Antique Coin Silver Tongs Agriculture Fair Premium Prize J. Brockwy NH VT NY

Description

This is a handsome pair of shell bowl coin silver tongs, with some intriguing marks. We believe the cow mark with “
Premium
” signifies these were awarded as an agricultural prize at a fair, for what category is unknown. These prizes were called premiums. They were commonly silver goods such as cups, spoons, and as we have here, tongs. They were often awarded at county fairs for contests ranging from the best pig to the prettiest baby.
The other arm is marked “
Brockwy
”, we believe for Joseph Brockway, who was a silver smith in New England 1815-79. Both marks are very rare if not unique, so a necessary purchase for a Vermont collector (He was also an inventor and a dentist. Google Joseph Brockway to see an explanation of a machine he invented to manufacture silver spoons on our friend’s site).
These tongs are 5 1/8” long and weigh 0.95 troy ounces. They’
re in good antique condition.
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