Vintage 1890's English 5-Piece Cutlery By Robert Mosley

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Authentic Antique English Double Carving Set With Ivory Handles IN ORIGINAL CASE by Robert F. Mosley – Sheffield , England .925 Sterling Silver Bands Between Handles and Utensils Marked With Distinctive Series of British Hallmarks dating Set to Mid-19 th Century! Offered At NO RESERVE ! This very distinctive item is part of a Baton Rouge Estate which contains a raft of silver items, antiques, historical artifacts, silver memorabilia and other collectible items. My law firm is probating this matter and we've gathered some of the decedent's family silver and other historical items and are offering them in several lots, just as they came from the Estate. (Other silver items and related memorabilia are offered from this Estate SO CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS!) DETAILS ON THIS ITEM: These intricately constructed sterling silver cutlery items with what are listed as ivory handles in the Estate notes are striking and lovely. There are the following 5 utensils, all with ivory handles and set in the original case : 1. Traditional carving knife with stamped blade hallmark: Robert F. Mosley & Co. Cutler and Silversmiths SHEFFIELD 2. A second double-edged carving knife. 3. 2 carving forks with pedicles (as seen in the photos); and 4. A round sharpening steel stamped with the words: CAST STEEL . The utensils vary in length, as noted in the pictures, but the knives are over a foot long. All utensils are completely intact and in FANTASTIC condition. The case shows the age of 150 years but still houses the cutlery perfectly. The British Hallmarks confirm these knives are made in Sheffield , England by “RFM” (Robert F. Mosley—although the stamped trademark on the carving knife confirms this also) in the latter part of the 19thy Century. The closest we can come from hallmark information is that it would be after 1890, as there is no duty mark, and before 1909, when Mosley’s Silvermark went from the block “RFM” stamped on the silver bands seen on these items to a more ornate script seen on later items. See British Hallmark provenance set out below for more details. About Robert Fead Mosley : R.F Mosley lived 1841-1921. He started as an apprentice scissor maker and ultimately parlayed those skills into a successful cutlery company based at the Portland Works in Sheffield , England from 1878 until well after 1900. Mosley’s firm worked with Harry Brearley, the generally acknowledged inventor of stainless steel, to forge the first stainless steel blades in 1914. Portland Works still exists. It is located to the west of Bramall Lane in the “John Street Triangle” conservation area, is one of the city's last remaining examples of a purpose built light metal trades integrated works. Many similar buildings and associated working class housing were demolished within the city centre throughout the 1950s and 1960s as part of a national 'slum clearance' program. The works is situated on Randall Street at its junction with Hill Street and forms part of an important enclave of 11 nineteenth century industrial buildings. Commissioned by Robert F. Mosley (1841-1921) and designed by J.H. Jenkinson Architects, planning permission was approved for the building on the 15 th of September 1876 and it was built soon after in one phase. R. F. Mosley & Co. Ltd., manufacturer of cutlery and silverware, was the first firm in the world to produce stainless steel cutlery and it continued to operate on the site until the late 1950s. In typical style workshops within Portland Works were sublet immediately after construction and by 1879 the building also housed William H. Green (spring knife maker) and George Gill (cutlery manufacturer). R.F. Mosley & Co.'s Portland Works was described in an 1888 directory of Sheffield 's industries as: "A well erected premises [that] provides every facility for the class of trade carried on. It comprises offices, handsome showrooms, systematically arranged stockrooms, well equipped packin... read more

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