Antique 1924 Birmingham Sterling Silver Pepper Shaker — Adie Brothers Ltd, Pear Form, Four Pad Feet, 8cm, 100 Year Old Piece

A hundred years old this year. Still standing. Still pouring.

This charming and characterful antique sterling silver pepperette was made in Birmingham in 1924 by the highly regarded firm of Adie Brothers Ltd — which means this little piece has reached its centenary, and it carries that century with considerable grace and appeal.

The form is wonderfully accomplished and deeply satisfying in the hand. At 8cm tall and 3cm in diameter, this is a perfectly proportioned table pepperette — slender enough to be elegant, substantial enough at 30 grams to feel genuinely well-made and purposeful when lifted. The body is a plump, rounded pear shape — smooth, full and generously proportioned — sitting on four elegantly cast pad feet that lift it clear of the table with a lightness and poise that belies its solid construction. The shoulders narrow gracefully to a shaped scalloped collar, from which the pierced domed cap rises to a turned finial — the piercing arranged in neat circular holes that deliver an even, controlled dispersion of pepper or salt. The overall silhouette is compact, confident and thoroughly pleasing — the kind of small domestic silver object that the Birmingham trade produced with extraordinary consistency and skill throughout the early 20th century.

Looking closely at the photographs, the proportions are excellent — the relationship between the bulbous body, the flared scalloped collar and the domed pierced cap is beautifully resolved, and the four pad feet give the piece a stable, elegant presence on the table.

About Adie Brothers Ltd

Adie Brothers Ltd were one of Birmingham's most prolific and respected silversmiths, producing hallmarked sterling silver of consistently high quality throughout the early and mid 20th century. Their condiment pieces — pepperettes, mustards and salt cellars — are among their most collectable output, well-finished and keenly sought by collectors of English antique table silver. A piece bearing the Adie Brothers mark and a 1924 Birmingham date letter is a solidly provenanced and desirable item.

Hallmarks — Clearly Struck

• Maker: Adie Brothers Ltd, Birmingham
• Assay Office: Birmingham — anchor mark
• Standard: Sterling Silver — lion passant
• Date: 1924
• All marks present and visible in hallmark photograph

An honest condition note:

We believe in describing every piece with complete honesty. This pepperette is in good overall condition and presents very pleasantly — the silver retains a good reflective finish and the form is structurally sound throughout. There is some black spotting to the body surface — consistent with age-related tarnish that has settled into surface imperfections over a century of existence — and three notable dings: two to the body and one to the top of the piece. These are clearly visible in the photographs and honestly reflected in the pricing. None of these points affect the functionality or display appeal of the piece and they are entirely consistent with genuine antique character accumulated over 100 years of life.

Specifications

• Metal: Sterling Silver
• Maker: Adie Brothers Ltd, Birmingham
• Date: 1924
• Weight: 30 grams
• Height: 8 cm
• Diameter: 3 cm
• Form: Pear-shaped body on four pad feet, scalloped collar, pierced domed cap with finial
• Function: Pepperette / salt shaker
• Condition: Good overall — some black spotting to body; three notable dings — two to body, one to top. Honestly priced.

A genuine Adie Brothers centenary piece — antique English sterling silver at its most characterful, functional and collectable.