Rare Newcastle silver in London sale

Two very rare pieces of antique Newcastle silver come for sale in London on February 26 when a Charles II provincial silver tankard and a William III silver beaker carry hopes of £4,000-£6,000 and £6,000-£8,000 respectively.

The silver will be offered at Chiswick Auctions’ specialist sale of Silver and Objects of Vertu. 

The city of Newcastle enjoyed a long gold and silversmithing tradition. The earliest records of the craft on the Tyne date from 1249 (the appointment of assayers at the local mint), while five silversmiths are mentioned in founding of the Newcastle Guild of Handicrafts in the 14th century. 

A town mark, expressed by one or three castles, was used on items made in the city from the 17th century. However, it was not until 1702 that an official assay office with a date lettering system was opened. It functioned until 1884. 

Some of this early history is told through the two precious pieces offered for sale this month. 

The Charles II tankard, made c.1670-80, bears the makers mark of William Ramsey I, the most prolific of all the late-17th century Newcastle silversmiths. While spoons (flatware) survive in appreciable quantities, holloware is in a different league of rarity. Most pieces were melted down for bullion or reworked as fashions changed. 

This William III beaker, made in Newcastle c1695-1700 is by Eli Bilton I. Weighing 3.7oz it is engraved to the body with three tulip forms and strapwork along with the initials AS. 

Eli Bilton, son Thomas Bliton of Ratshersid, Northumberland, first became a freeman of the city of Newcastle by joining its trade guild as a glazier in 1682. He bound himself to the city goldsmiths by paying a bond of £100 the following year. 

When Newcastle was finally permitted to establish its own assay office and silversmiths’ guild, Bilton became a founding member, attending the first meeting of the Goldsmiths’ Company on June 24, 1702. 

Chiswick Auctions silver specialist John Rogers commented that having two pieces of Newcastle holloware of this date is most unusual. “Early Newcastle silver has been steadily increasing in value over recent years, bucking the downward trend for much traditional antique silver. Pieces made in the city in the 17th century scarcely if ever come to the market, so to have these two together is remarkable.”