I would love to identify these silver forks I found them in my mom’s things and had never seen them before, any help is appreciated.
Your forks are are all sterling silver with London hallmarks. The ones with date letter I were assayed in 1804/05 and the one with date letter E in 1800/01. The makers are RC: Richard Crossley and SH: Solomon Hougham. Note that the maker’s mark on the latter is upside down in relation to the rest of the marks. The maker on the 1800/01 fork is illegible due to 200+ years of polishing.
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How much could these be worth? Or how rare are they?
You don’t say what size they are so check out completed auction prices on Ebay. You may find that they are more valuable as scrap (see online scrap silver calculators). I would urge you however not to scrap them but to preserve them for future generations.
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Presuming you have 12 and these are dessert forks, the scrap value is about £890,00.
Which is less than another half-dozen 1811 forks are listed for on ebay:
So I would say, Ebay sellers are watching the spot price market too.
If you have 12 dessert forks, you’ve probably got some dessert spoons and maybe even some table forks and spoons ( 9") and some teaspoons?
It’s a funny thing about old english pattern. Price seems to be about the same whether it’s created in the last quarter of the 18th century or the last quarter of the 19th century.
Weight and wear on the tines ( prongs) seems more likely to determine price.
If I might be permitted to express a personal view, of all the patterns used for flatware in the last 400 years it remains my favorite. It’s simple and it never ages.
It looks as modern on your glass top table set for a dinner party or an alfresco supper today as if they were made last week.
Indeed you can buy them brand new manufactured last week. The only difference is the price. Modern silver suppliers are going to charge you the cost of the metal and the full worth of a modern craftsman and you won’t see much change out of £230 a fork for the desserts.
Selling them? If you are Ebay remains an option. Your local auctioneer will take up to 30% of the sale price off you and another 30% off the buyer so you end up with half what the auction house gets which is typically scrap.
I hate to break up sets, but selling by sixes rather than 12’s seem to get faster, higher per item prices and selling complete sets, unless you have impeccable provenance going back to a famous maker or sometimes owner, you’ll be given away a lot..
The one with the illegible mark is almost certainly Richard Crossley too, but as Phil says it is completely illegible.
Where is price going from now? Up. There’s lots of silver mines but there’s even more computers and demand is outstripping supply. And the cost of mining isn’t getting any cheaper.
Plus there is something about silver. Gold is flat and boring, even fine pocket watches. Silver is much more interesting, especially older material where the colours and texture are determined by where it is mined and how it is cast and with what.
Plus if there is anything wrong with your food or drink, silver will tell you quickly which gold never will.
CRWW
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