GUEST: They belonged to my husband, and his father was a jeweler.
APPRAISER: Okay.
GUEST: And he did a lot of work in New York, that's where we think he acquired 'em.
APPRAISER: And do you use them for any specific purpose?
GUEST: They just sit on my dining room table for pretty.
APPRAISER: Well that's, I think, exactly what they're for. They're a real statement piece, aren't they?
GUEST: Yeah...
APPRAISER: They're absolutely gorgeous looking. They're actually made in London.
GUEST: Oh, wow.
APPRAISER: Yeah, and they have a set of English hallmarks on them.
GUEST Oh, wow.
APPRAISER: So the hallmarks in London in 1912, 1913, which is the beginning of George V's reign, it's about 100 years ago, very different time to now. They're made by the Pairpoint Brothers, who were actually very well known for making pieces like this, which are in a revival style. This is a Renaissance design that has been reproduced in the early 20th century, and I think they are so wonderful. I mean, look at the attributes that we have here. On the top, there is a merman, as you see, blowing on the large shell here. You see his wonderful scaly sort of legs coming out the back here, and he's sitting on these large scallop shells, supported on these four dolphin supports. Now, this type of sea beast was used very much in the 16th century as indicative of an animal that came from the deep, right?
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: So you would get them on antiquarian maps a lot, they were very common motif of the Renaissance period. You see that they merge, or they're sort of lying on these wonderful waves here, beautifully arranged around them. They are sterling silver.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: And what's interesting also about the placement of these marks, is that they're right at the front.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: So they're on show. When hallmarking was first introduced in London, which would be hundreds and hundreds of years ago, 700 years ago, the hallmark would have been hidden on the bottom. By this time, and particularly with this type of object, which is such a showy object, they want to advertise the fact that they're silver right front and center and that's what they've done. They probably weigh around 50 ounces, which in 2014 is around $20 an ounce, about maybe $1,000 or over, just over $1,000 each. But if these were to come up for auction, I would estimate them now at between $4,000 to $7,000.
GUEST: Wow...
APPRAISER: So quite a lot more than I think the sort of $2,000 that we would have imagined if they were melted down.
