William Tenney Antique Coin Silver Ice Tongs, New York City, c. 1840's

An early and very rare example of this form, these American silver ice tongs are made of heavy gauge silver in a beautiful design. The interior and exterior of the handles exhibit the classic Fiddle and Thread pattern and are monogrammed once on the front with the letter 'G'.

The blade is shaped as a shovel with circular piercings for water to drain. The wonderful bird claw has pointy talons for gripping ice.

These impressive tongs are marked 'TENNEY' on one handle and with their NYC address '251 B.[road]way' on the other. They also bear an 'ET' punch which indicates they were imported into France at one point in their history. They measure 9 inches long, weigh 4.20 troy ounces and are in excellent antique condition.