line. This example is currently for sale on ebay:

This George III .925 silver King's pattern ladle was made in 1814 and weighs 80 gms..

Its maker was Thomas Bamford II. It is a stunning Georgian ladle that would grace any dinner table.
 It is 7" or 18 cm long. The hallmarks include the lion standard mark, the maker's mark (T.B), the George III duty mark and the date mark "T" for 1814.

 (courtesy of silver collector jeff475-uk).

I tend to find antique fairs and some specialist dealers are too expensive when compared to ebay and other on-line sites. Do other collectors agree?