Lowell & Senter Retailed Coin Silver Sardine Tongs, Lowell, MA, c 1860

American silver sardine tongs are quite rare and when coin silver, even rarer. These are the earliest examples of this form we have had. The tines, top and handle all feature bright-cut engraving, with flowers adorning the area above the tines. The top section is attached to the bottom with two rivets.

Lowell and Senter were fine jewelers in Lowell, MA who retailed very nice silver - much of it by Boston makers.  Although unmarked by the maker, these are similar to pieces made by Newell Harding and Farrington & Hunnewell and were most likely made in Boston.

Provenance:

Collection of Dale E. Bennett.

Literature:

William P. Hood, Jr., John R. Olson, Charles S Curb, "American Sardine Silver, Part II" in Silver Magazine, November/ December 2000, illus. p. 35

These rare tongs are 7 inches long and 1.5 inches wide at the tines. They weigh 1.3 troy ounces, are marked "Lowell & Senter," and are in very good antique condition with a slight unoriginal bend to the top part of the tine.