Dominick & Haff Silver Pitcher, ca. 1870
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GUEST:
It's a silver water pitcher that was found by my husband's great-aunt Anstice on the beach in Galveston, Texas, following the Great Hurricane of 1900. She gave it to her brother when he got married. He married the girl next door. They had some sons. The eldest was my husband's father. They moved to Alabama. He married the girl next door. They gave the pitcher to them, moved around, ended up in Delaware in 1965. My family moves next door, and we get the pitcher for our 25th anniversary. This year will be my son's 25th anniversary, and we want to pass it on to him.
APPRAISER:
In the latter part of the 19th century, Galveston was a growing city. The port at Galveston was one of the busiest in the United States at that time. And then they got slammed by the Great Hurricane of 1900. It, it caused massive loss of life, and by today's standards, billions of dollars in destruction.
GUEST:
That's what I...
APPRAISER:
As a growing city, there was a lot of wealth in Galveston at this period. So it's not surprising you would see a, a piece like this. And it, this would have been a very expensive water pitcher.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
The pitcher was made by Dominick and Haff, and they were a very prominent maker out of New York, and they made very high-end, very high-quality silver.
GUEST:
(chuckles)
APPRAISER:
And they would have sent it to retailers throughout the country. And you can see here the retailer's mark of "F.C. Thompson" and a maker's mark. And it probably dates to about 1870.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And one of the things I love about it is the detail, when we see here the beautiful workmanship of all of those repoussé flowers and the engraving on the reeded edge. A silversmith actually goes from the inside and, and pushes those flowers out.
GUEST:
Oh, really?
APPRAISER:
And then they finish it by hand on the outside. It's, it's wonderfully made. And the other detail that I just love is the handle with those beautiful cat tails.
GUEST:
That's my favorite part, too. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
I would say, if this showed up at auction, I wouldn't be surprised if you got in the $2,000 to $3,000 ballpark for it.
GUEST:
(gasps, laughing): Oh, my God! Yeah! Sorry. (laughing softly) That's exciting!
APPRAISER:
Does that surprise you?
GUEST:
Yes, it does. I had no clue, but I never would have guessed like that, no.
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