The Silver Antiques Insider

It's A Triple Crown Of Silver Antiques At Nelson And Nelson!

It's Triple Crown Season! For the Kentucky Derby last weekend, Nelson and Nelson was rooting for Gemologist and Creative Cause (although, of course, if there was a horse named Antique Sterling Speedster, we would have placed all of our hypothetical bets on that one!). In two weeks there's the Preakness, and then the Belmont Stakes comes here to New York in June. If you've been feeling a bit like a member of the horsey set lately, you'll love our beautiful horse-inspired objets d'art: 

This German 800 silver figural polo player on horse, made circa 1910, features beautiful and realistic workmanship. In pristine condition, it weighs 10 troy ounces and is fully hallmarked with the half moon and crown mark and 800 on the bottom of one of the horse’s feet. For more information, click here. 

This is a beautiful English sterling silver and enamel compact with scene of a female rider and her stead accompanied by a group of hounds. The back of the compact is decorated with a classic design of engine-turned engraving. Inside the compact is a mirror in perfect condition as well as space for pressed powder. Made by H C D Makers of Birmingham in 1927, the compact is fully hallmarked and in excellent condition. For more information, click here. 



This circa 1920 American sterling silver cigarette case has a horse head prominently displayed on the lid; the engraving carefully mimics the texture of the horse's skin and mane. Gilded on the inside and marked Sterling with American makers marks, this case in in excellent condition. For more information, click here. 

Keep Reading With Beautiful Antique Silver

It's been a beautiful May so far here in New York- especially since it's Get Caught Reading Month! Here at Nelson and Nelson, we love a good book, especially if it's the lovely antique version that still has pages and a beautiful cover! If you're looking to make your reading experience a bit more luxurious, explore these gorgeous antique silver reading accessories from our Pierre Hotel store location.


This is a most unusual letter opener/page turner made in London 1886 by Ebenezer Newman. The top is in the form of a large parrot head with glass eyes, with well-worked engraved figural feathers. The wooden blade features a very dark finish. An original monogram (A.L.E.) is on the slightly gilded mount above the wood blade, and a full set of Victorian sterling silver hallmarks are on the head. For more information, click here.


Keep your place with this beautiful sterling silver paper clip, decorated with an ornate scroll and leaf design. The raised pedestal holds the hinged mechanism that lifts up to secure a page, note, invitation, etc. This clip was made by Frank W. Smith Co. Inc. of Gardner, Massachusetts and dates to 1895. It is fully hallmarked with a beautiful patina. For more information, click here. 


This beautiful English magnifying glass features a swirled sterling silver handle inlaid with multicolored Scottish agate. Made in Birmingham in 1894, it is in excellent condition. For more information, click here. 

Thinking Of Selling Your Antique Silver? Consider Nelson and Nelson

With the price of silver still high, people everywhere have been selling their unused antique silver and jewelry. At Nelson and Nelson, we understand that people often inherit antique sterling and antique silver or antique jewelry that may not be to their taste, or that is so infrequently used that it makes sense to sell it. This harrowing article demonstrates, however, how in the rush to unload unwanted antique silver and gold jewelry, people are unwittingly sending rare and priceless pieces to the smelter. “I would imagine 25-30% of our heritage of gold and silver antique jewelry has been scrapped in the last two years,” says one British auctioneer. 

So why sell to Nelson and Nelson? We take the time to properly value your antique silver and antique jewelry, and when we buy antique silver and gold we'll never, ever scrap your items. Instead, we'll lovingly curate them until the right buyer comes along. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

For more on how to sell us your antique silver, click here.

For more on how to sell us your antique jewelry, click here. 

Antique Sterling Silver Trophies Celebrate Important Moments In Life

News flash! A silver cup awarded to the Greek runner who won the first Olympic marathon in 1896 was sold for $865,000, Christie’s auction house in London said. Spyros Louis was presented with the cup, a silver medal, an antique vase, an olive branch and a diploma by King George I of Greece for his victory.

Antique sterling silver trophies honor fantastic accomplishments and future promises! Explore Nelson and Nelson's thoughtfully curated collection of beautiful antique silver trophies to celebrate the amazing milestones in the lives of your family and friends.

