A boxed set of Japanese silver spoons retailed by Liberty & Co

For sale is this boxed set of six Liberty & Co Japanese silver spoons with three rare finials of a toad, frog and snail or sea shell.   With lovely detail to both the bowls and terminals.

These spoons are all marked for Liberty, London, 1897, and carry the “F” London import mark.  They predate Liberty’s Cymric range when Liberty was largely selling only imported silver.

They are also marked S.M. whose mark typically appears on Liberty & Co’s silver in the 1893-1899 period.  The S.M mark has been documented by Adrien von Ferscht, an expert on Chinese Export Silver, as originating from a little known Canton firm working in Yokahama, Japan, Sadajiro Musashiya.  The firm’s founder and silversmith being Ozeki Sadajiro.  See this link for further information on this mark.

These types of Japanese spoons also feature in Simon Moore’s book “Artists’ spoons and related table cutlery” pages 50-52.

The spoons are all in very good original condition with some minor distortion to the stems.  The box is useable but with tired interior and damaged clasp.  Unmarked it is almost certainly original.

Price: Reserved

Maker: SM, Liberty

Designer: NA

Date: 1897

Marks: S.M.  Ly&Co, London, “b”, “F” import mark

Material: Sterling Silver

Condition: Very good

Size: 9.25 cm long

Weight: 4-5 grams each