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 William B. Durgin silver.
William B. Durgin Sterling Silver Bon Bon Spoon Pattern DUS18, c1890
By William B. Durgin
Located in valatie, NY
William B. Durgin Sterling Silver Bon Bon Spoon Pattern DUS18, c1890. A beautiful pattern with reticulated bowl and shell motifs on bowl and handle. Also can be used to serve berries...
Sterling Silver
Beautiful Tall American Art Nouveau Sterling Silver Vase
By William B. Durgin, Spaulding & Company
Located in New York, NY
Beautiful turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau sterling silver vase. Made by William B. Durgin in Concord. Conical with tall neck. Chased and engraved entwined tendrils with “shooting” fl...
Sterling Silver
Elegant American Edwardian Sterling Silver and Crystal Vase
By William B. Durgin
Located in New York, NY
Elegant Edwardian sterling silver and crystal vase. Made by Durgin (later part of Gorham) in Concord, NH. Sterling silver base comprising pierced cylinder on urn mount terminating in upward tapering shaft on raised foot with reeded rim. Crystal vessel with wavy petal rim and bellied bowl terminating in cone encased in tapering cylinder. Pretty acid-etched flowers with cut stems and petals. Silver hallmark includes no. 55 and Chicago retailer’s stamp CD Peacock...
Crystal, Sterling Silver
Art Nouveau - Style Sterling Silver Pedestal, Based Vase by Gorham
By Gorham Manufacturing Company
Located in New York, NY
Art Nouveau-Style, sterling silver, pedestal-based vase, Gorham Mfg. Company, Providence, Rhode Island, year-hallmarked for 1923. Hammered in design and chased with flowers. Measures...
Sterling Silver
Victorian Pair of Sterling Silver-Mounted Cut Crystal Vases
Located in New York, NY
Victorian pair of sterling silver-mounted cut crystal vases, England, circa 1895. Each heavy vase stands 7" high x 3 1/4" diameter at widest point. Crystal "twists" near the base of ...
Silver
20th Italian Sterling Silver Vase
By Argenterie Lala
Located in VALENZA, IT
Elegant and refined sterling silver vase. Entirely handcrafted and embossed with a torchon motif, the vase has been finely hammered all over the body. The mouth of the vase is shap...
Sterling Silver
20th Century Art Nouveau Revival Italian Sterling Silver Vase
By Ferrari Milano
Located in VALENZA, IT
Sterling silver vase in Art Nouveau - Liberty style made entirely by hand. The preparation of the structure of the vase required several processing times. The vase was made in differ...
Sterling Silver
Pair of Hawkes Crystal and Sterling Vases
By Hawkes and Son Makers
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Presenting a pair of Hawkes vases; crystal with sterling silver bases. The crystal is in the "diamond cut" pattern with slight curves alon...
Crystal, Sterling Silver
$10,000
H 5.25 in W 8.25 in D 4 in
Tiffany Sterling Silver Chrysanthemum Pattern Sauceboat, circa 1890
Located in New York, NY
Richly decorated with chrysanthemum flowers and buds enveloped in a rich foliate background.
Sterling Silver
$1,908
H 14.18 in Dm 7.88 in
Antique Silver Vase, Art Nouveau Green Glass Vase with Silver Overlay, Early 20C
Located in Wembley, GB
Art Nouveau Green Glass Vase with Silver Overlay, Early 20th Century An exceptional Art Nouveau decorative vase, featuring a luminous green art glass body encased in an exquisitely ...
Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver
$875
H 1 in W 7 in D 5.5 in
American Art Nouveau Sterling Silver Repousse Engraved Floral Decorative Dish
Located in New York, NY
This elegant Art Nouveau sterling decorative dish was realized in the United States circa 1900. It features repousse stylized floral motifs, apparently morning glory flowers and abst...
Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian Sterling Silver Vase by Elkington & Co (1887)
By Frederick Elkington
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
A fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver vase with military interest (Durham Light Infantry); an addition to our ornamental silverware collection. This fine antique Victorian sterling silver vase has a tapering cylindrical form to a domed circular spreading foot. The upper and lower portions of the body of the vase are embellished with embossed and chased stylized scrolling leaf and bead decoration in a swirl design. The body is further ornamented with a band of six cartouches amidst a shaped border accented with a leaf motif between each; four of the cartouches remain vacant. To one side there is a contemporary bright cut engraved crest of the Durham Light Infantry amidst the inscription ‘Presented to Officers, 3rd Bn, The Durham Light Infantry’, with the presentation inscription ‘Officers Race, won by, Lieut H J Sowerby, 1887’ to the other side. The upper rim of this impressive vase is encircled with an applied moulded border to the rim. The vase retains the original gilt interior. In 1758 General John Lambton of County Durham first raised the 68th Regiment of Foot as part of the British Army. This later amalgamated with another regiment to become The Durham Light Infantry in 1881. Condition This antique Victorian vase...
Silver, Sterling Silver
19th Century Sterling Silver Decorative Vase
Located in Tarry Town, NY
19th Century Italian sterling silver decorative vase with two side handles and exterior design details. The vase features a finely chase body with applied foliate motifs and semi pre...
Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver Art Nouveau Dish
By William Durgin
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This exquisite Art Nouveau sterling silver dish by William Durgin Silver Company, later absorbed by Gorham, is a masterful expression of the organic, flowing aesthetic that defined t...
Sterling Silver
1715 Sterling Silver Salt Spoon with Hanoverian Pattern
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Sterling silver salt spoon, London, 1715, Hanoverian pattern. George I period. Obverse monogram: WSH. Typically distorted marks. Provenance: Marks Antiques, London, 1999 to Dr. John ...
Silver, Sterling Silver
Sold
H 0.25 in W 5.5 in D 1.375 in
10 Antique Assorted Sterling Silver Twisted Scalloped Serving Spoons 184g
By Bruckmann & Söhne, William B. Durgin, William B. Kerr & Co., Towle Silversmiths, Whiting Manufacturing Company
Located in Dayton, OH
Lot of 10 antique sterling and one 800 silver sugar / tea spoons in a variety of styles and designs including shell bowls, twisted handles, floral motifs and one enameled. Makers inc...
Sterling Silver
Sold
H 4.75 in W 14.75 in D 12.16 in
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...
Silver, Sterling Silver
Large Sterling Silver-Mounted Controlled Bubbles Crystal Inkwell by Durgin
By William B. Durgin
Located in New York, NY
Large, Edwardian-Period, sterling silver mounted controlled bubbles design crystal inkwell with hinged lid, William B. Durgin Co., Concord, New Hampshire, Ca. 1900. Measures 4 1/2 in...
Crystal, Sterling Silver
Sold
H 0.88 in W 3 in D 3.88 in
Set of 12 Gorham Modern Sterling Silver Nautical Place Card Menu Holders
By William B. Durgin, Gorham Manufacturing Company
Located in New York, NY
Set of 12 Nautical sterling silver place card holders. Made by Durgin (part of Gorham) in Providence, ca 1950. Each: Open knotwork with back clip mounted to fluted scallop shell bowl...
Sterling Silver
Pretty Antique American Sterling Silver Scallop Shell Bowl
By William B. Durgin
Located in New York, NY
Pretty sterling silver scallop shell. Made by Durgin (later part of Gorham) in Concord, New Hampshire. Narrow with deep flutes, scalloped...
Sterling Silver