Rare Antique French Hallmarked SP 6pc Coffee & Tea Set, Service with 23" Tray

Description

Rare Antique French Hallmarked SP 6pc Coffee & Tea Set, Service Including 23" Tray, Unique Style
All items and photos are the express property of Antiques & Uncommon Treasure. No reproduction without prior written consent.
If you like what you see, be sure to click here to add us to your Favorite Ebay Seller's List. We'll be sending out sale notices and special deals to our 'Favorites' customers.
Exquisite & rare antique French Belle Epoque era hallmarked silver-plate 6pc coffee & tea service including 23" tray, ornate guilloche style machined decoration including large interlaced "A de S" monogram medallions and all pieces in fabulous condition! Yes, silver plate as opposed to sterling silver as we are most known for but this is a set I simply had to have and, therefore, offer to our clientele. French in origins and by a highly reputable silversmith, the set bears the marks for Adolphe Boulanger of Paris. The silversmith house began in 1810 under the name Hautin, later to become Boulenger-Hautin in 1864. The specific marks on the pieces are for silver-plate and date between 1876-1899. Thick & heavy, the French even did silver plating right with a thicker layer of silver giving them added durability to last through the years with as few signs of age as possible, just as you see here. Often, you see loss, wear or even bubbling in the silver but not here. The weight gives them away as not being sterling silver but, other than that and by looking at the marks, you would swear that they were sterling silver. An exceptional set, gorgeous old French silver but at a fraction of the price of sterling. If sterling, the tray alone would likely be around k.
Teapots and their shapes and styles have evolved over time, just as al other items of antique silverware. Often, the form of these teapots, as with other silver wares, reflected the preferred tastes of the time. Being a staple of most upper class and middle class homes from the eighteenth century onwards, they are a wonderful indicator of the shifting of fashion. A quite unique set here, nearly pear shaped bodies though unlike any we've seen or offered to date and rare in that the set is both complete and in such a beautifully preserved condition!
Very good to excellent condition. I see no loss or damage to the silver plate to any of the pieces. A small scratch on the top of the larger coffee pot, just under the finial area. There is a faint dimple or two and there is a glued repair to the floral finial on the sugar pot but no other damage to note. See pictures for all individual weights and measurements.
Return Policy:
We always honor a 3-day return on our items, and guarantee them to be as described. Money back, less shipping costs, which are not refundable, so ask questions if necessary. We're easy to deal with.
Shipping and Handling Policy:
You are very important! Our fine inventory is very important. And your ranking of our performance is also very important! We wish to keep our 4.9 - 5 star ratings in all categories. Customer satisfaction is paramount with us, so if you're thinking we have not deserved your highest marks, please contact us and allow us to be sure your concerns are completely satisfied before you rank us. We aim for 5-star transactions every day, and depend upon you to tell us directly if we have not yet met that standard for your transaction. Thank you! We most often use USPS for our shipping needs but will be happy to ship by another carrier if you prefer.
We charge only actual postage & insurance, never a handling fee and never for packaging materials. Ebay is now requiring that our clients rank us on "shipping". The shipping price, speed and handling are actually under the sole control of the delivering postal agency, not Antiques & Uncommon Treasure so please remember that and leave us high DSR rankings. As always, please also feel free to contact us if you have any problems or concerns, we'll do what we can to ensure a happy and mutually enjoyable transaction.
Insurance has been eliminated as an option by ebay, forcing us sellers to either ship your items without insurance or assume that expense also. We always insure our items BUT, more importantly, pack them extremely well knowing that most are not replaceable. Again, damage in transit, while rare in our experience, is due to the postal agency handling and not caused by Antiques & Uncommon Treasure. Please remember that when leaving DSR ratings. Thanks!
Our shipping days are Tuesday and Friday, paid items will be shipped on the first shipping day after payment is received (except when special circumstances exist). We prefer to use USPS whenever possible, and require all packages to be insured. If you prefer another method of shipment, please mention it. We charge only actual expense of shipment/insurance, except in the case of larger items which must have special wood crates built. Wood crate charge, when applicable, is a flat .00 in addition to actual postage & insurance charges.
Other Information:
8.75% sales tax applicable as of April 1st, 2009 for shipments & sales within the state of California, no exceptions. If you are within CA and are a dealer buying for resale, you must provide us your active resale certificate # and acknowledgment of intent to resell or we will have to collect sales tax. No exceptions.
Auction Payment Methods:
Paypal: E-Check, Visa, Mastercard, etc.. Credit card payment by online service only, no direct processing.
***
BE SURE to also click our our "
" icon here or above to see more of our inventory, offerings and venues. We have a HUGE assortment of the finest antiques to be found online, all at your fingertips with Antiques & Uncommon Treasure. Thanks!
***
_gsrx_vers_631 (GS 6.9.8b6 (631))