posted 02-20-2001 09:50 PM            

I was at an auction, and I think it was the first auction I attended with an interest in silver. I remember (and remember well) a bag of 4 pieces of silver flatware...a rather unappealing silver handled cheese knife, a Towle butter pick, and a Gorham sugar spoon in one of the turn of the century patterns; the fourth piece was the best: a beautiful Gorham preserve spoon with a cast, 3D pharaonic head at the top; the stem, if memory serves, was three silver rods bound together; where it joined the bowl were applied ivy leaves. At the time, I would scarcely spend more than 40.00 on anything, and I didn't really know that much about silver, so the grouping sold for about 150.00. I kick myself everytime I think of it (mainly because it was such a nice, seldom-seen design, but also partly because it was worth much more than that price).

posted 02-22-2001 09:49 AM            

This summer I made a trip to a large single-owner shop in a town north of me. As I was paying something, I noticed a cool modernistic silver necklace in the case that served as the checkout counter. I asked to see it. It was nicely handwrought, and marked STERLING PEARSON. The owner asked me if I knew of a Pearson, and I said no. The price was $25, but I decided to pass on it.

A few weeks later it dawned on me that I did know a Pearson; Ronald Hays Pearson, the celebrated American modernist jewelry designer. What made it worse is that I had heard W. Scott Braznell give a lecture on Pearson's work at the NYU conference in March! Why I didn't remember the name at the time, I will never know. Of course the necklace was gone when I went back. It was probably a $150-200 piece. Doh!

Here is another case, with a happy (for me) ending. I was visiting one of my favorite dealers in California when I saw a handsome Jensen-style salad set in his display case. On examination, it tuned out to be the work of Karl Leinonen, the great Finnish silversmith who worked at the Handicraft Shop of Boston before setting out on his own. Condition was excellent, and the price was low, about $250 for the set. I was feeling poor at the time, and didn't buy it, although I did tell the dealer who made it and that it should sell quickly.