This two handled trophy cup from Currier & Roby, circa 1920, is wonderfully decorated with a stepped-decorated circular base and removable lid with two scroll-shaped applied handles. This trophy is hallmarked and in excellent condition. For more information, click here. 

Have a card player in your life? This charming late 19th-century Neoclassical sterling silver trophy by Tiffany & Co. features a V-shaped body on a spreading, circular base. The handles have a sharp upward curve and architectonic quality that creates a dramatic silhouette. The body is decorated with a laurel wreath forming a vacant (and monogrammable!) cartouche on one side and playing cards on the reverse. The trophy is marked under the base with the mark of Tiffany & Co., the words Makers, Sterling Silver 925-1000, pattern number 13220, order number 342, and the letter T for its founder Charles L. Tiffany, used from 1891-1902. For more information, click here. 

This is a beautiful sterling silver loving cup made by the American silversmiths at Reed & Barton has a wonderful Art Nouveau sensibility. The elegant design features a circular, cup-shaped body on a flaring shaped, circular base. The three side handles have a lovely, organic curve and are embellished with sculpturally rendered flowers and leafy vines. The base has a similarly decorated border with flowers and leaves. This trophy is in excellent condition, and has not been monogrammed. For more information, click here. 

Antique Silver Table Utensils Of A By-Gone Era

One of the delights of antique silver is finding items that were once considered de rigueur at any well-appointed table, like grape shears. These beautifully crafted antique sterling silver scissors were used to daintily nip off small bunches of grapes at dinner parties. When you're trading witty conversation with the duke or countess at your side, why paw at a cluster of glistening cluster of Red Globes or Muscats when you can snack in style? Grape shears were typically placed beside a bowl or board of the fruit, allowing guests to scissor off small portions. At Nelson and Nelson, we love the ornate decorative styles that the finest antique silver grape shears feature.



These sterling silver grape shears, circa 1910, portray a large head of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. The hallmarked sterling handles are adorned with floral buds and leaves, while the cutting blade is stainless steel.For more information, click here.



These circa 1910 Art Nouveau grape shears feature extra-heavy cast-silver handles that are intricately decorated with flowers, leaves, and scrolls. In excellent condition, they are hallmarked with the Reed and Barton symbol and marked sterling. For more information, click here.



What's a fancy pair of grape shears without the appropriate accompanying grape dish? This American sterling silver figural grape leaf dish was made by Redlich circa 1890. It is is beautifully formed, and features the delicate veins of a grape leaf. A looped grape vine emanating from the leaf serves as the grape shear holder. The dish is fully hallmarked with a nice patina, and is in excellent condition. For more information, click here.

Russian Antique Silver Treasure!

Some of the beautiful antique silver recently discovered in a Russian mansion, via

Talk about a treasure trove! Workers restoring a 19th-century mansion in St. Petersburg, Russia, recently made an extraordinary discovery: 

"[M]ore than 1,000 pieces of jewelry, silver service sets stamped with the name of one of Russia’s most prominent noble families, mirrors and brushes in silver frames. Many of them were wrapped in newspapers dated from the early months of 1917, as Russia careened toward the Bolshevik Revolution that ended life as the nobles had known it."

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Where will this extraordinary antique silver collection go? The renovators of the palace, which served as a workers' canteen during the Soviet Union, would like to put them on display in a new cultural center on site. Meanwhile, the head of a regional Communist organization is applying for ownership, claiming that the stash was nationalized property under the U.S.S.R. 

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For more on this remarkable antique silver discovery, click here. 

Spring Cleaning And Your Antique Silver

Don't over clean silver antiques like this 19th-century soup tureen! 

It's spring cleaning season, and here at Nelson and Nelson we'd like to gently remind you that it is possible to over clean your precious antique silver! This account from the Money Talks blog is a great example of why a sparkly shine is great for mirrors, but not antique sterling silver!

One spring, I had a roommate who had brought an old silver coffee urn from back home. It was big and ornate, but also slightly dented and very tarnished. We kept it on our dining room table and used it for the occasional study group that came over. Mostly, it was decorative. So one spring, I asked my roomie if I could polish it up. She said sure – if I was willing to expend the calories, why not?

