A few pieces have been passed down through the family. Just checking on a value for these 16 pieces
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There seem to be a lot of Frontenac pieces in Ebay’s Sold listings. Have a look there as it will give you a good idea of what people are willing to pay.
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The International Silver Company of Canada, which made these spoons, was a subsidiary of a major American manufacturer founded in 1898. It became a prominent Canadian silver entity, acquiring the Standard Silver Co. of Toronto around 1912, and manufactured silver products until 1981, often marked “International Silver Co. of Canada”.
Today the name is more associated with one of CP Rail’s hotels.This one in Quebec City:
The Chateau is named for the former Governor of New France. Frontenac is best remembered today for his defence of the Quebec Fort, October 16, 1690 when several New England ships under the command of Sir William Phipps appeared in the St. Lawrence River and an officer was sent ashore to demand the surrender of the fort.
Frontenac responded with the famous words: “Non, je n’ai point de réponse à faire à votre général que par la bouche de mes canons et de mes fusils.” “No, I have no reply to make to your general save from the mouths of my cannons and muskets.” In the ensuing Battle of Quebec Frontenac’s forces completely repulsed the English, who, in their hasty retreat, left behind several pieces of artillery on the Beauport shore.
The Fort still stands today and Quebec City is one of two fully walled and fortified cities in North America. It also has some of the best food in some of the most under-rated restaurants in the country.
Quebec City and Canada stood firm against the US Invasion twice more the last time in 1813.
Given Trump’s Arctic and Sub Arctic aspirations apparently still include the take over of Canada, it would be good to remind him of the historic US failure to do so. Three times.
Instead, as every student of British history knows, Britain prevailed on the plains of Abraham under Wolfe and Quebec has remained a separate province with a separate language – a sort of Loire Valley 18th Century take on Parisien French, taught as a separate language at McGill University.
Our PM, Mr Carney uses it a little when talking to Franco-phone counterparts but, born In Fort Smith, NWT in Western Canada and living in England where he ran a bank, he seems to have avoided enough of it to make himself clear to them.
CRWW
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Quebec City wasn’t attacked during the war of 1812. The closest the Yanks got was south of Montreal and were repulsed by de Salaberry and his Voltiguers assisted by 300 Mohawks. But Granny Dearborn who planned that attack was apparently at the previous 1775 attack on Quebec City, (led by Benedict Arnold no less), that was gallantly defended and repulsed by Sir Guy Carleton commanding a scratch force. And, so as not to stray too far from the subject of this forum, the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the Anglican diocese, has a gobsmackingly fabulous silver communion service, a gift of George III in 1804, saved from the likes of Paul Revere (who probably would have melted it down), by the aforementioned Governor Carleton, which besides the superb restaurants Mr Wilson references, makes Quebec City well worth visiting for all historical silver freaks.
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Canada was invaded in the Napoleonic wars, which we call the War of 1812, not as Canada but because it was British and the French and the Americans back then were very much in bed with each other after the French bailed them out in the revolution.
Quebec was not under siege but it was, like the rest of what is now Canada, was then British North America, under direct attack.
It started off badly for the Americans with General Hull losing the Fort in what is now Detroit and got steadily worse. They crossed the Detroit River and marched into Ontario – then Upper Canada thinking the US Empire Loyalists, who had settled thee after the revolution, would flock to them. Unfortunately not being very bright, their rape, pillage and burning of Ontario farms made that unlikely. Sort of like bombing the residents of Iran to encourage the Iranians join the US today in toppling their highly unpopular theistic regime isn’t working,
They then decided to storm Queenston heights and ended up doing some slum clearance in what is now Toronto. This ticked off everyone so the Brits burned down the White House and ruined Dolly Madison’s dinner party.
Next bright idea was to sail up Lake Ontario to attack the French Canadians. Again a really dumb move as the French Canadians were still sort of ambivalent about being conquered by Wolfe and, had they left them alone, might have even let the Americans get on with it.
But no, the Canadiens had heard how the Loyalist farmers were treated in Upper Canada and went to war. In fact this was really the first time Canada rather than Britain had opposed them. As everybody now knows a land-based guerrilla force will win when the sea or lake invader runs out of food etc.
Just about then a peace treaty was signed in Europe but nobody got around to telling the Americans who two weeks later “won” in New Orleans. They were so chuffed about that they made the general in charge of winning the battle after the war was over a US President. Jackson was probably the worst US President until Trump and, like Trump owed his popularity to myth rather than any solid achievement.
Canada, since then, had fought side by side with Americans in two world wars, then Korea, and Afghanistan. Exactly why is unclear but we did. I was reading Patton’s attempts to diminish entirely the Canadian successes in Normandy after the June 6th landings. It took another vainglorious general, Montgomery to shut him down. Montgomery then claimed the subsequent US and Canadian victory’s as British victories. It took Hitler’s last gasp at the Battle of the Bulge to shut him down. Oh, and I got his horse.
Today as we enter the so-called free trade negotiations today we are once again under attack by the US. And once again Quebec City per se isn’t the target but like every other town and city and hamlet in this country, it will be the victim if the Jeffersonian Manifest Destiny notions are allowed to run unchecked.
Quebec as a destination for silver acquisition is … well you might get lucky. All I have ever found is cutlery, usually, 19th century machine-made and a lot of stuff made for the papists who seemed to have all the cash in this part of the world a couple of hundred years ago. Still do since they refused to pay court-ordered recompense to the indigenous for their residential school barbarism.
CRWW
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No, not for silver acquisition, but to see the communion service at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, which I have read is considered one of the finest works of Georgian silversmithing. And it does kind of take your breath away. And as far as acquiring pre-conquest Quebec silver, I have been unsuccessful. Unless you want to join me in a smash and grab at the National Gallery in Ottawa? If you can sail solo around Haida Gwaii then you sound like a suitable second story man.
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I think the theory is you and I together with forty one million other Canadians already owns the contents of the national gallery so, unlike the gang that recently knocked off the Louvre, there is little incentive.
But I head up to Ottawa once a month on Porter Airlines from Billy Bishop so happy to reserve you a seat to go view contents.
So far as the west coast sailing goes I intend to get as far as Desolation Sound this year. Again I can always use crew.
I have six days of maintenance before I leave.
CRWW
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Aye aye Captain! Save me a berth!
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