Presented is a delightful pair of antique American coin silver open salt cellars, dating to circa 1845-1860. These salts are made in an eye-catching lobed form, with a beaded border around the rim and gold wash to the interior. The salts stand on four applied scroll form feet with acanthus or palmette flourishes in the center. Interestingly, each salt is monogrammed with “Fargo” on the underside in script. There is no doubt in our mind that this pair was owned by the family of William Fargo, co-founder of the freight company that became today's American Express as well as the financial institution Wells Fargo, likewise still a household name. These pieces came to us in a lot with several other pieces owned by this historic family, including a christening cup engraved with a presentation to Edwin M. Fargo and the date 1861. Edwin Morgan Fargo, born 1861, was one of William Fargo's eight children, though unfortunately he would die quite young, in 1865. So although the rest of the silver items in the lot are only engraved with the surname, we are quite confident of their provenance with the historic Fargo family. You can view the listings for these items, which are all extraordinary pieces of silver in their own right as would be expected from the attachment to such a prominent name, by searching “Fargo” in our store.
Each salt is stamped on the underside with a maker's mark for early American maker Tifft & Whiting of North Attleboro, MA (retailed in NY). The marks are a rooster/bird above T&W above an arm holding a hammer. The marks are partially worn on both salts, but clearer on one than the other.
This pair of salts is in excellent overall condition. There are no splits, no dents, no monogram removals, no breaks, and no repairs.
Each salt measures about 3 3/8 by 2 3/8 by 1 1/8 inches, LxWxH.
The total weight for the pair is 95 grams or 3.4 regular ounces.
