Wonderful antique French early to mid 1800s gold plated .800 (nearly sterling) solid silver "vermeil" 12pc coffee or teaspoon set with lovely acanthus accented pattern in a gorgeous Napoleon III era gilt embossed green leatherette covered storage and/or presentation box! One of a few elegant old French sterling & vermeil teaspoon sets that we've added recently. Fabulous service pieces and an undeniable history of opulence, dare we say extravagance? All twelve spoons bear the French Minerve or Minerva hallmark, the curved outer shape of the mark and the tiny number "2" within designates them as being in .800 silver (80% pure so just under the .925 standard for "sterling" silver). The silversmith is for Claude Doutre Roussel, Paris circa 1895. The box fabulous also, green leather style covered boxwood with gilt embossed decoration on the lid, original interior and both clasps intact. But, you won't want to leave them in the box.....
Very good to excellent condition, age considered. As you can see in the images, no damage or repairs to the spoons but, as you can see, there is some wear and/or fading to the gold plate here and there (pictures show it all). The box also in great shape with original inner fittings both clasps and only minor exterior nicks, etc. as seen in images. See pictures for all measurements.
