We welcome any suggestions for suitable links. Please contact us with the address.
http://www.925-1000.com/ - an excellent on-line encyclopaedia of American, British, European and Mexican silver marks, hallmarks and maker's marks.
Goldsmiths Company (London Assay Office) - www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk.
Sheffield Assay Office - www.assayoffice.co.uk
Birmingham Assay Office - www.theassayoffice.co.uk - with an excellent on-line database for identifying hallmarks, including sponsors & makers' marks.
Edinburgh Assay Office - www.edinburghassayoffice.co.uk
A comprehensive database of makers' marks can be found at http://www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk. All UK assay offices are covered (past and present) and even our own RBLd mark at the Birmingham assay office has been registered and identified. A superb online resource!
http://www.ascasonline.org - a web-site by the Association of Small Collectors of Antique Silver hosting articles written by it's members on silverware. The private web-site, by the host of the ASCAS site, can be found at www.silvercollection.it and features images/descriptions of his silver collection with items from all over the world.
For those interested in sugar nips, take a look at Dr. Shlosberg's excellent site www.silverteatongs.com from where you can contact the man himself. Alternatively, if you prefer sugar tongs, visit Graham Hodges' specialist web-site for Georgian period tongs at www.silversugartongs.com.
The Wine Label Circle is an association for those with an interest in the studying and collecting of decanter labels, furthering research in to their history and encouraging contemporary design. Their web-site can be found at this link: www.winelabelcircle.org
The Society of Caddy Spoon Collectors was "formed to promote the study of a delightful memento of a gracious era and to assist its collectors". Their website can be found at http://www.caddyspoonsociety.org
For those of you interested in Art & Crafts, you will probably enjoy looking at the many photos of A E Jones items showing in the galleries at this link: www.aejonesboxes.co.uk or for contemporary, Celtic-style silver there is now a web-site dedicated to Alexander Ritchie of Iona at www.alexander-ritchie.co.uk
Where to see spoons:-
The Victoria & Albert Museum, South Kensington, London - www.vam.ac.uk - the recently restored silver galleries are a joy to wander around, with plenty of spoons!
The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House, London - www.gilbert-collection.org.uk - one of the World's greatest collections of silver .
The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk - examples of all early spoons, including all of the apostles.
National Museum & Gallery of Wales, Cardiff - www.nmgw.ac.uk/nmgc/ - a large & wide ranging collections of spoons amongst it's extensive collection.
The National Museum of Scotland. www.museum.scotland.net With approximately 3,000 items, this is the largest and most comprehensive collection of Scottish silver in the world.
Most city museums contain a selection of silver and where appropriate include locally made wares which can often be provincial spoons, e.g. Aberdeen, Bristol, Norwich, Exeter...
Where else to buy spoons on the net :-
www.payneandson.co.uk - one of the finest high street retailers in the UK with a wide ranging stock and a particularly strong range of arts & crafts and modern silver.
www.bexfield.co.uk - home to the Silver Spoon Club of Great Britain and lots of fine spoons on offer.
www.silfren.com - a good selection of silver on offer at realistic prices.
www.coritani.com - very professional and well organised web-site by one of the foremost dealers in spoons, boxes and other items of collectable silver.
www.leopardantiques.com - based in South Africa with a good selection of both Cape and English silver. An excellent links page.
www.steppeshillfarm.com - excellent web-site by a long established family business. Plenty of top quality collectable silver and early porcelain on offer.
www.dartsilverltd.co.uk - Dart Silver Ltd: Antique silver specialists located in Central Scotland. Always a good selection of Scottish Provincial silver in stock.
www.jamesbaldwinantiques.com - an attractively designed and innovative website with specialist sections for Old Sheffield Plate and modern makers.
www.westcountrysilver.co.uk - a website dedicated to the fascinating subject of Exeter & West Country silver that goes hand in hand with the new book by Miles Harrison.
We welcome any suggestions for suitable links. Please contact us with the address details.