Possible Frank Whiting collectable?

Hello again!

This was a spectacular gift from a friend a couple of years ago, and I’m wondering what it is.

Thanks!
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Its a handled basket. Very nice, and you have correctly identified the maker. The number is the pattern number.

Regards,

Uncle Vic

Thank you for such a speedy reply! I’m looking to see its ‘rarity,’ if you will, and can not find it online. It does fit in the palm of my hand, and looks as-if it would hold salt and pepper shakers in the middle. Since I am unable to find any specific information on this, would anyone know how I could? I don’t want to spend money on buying catalogs, though.

I guess the curiosity of truly identifying beauty and what its value stands at is what enthralls me. Thanks again, y’all!

I’d venture its not particularly rare. Its made by a well known American maker and the best way to get an idea of its real market value is to find similar American sterling handled baskets on eBay and follow some auctions through by looking at the “completed auctions” to see if the item actually sold and if so, for how much.

I’d suspect the asking price in a retail antique shop would be in the $100-$150 range based on the size you describe. A general rule of thumb some use as a baseline is the sterling scrap value - take the current commodity price of pure silver (usually in your local paper’s business section) and multiply it by .83 to get the scrap value per troy oz. Then weigh your little basket and apply that value, using troy ounces. Its a very rough calculation but a place to start. The .83 was explained to me by several scrap silver & gold dealers as representing the fact that sterling is only 92.5% silver and the rest represents profit and refining costs.

Regards,

Uncle Vic