I really did a great job. That urn sparkled. It wasn’t until years later I learned from my ex-roommate that I had destroyed its value. When the Antiques Roadshow craze took off, she apparently took it for an appraisal and was told it was from the 19th century. But my cleaning had knocked literally hundreds of dollars off its value – something fans of Pawn Stars know from each week’s episode, when someone brings in an antique gun, painting, or jewelry. People who buy antiques don’t want their history washed away. And silver polish is the worst offender.

“Contrary to popular belief, silver does not need constant cleaning and in fact should not be cleaned more than absolutely necessary,” says the Association of Art and Antique Dealers. “Tarnishing does not actually harm silver.”

Read more about cleaning and storing antique silver and remember: Nelson and Nelson handles every facet of cleaning and repair, as also replates worn silver plate items.

Bring In The Beautiful Outdoors With Antique Silver and Jewelry!

If you've been in New York City lately, you'll know that spring has really sprung! One of our favorite New York institutions is the New York Horticultural Society, and today just happens to be their 189th birthday! At Nelson and Nelson, we're celebrating by showcasing some of our most beautiful flower- and plant-themed antique sterling silver and antique jewelry. Enjoy!


This rare and unusual squat-shaped antique American cranberry glass sterling silver overlay vase is heavily embellished with an intricate overlay design of engraved roses and leaves that is interspersed with scrolled stem detailing. Made by Gorham circa 1890, the vase is fully hallmarked with a beautiful patina. For more information, click here. 



This very fine quality set of 12 antique silver oak leaf dishes was made by Blackinton circa 1920. Featuring excellent detail, they are fully hallmarked on the back with the Blackinton hallmarks, sterling and 498. For more information, click here. 

These gorgeous 18 karat white gold and diamond flower-shaped earclips are set with numerous diamonds totaling approximately 10.50 carats, of approximately G color and VS clarity. Made circa 1980, they are in excellent condition. For more information, click here. 

Antique Tiffany Silver- More Desirable By Two?

In a recent auction in Pennsylvania, a pair of Tiffany sterling candelabra, estimated between $60,000 and $80,000, sold for a whopping $111,600, while a pair of Tiffany silver bowls sold for more than twice their estimate. According to the auction house CEO, "[O]ne candelabrum exactly like those in our auction sold for around $20,000 at one of the big New York auction houses several months ago. They're obviously much more desirable as a pair." 

If you're looking at a smart investment in Tiffany silver, consider these recent auction results and take a look at the lovely Tiffany silver pairings available at Nelson and Nelson. 

This pair of Tiffany & Co. sterling silver vases, circa 1920, is acid-etched in a most unusual flora and fauna design. The tree-like stem of the flower flares with leaves at its base and at two intervals, then blossoms to reveal a multitude of leaves and round daisy-like flowers. This pattern is repeated around the vase in perfect symmetry. Its overall effect is one of a more modern Arts & Crafts execution, and the effect is stunning! This pair of vases is in excellent condition and is fully hallmarked with the Tiffany & Co. Makers stamp, the date mark, the pattern number and the order number. For more information, click here. 

This is a beautiful pair of sterling silver candlesticks by Tiffany & Co. in a timeless neoclassical design based on a Georgian model. Made in 1915, each candlestick stands on a stepped square base and has a tapered column-shaped body and an urn-shaped socket with removable circular wax pan. The base is trimmed with small beaded bands and swaged fabric studded with flowers. These candlesticks are in excellent condition and are fully hallmarked. For more information, click here. 

Designed in the figural style of 18th century Continental spice boxes, this unusual pair of antique American sterling silver salt and pepper shakers was made by Tiffany & Co. circa 1885. They are in excellent condition and fully hallmarked. For more information, click here. 

Why Is It A Great Time To Sell Your Antique Silver And Antique Jewelry?

An article in a small U.S. newspaper summed up perfectly what we at Nelson and Nelson see is happening:

"Now is the time to let the collectibles go before the market even gets worse, since all of the baby boomers are retiring and downsizing, and the more items that hit the market, the less people will pay for them."

If you're considering selling your antique silver or antique jewelry, discover why Nelson and Nelson is the ideal place to sell your treasured objects. Unlike many antique dealers, Nelson and Nelson never scraps sterling silver, so you're assured that what you sell us will be lovingly curated.

For more information on how to sell us your antique silver, click here. 

For more information on how to sell us your antique jewelry, click here.