Antique Sterling Silver Double Sovereign Holder – Birmingham | 1913
Impossible de charger la disponibilité du service de retrait
A piece of quiet perfection from Edwardian England. This double sovereign holder was crafted in Birmingham in 1913 — the final golden years before the First World War changed everything — when the gold sovereign was still the everyday currency of a confident empire. Slim enough to slip into a waistcoat pocket, substantial enough to feel considered, it was an object made for a world that valued both function and elegance in equal measure.
The exterior is adorned with fine engine-turned wave engraving that flows across the full face of the case — a hallmark of Edwardian silversmithing — interrupted only by a plain diamond-shaped cartouche at the centre, left deliberately blank and awaiting a monogram or family crest. The reverse is polished smooth, catching the light with a mirror finish that belies its age.
Open the sprung clasp and the case reveals two precision-fitted circular coin compartments, each holding a single gold sovereign securely behind a spring-tensioned retaining collar. The mechanism remains crisp and positive — snapping shut with the satisfying authority of fine Victorian-era engineering. The interior lid carries the full Birmingham hallmark suite, its impressions still sharply struck and entirely legible.
"Few antique objects are as tactile as a well-made sovereign holder. You feel the weight of it, the click of it — and then you remember exactly what it was made to carry."
The maker’s mark BPDC identifies the piece as the work of B. P. D. & Co., a Birmingham-based silversmith active during the late Victorian and early 20th century period. Their work reflects the high standards of British assay silver, with precise craftsmanship and durable construction. The presence of this mark, alongside full Birmingham hallmarks, adds authenticity and collector appeal, firmly placing the piece within the golden age of traditional sovereign holders.
Product Specifications
- Item: Double Sovereign Holder
- Material: 925 Sterling Silver
-
Hallmarks:
- Maker’s mark: BPDC
- Birmingham Assay Office (Anchor)
- Lion Passant (Sterling Silver)
- Date Letter: O - 1913
-
Dimensions:
- Length: 5.5 cm
- Width: 3.0 cm
- Depth: 1.0 cm
- Coin Compartments: Double holder (approx. 22mm diameter each)
- Weight: 24.7 grams
- Design: Patterned outer face with central cartouche
-
Condition:
- Lovely antique condition
- Clean and bright throughout
- Mechanism in excellent working order (snaps shut securely)
