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Durgin Silver Company Serving Bowls

American

In its heyday, the Durgin Silver Company was one of the largest sterling silver flatware and hollowware manufacturers in the United States. Responsible for the trailblazing Fairfax pattern — one of the most popular patterns in the U.S. for a time during the early 20th century — Durgin Silver established a reputation for quality and durability.

The company was founded in 1853 in Concord, New Hampshire, by William Butler Durgin. Raised by farmers in Campton, New Hampshire, in 1833, Durgin grew up learning about agriculture from his parents. To their dismay, he decided life as a farmer wasn’t for him, and he shifted his focus to jewelry. 

Durgin left Campton for Boston, where openings in the jewelry trade were scarce at the time. Undaunted, he became an apprentice to a silversmith named Newell Harding. In his second year as an apprentice, however, Durgin fell ill and returned to New Hampshire, settling in Concord. After he recovered, Durgin established his eponymous company.

Over the next 50 years, the Durgin Silver Company earned accolades for its role as one of the finest producers of sterling silverware in America. From its large brick factory in Concord, the firm manufactured exquisite tableware, serving pieces, tea sets and home decor such as candleholders. Its variety of elegant patterns, including Chatham, Chrysanthemum, English Rose, Louis XV, Victorian, Orange Blossom and the aforementioned Fairfax, were extraordinarily popular.

In 1878, Durgin’s son George Francis, who had learned silversmithing from his father, became a partner and the company enjoyed considerable success around the turn of the 20th century. Among their clients were the Packard Motor Company, the Davis Cup, the National Cash Register Company and the battleship U.S.S. New Hampshire, for which they made a 72-piece silver service and bell.

Durgin died in 1905 of cystitis and pneumonia, and tragically, George died soon afterward. That year, Durgin Silver became a division of another well-known American silver firm, the Gorham Silver Manufacturing Company. Today, Durgin Silver remains highly coveted among collectors of American silver. 

On 1stDibs, find a range of antique Durgin Silver Company serveware and decorative objects.

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Creator: Durgin Silver Company
Durgin for Grogan Sterling Silver Repousse Bowl from Late 19th Century
By Durgin Silver Company, Grogan & Co
Located in New York, NY
Durgin sterling silver bowl, retailed by Grogan, from the late 19th century with an ornate border with repousse floral and curvilinear designs. It measures 15'' in depth by 12'' in w...
Category

Late 19th Century American Antique Durgin Silver Company Serving Bowls

Materials

Silver, Sterling Silver

William B. Durgin Co. 1900 Edwardian Neo Classic Center Bowl 925 Sterling Silver
By Durgin Silver Company, William B. Durgin
Located in Miami, FL
An impressive center bowl designed by William B. Durgin Co. Magnificent very rare piece, created in the United States by the silversmiths and silverware makers William B. Durgin Co, back in the turn of the 19th century, circa 1900. This fabulous center vase bowl was crafted with Edwardian neoclassical patterns in solid .925/.999 sterling silver with high polished finish. The vase stand in a rounded pedestal foot and suited with a pair of elaborated handles with multiples garlands and tassels. The upper border is adorned with four groups of organic motifs of flowers chiseled in low and high relief and a fine bright cut decoration along the rim. The design of this piece is extremely interesting as it brings together various artistic movements such as the Art Nouveau, the Edwardian, the Neoclassical with a hint of neo-Gothic details and the Greek Revival. Has a total weight of 972 Grams and a measurements of 389 mm by 375 mm by 120 mm (12.16 x 14.75 x 4.75 Inches). Stamped with the maker's mark cartouche with a D associated to William B. Durgin Co, the model number and signed, "D STERLING 930C". NutmegGraters.Com ~ American Sterling Nutmeg Grater By Durgin William B. Durgin Co. (1853 - 1924) was a noted American sterling silver manufacturer based in Concord, New Hampshire, and one of the largest flatware and hollowware manufacturers in the United States. Over the period between the 1905-1924 it was merged into the Gorham Manufacturing Company. The company was founded by the silversmith William Butler Durgin (July 29, 1833 - May 6, 1905). Durgin was born in Campton, New Hampshire, and from 1849-1853 apprenticed to Boston silversmith Newell Harding. In the 1840s Durgin moved back to Concord, where he opened a small shop making spoons opposite the Free Bridge Road. He incorporated as William B. Durgin Company in 1853, in 1854 added the manufacture of silverware, and in 1866 established a large brick factory on School Street. In 1905, after the death of both Durgin and his son, George F. Durgin, the company was acquired by Gorham through a long process that culminated with an official purchase in 1924. Production was moved to Providence, Rhode Island, in 1931. The company made the Davis Cup, the silver service for the battleship USS New Hampshire, and medals for St. Paul's School. Its Fairfax flatware...
Category

Late 19th Century North American Edwardian Antique Durgin Silver Company Serving Bowls

Materials

Silver, Sterling Silver

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Durgin Silver Company serving bowls for sale on 1stDibs.

Durgin Silver Company serving bowls are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of sterling silver and are designed with extraordinary care. Prices for Durgin Silver Company serving bowls can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $3,980 and can go as high as $3,980, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $3,980.
Questions About Durgin Silver Company Serving Bowls
  • 1stDibs ExpertOctober 15, 2024
    Yes, the Derby Silver Company is real silver. However, most pieces produced by the maker are silver-plate, meaning they have a finish that consists of a thin layer of genuine silver. The remainder of the silver-plated tableware and decorative objects are made of base metal. Founded in 1872, the Derby Silver Company was an American silversmith best known for its line of silver-plated mirrors, combs, brushes, clocks, flatware and tea sets. On 1stDibs, explore an assortment of Derby Silver Company silver wares.
  • 1stDibs ExpertSeptember 10, 2024
    Yes, the International Silver Company produced real silver products. The hallmark "IS," however, refers to the brand and does not indicate purity, as International Silver mass produced silverplated flatware and holloware as well as sterling. In order to determine if the piece is real silver, look for the standard marks that indicate purity — the number 92.5 or 925 and the word “sterling” are indicators of sterling quality.

    When an object is described as “silver” or “sterling silver,” it means that it contains 92.5% pure silver (the remaining 7.5% consists of copper and/or other alloys). The purity standard was first established in England and later adopted in the United States. The mark on antique British sterling-silver pieces is the lion passant (a lion walking to the left), which signifies a work is 92.5 percent pure sterling; if it’s not there, it is likely silverplate — or not English.

    International Silver was a Connecticut conglomerate formed from 17 companies in 1898. It was once the largest manufacturer of silver and silver-plated products in the world.

    Find antique International Silver Company serveware, platters and decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMay 3, 2024
    No, the International Silver Company is not still in business. In 1981, the company stopped producing silver due to financial troubles. By 1983, its assets had undergone complete liquidation, and in 1984, Katy Industries Inc. purchased the company. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of International Silver Company silver wares.

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