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Special Features
Probably the oldest pattern available with a place
setting of four or more pieces. The pre 1750 Hanoverian
is distinguished by the characteristic "rat tail" on
the bowls of the spoons and three pronged forks. The
pre 1720 pieces are the most interesting and are of
Britannia (.950) Standard, and the marks are easily
worn. The Rat Tail was revived again at the end of the
19th Century and modern settings are common. Hanoverian
did continue during the remainder of the 18th century
but with the rat tail removed. The characteristic "rib"
on the front of the pieces slowly began to fade away as
time went on, atrophying to just a blip at the tip by
1800. Note that the handles of the both the spoons and
forks in Hanoverian are "turned up" which means that
the open bowl of the spoons was facing upward as
distinct from the later "Old English" and Fiddle where
the handles of the spoons were "turned down" so that
the bowl was placed face down on the table.
Dating
The complete Hallmarks found on English silver allow a
precise dating to the nearest two years as well as the
maker and place of origin. Most of the pieces shown
here are ca 1715. My dessert fork is a "cheater" being
made in 1812 to replace a missing piece in the Baron of
Scarsdale's service.
Pieces Available
| |
Size |
My Cost |
| tablespoon |
8 1/4" |
$180.00 |
| Dessert Spoon |
6 1/2" |
$225.00 |
| Teaspoon |
4 3/4" |
$160.00 |
| Dinner Fork |
7 1/2" |
$240.00 |
| Dessert Fork |
6 1/8" |
$140.00 (genuine ca 1715
$300-$450.00) |
There were no knives of the pattern,
pistol grip knives being used in this
era.
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| Pistol Grip Knife |
10" |
$100.00 |
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click on image to enlarge
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Key Pieces
As not all services included dessert
forks and spoons these are the hardest to find with the
dessert fork hardest of all and selling for perhaps 2-3
times the dinner fork.
Comments
It is very rewarding to own 250+
year old flatware that is accurately datable. It is
remarkable how well silver ages. Therefore the date
mark is the most important to me to be legible. All the
forks and spoons were Purchased over the net through
Schredd's of Portobello in London.
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