Description: My father, Robert J. Bass was a world class Numismatist, assembling the largest, most comprehensive collections of gold rush era patterns, coins, and memorabilia. I inherited this Samuel Kirk and Son Sterling Silver bear with part of his silver coin collection., it is not known what type of seated bear it is, (though I believe it is a black or brown Bear), it is very solid, whimsical in it's posture and expression, and has sculptural marks to indicate fur, I do not know the provenance, On the base it is stamped S. Kirk and Son., Sterling. It weighs 5 oz. It measures 1.25" x 1.125" x 1" Here's the history of the silversmith: Kirk & Son (American) Also known as: Samuel Kirk & Son Biography: In 1815 Samuel Kirk opened a neighborhood silver store in Baltimore, what would eventually become the Kirk Stieff Corporation, the oldest surviving, highly prestigious silver company in the U.S. Born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, a descendent of two prominent English silversmith families, Kirk moved to Baltimore in his late teens after apprenticing with James Howell in Philadelphia. In 1846, Kirk changed the name of his company to Samuel Kirk & Son with the addition of his son Henry Child, and again in 1861 to Samuel Kirk & Sons when sons Charles and Clarence joined the firm. Although these younger sons left the company after the Civil War, Henry and his son, Henry, Jr., continued the family business after Samuels death in 1872. Kirk silver, or Baltimore silver is instantly recognizable by its hand-crafted repousse technique hammering the reverse side of silver to produce an intricate design in low relief -- which Samuel Kirk introduced to America in 1828. Customers especially desired his repousee tea services, bowls, and flatware with elaborate floral patterns and architectural images. Kirks reputation for meticulous craftsmanship and innovative design spread nationwide; famous assignments included renovating 550 pieces of gold flatware belonging to the White House dinner service and creating a 48-piecee dinner service with scenes of Marylands history for the sailboat Maryland. During the twentieth century, Samuel Kirk & Son, Inc. broadened its silver line to include sculpture, jewelry, and pewter decorative objects. In 1979, the Baltimore Stieff Company purchased Kirk, renaming the firm to The Kirk Stieff Company, and in 1990 the Brown Forman Co. of Louisville, Kentucky, purchased Kirk-Stieff.
Price: 350 USD
Location: Gold Beach, Oregon
End Time: 2025-01-20T04:02:15.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
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Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Brand: Kirk Stieff
Composition: Sterling Silver
Age: 1970
