Wonderful antique French gold plated .800 (nearly sterling) silver "vermeil" 12pc coffee or teaspoon set with lovely floral or acanthus accented pattern in a gorgeous Napoleon III era "Cafe" inlaid rosewood 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 there but I can't quite make it out and have not been able to identify them as of listing. The box as elegant as can be, veneered in a beautiful, richly grained rosewood with likely fruitwood strip or string inlays including a "Cafe" cartouche.
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 slight wear and/or fading to the gold plate. The box also near pristine with original inner fittings and no missing or damaged veneers and does have a working old skeleton key. See pictures for all measurements.
