Rare circa 1770 John Buckett Georgian spring hinged sterling silver sugar tongs

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Rare circa 1770 John Buckett Georgian spring hinged sterling silver sugar tongs:
$154.99

We are listing these rare circa 1770 Georgian spring hinged decorated sterling silver sugar tongs by the London silversmith John Buckett. Spring hinged (sometimes called torsion spring) tongs were only made for a few years during the late 1700s, at approximately the same time that cast tongs were being produced (before bow shaped tongs became the norm). On page 10 of GEORGIAN SILVER SUGAR TONGS you can see an example of a pair by a different maker. The author (who also has the silversugartongs website) notes that is quite unusual to find a functional pair of these tongs (due to their fragile designs), but the hinge on this pair is still functioning.The listed tongs are nicely decorated with beaded edges on both sides of their hinge and both arms, and they have very nice nippled acorn bowls. They are marked inside one arm with a lion passant and an IB maker\'s mark, and inside the other arm with two of the same IB makers\' marks. This mark was never registered but was recorded in 1770 by London silversmith John Buckett (see page 258 of Grimwade\'s London Goldsmiths 1697-1837). The tongs are almost 5.75 inches long, weigh 1.3 ounces, they are very nicely decorated, have a fully functioning spring hinge, and they are in very good repaired condition. Almost all surviving spring hinged tongs have been repaired (due to their fragile designs), and this pair has a repair on one arm (see the last picture). Please view the closeup pictures and judge for yourself (the tongs have not been professionally polished). A very rarely seen form of Georgian tongs.

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