Gorgeous antique French Napoleon III era 24pc table knife set with elegant sterling silver & ebony or ebonized wood handles, a 2pc place setting for twelve in the larger dinner sized and medium luncheon or entremet sized knives with Classical or French Empire style pattern & wonderful condition! Complete and original, with a nod to the unfortunate loss of one handle end cap on a smaller knife. These all have the original pre-stainless steel blades so they will have a bit of visible age to them but, in my opinion, that really only adds a certain character, some history and elegance. Solid wood handles, either ebony or with an ebonized finish and the sterling silver caps & collars or ferules have a Classical or Empire style to them. A beautiful set and would make a fabulous addition to your fine sterling silver table service.
Very good condition, age considered. As mentioned, the blades are pre-stainless so do have some age tarnish and/or corrosion visible. The best way to store them to avoid any further rust or corrosion is by applying a very thin layer of oil, vegetable oil or similar. One of the smaller knives is missing the silver cap on its handle, unfortunate but worth noting. I see no age cracks or splits in the wood. See pictures for individual weights and measurements.
