The Old Corkscrew – Going For Gold to celebrate 50 years of LAPADA
The Old Corkscrew, of Franschhoek, South Africa, is a regular exhibitor at the Berkeley Square Fair. It specialises in exceptional pieces covering silver, fine arts and the unusual. With a strong emphasis on decorative antiques, owner Jeremy Astfalck has decided to celebrate LAPADA’s 50th golden anniversary by selecting a wonderful selection of pieces linked by the theme Going For GOLD, some of which are on the market for the first time.
Here is a guide to those he has chosen:
Early Gold
An English Georgian gold thimble inscribed Julia De Winten, circa 1800.
A A presentation gold box by JR with inscription A token of Friendship to Captn Geo. Richardson from his friends Major Hall 89th Reg. & Captn Frye 3d Ceylon Regt. Captn Wildey 19 Regt Calcutta Dec 20th 1811. The maker Joseph Rondo (1767-1846) has the maker’s mark JR and worked in Calcutta 1788-1818. So, this is possibly Indian Gold. Our research continues.
American Gold
B The California Gold Rush (1848–1855). American 14-18 ct gold vesta case or match safe inset with gold quartz stone and dated 1870. The maker is probably George C. Shreve & Co., San Francisco, CA. The inscription reads: To John Archbald Esq, Cashier, San Francisco, Savings union, May 14th 1870.
South African Gold
C The Witwatersrand Gold Rush began in 1886 and led to the establishment of Johannesburg. A 15 ct gold and enamel sovereign case of unusual design with presentation inscription that reads: To E.P. Solomon from Woolf Joel. Woolf Joel (22 Nov 1863-14 March 1898), a mining magnate, was the nephew of the diamond and gold magnate Barney Barnato, and Sir Edward Phillip Solomon KCMG (Teddy) (1845-20 November 1914) was one of the participants in the Jameson Raid.
D Edwardian 18 ct gold double sovereign case marked for Birmingham 1904 with engraved presentation inscription from MEYER & CHARLTON GMCo. The MEYER & CHARLTON Gold mining company owned the Meyer and Charlton Gold mine on what was then the outskirts of Johannesburg. It was the original source of wealth of the Albu brothers, George and Leopold. The mine operated from 1888 and closed in 1932.
English gold
E 19th century gold Mordan pen/pencil in 9 ct gold brooch marked for Chester 1911, set with a diamond and two blue sapphires by James Marlow. And a 9 ct gold quill dip pen with finely etched feather in original presentation case marked for London 1938 by Mappin & Webb Ltd.
Mixed Metals
F An early 20th century French mixed metals vesta case the silver base with inlaid gold strips by “LEUCHARS & SON GEFFROY ST PARIS”.
Silver gilt
As gold is too heavy to produce larger items, the process of silver being gilded was perfected firstly using gold dissolved in mercury which was applied and then burnt off, leaving a layer of gold known as silver gilt.
G A pair of Victorian silver gilt grape shears marked for London 1881, in the Bacchanalian pattern, originally designed by Thomas Stothard for Rundell Bridge & Rundell with pieces in the Royal Collection dating from 1812.
H From the 1850s electro gilding was developed where the silver item was gold plated. Victorian silver gilt Warwick vase marked for London 1891 by Walter & John Barnard. Weighing 167 Oz/ 5.2 Kg.
Parcel Gilt
A pair of parcel gilt silver candelabra marked for London 1975, by Stuart Devlin.
The process of silver that has been gold plated is known as gilding and where used to highlight certain areas it is known as parcel gilt. It is this speciality that can be appreciated in this suite of candelabra.
Golden Corkscrews
Victorian silver gilt Campaign set marked for London 1872, comprising knife, fork, spoon and corkscrew in original case engraved with owner’s crest. Art Deco silver gilt corkscrew and bottle opener marked for London 1949 with presentation inscription for “W. Mumford Ltd Golden Jubilee 1950”. W. Mumford Ltd of Plymouth were Rolls Royce & Bentley Agents.
The Old Corkscrew
