ipsilateral
Sr. Member
Most of my finds these days aren't in the field because of two young babies and my demanding urban life. Nonetheless, you can't take the treasure hunter out of a man. A few weeks ago, I was in a Washington, DC junk shop and was offered the opportunity to step into the 'back room' to look at some finds that puzzled the owner. There were several pieces of silver plate and then out comes this gravy boat. I had a loupe and started scouring for marks, but could not find any. The piece felt good in the hand, and it was certainly decorative, so I took a gamble and made an offer for this piece and a piece that was obviously silver plate for good measure. When I got into the car, I spotted a tiny set of hallmarks that I knew to be Italian. Once the piece was fully identified, I determined that it was an extremely rare piece of luxury silver! With a friend who speaks Italian, I wrote the maker in Florence and the maker confirmed the authenticity, and the value of the item of about $8,000, and that their group made the piece in the 1950's. Quite a lucky find and so glad this bird decided to fly home with me!
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