Antique silver — the most interesting small collectibles in London

A cast wine label with integral crest engraved for HOCK, by Isaac Cookson of Newcastle (d. 1754), crested for FENWICK .
Price: £975.00

This label is described as follows in Wine Labels 1730-2003 (2004)- p. 224:
"Mid-eighteenth century cast designs are rare [in Newcastle], but not unknown. Isaac Cookson made a version of the two putti design (see fig. 744 HOCK by Isaac Cookson circa 1745) incorporating, top centre, a crest of a phoenix in flames , 'murally gorged'. This is the crest of the Fenwick family , which had several branches in the surrounding counties of Northumberland and Durham. As with all armorial labels, these labels would have to have been made to a private commission and were probably in a set of six".

This label was exhbited at the Wine Label Circle in 2003 while the BURGUNDY from the set is mentioned in the Society's Journal in 1954, the CLARET in 1957. PORT, CHAMPAGNE and another (unspecified) were referred to in 1976.

A George III escutcheon-shaped wine label for CLARET, by Samuel Teare of Dublin circa 1755, initialled {BE}
Price: £495.00

A wine label for CALCAVELLA of similar shape and threaded border by this maker is in the collection of the National Museum of Ireland and is illustrated on page 129 of 500 years of Irish silver by Ida Delamer and Conor O'Brien (2005) as figure 23.23.

A rectangular wine label with canted corners engraved for BRANDY, York 1807 by William Astley
Price: £450.00

There were only 14 labels assayed by this maker in 1807-1808

A crescent wine label engraved for PORT, Chester circa 1780 by Joseph Walley of Liverpool.
Price: £425.00

A pair of Victorian thread-edge wine labels engraved for MARASCHINO and CURACOA, by Yapp and Woodward Birmingham 1854 .
Price: £395.00

A "two putti" pattern wine label engraved for QUINCE, Birmingham 1808 probably by Matthew Linwood.
Price:

Although this label does not carry a maker's mark, this design is closely associated with Matthew Linwood (see Wine labels 1730-2003, figure 781 and page 242).

An oval reeded wine label engraved for SHERRY, by Williams Brothers Exeter 1853
Price: £295.00

This label was once part of the Warde-Aldam family silver at Hooton Pagnell, Yorkshire. It is one of only 33 assayed by the Williams Brothers at Exeter and must be one of the earliest of their labels assayed there -- Exeter Assay Office records only show their labels from 1854 onwards.

A wine label with threaded border pierced for CHAMPAGNE, by Thomas Phipps and Edward Robinson London 1806.
Price: £295.00

A thread-edged wine label pierced for NOYAU, by Phipps and Robinson London 1806 .
Price:

Noyau, as well as being the name of a town in Picardy and on Haiti, is a French liqueur made from brandy and flavoured with almonds and the pits of apricots. 'Noyau de la Martinique' is mentioned in the London Public Advertiser on 11th May 1775.

A small bottle stand mounted on a wooden base, by Robert Hennell London 1832, crested for the GORDON family, baronets of Niton.
Price: £275.00

Sir James Willoughby Gordon (1772-1851) became Quartermaster General under the Duke of Wellington in 1812 and held the post until 1851, as well as being MP for Launceston 1829-1831.

An Old Sheffield Plate wine coaster with japanned base and border pierced with Prince of Wales Feathers, circa 1790 .
Price: £240.00

A coaster of very similar design to the body of this one can be seen in figure 334a of Gordon Crosskey's Old Sheffield Plate: A history of the 18th century plated trade (2011). The japanned base, described as 'very rare' on page 280 of that book, a set with these bases shown in figure 333.

A boudoir label engraved GLYCERINE, by William Jones London 1859 .
Price: £225.00

A rectangular label with cut corners engraved BRANDY by Joseph Angell, London 1813.
Price: £120.00

A George III hump-top wine label, pierced as a sunburst and engraved for PORT, unmarked circa 1790 .
Price: £110.00

This label is illustrated in Wine Labels 1730-2003 (ed. John Salter, 2004) as figure 155 on p. 52.