Matthew Boulton Chamberstick 1807

By Vabchbryan, 27 March, 2014
Description

I have a Matthew Boulton Chamberstick with hallmarks that indicate that it was made in 1807. It is in excellent condition and the hallmarks on the chamberstick and extinguisher match. It also has a royal crest on the base. I am curious of the value of this item, the retail value and the replacement/insurance value.

Category
Silver and Silver Overlay
Medium
Sterling
Distinguishing marks
Royal Crest and MB hallmarks
Condition
Excellent
Size and dimensions of this item
6" x 6"
Date Period
Early 19th Century
Weight
I pound
History
Nothing.
Price Paid (If known)
Found at pawn shop. Paid $2.99!
For Sale?
No
Photos

fishwhacker

11 years 3 months ago

A similar Boulton chamberstick was offered through auction January of 2013. It was estimated at $300-$400 and realized a high bid of $150. 

 

 

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I am curious about the specific piece that you are mentioning. Was it sterling or siverplate? I ask this because base upon the current value of silver (19.84) and the item weight of 16 ounces, the scrap value alone would be over $300. 

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fishwhacker

11 years 3 months ago

Oops, you were correct- the one previously mentioned was silverplate. If this one is indeed sterling (10/11 examples I've found were silverplate), it's value is going to be more. The one sterling found I found sold for $500. 

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It is definitely sterling and made by Matthew Boulton himself and not his son.  I am curious if anyone has any info on this piece and its replacement value.

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fishwhacker

11 years 3 months ago

There is not much  if anything  anyone can add. You know the maker/ age already and can research the history based upon that. It is a chamberstick as you already know. Replacement value is kind of a useless term for overvaluing stuff for insurance purposes or a term used by larger retailers to justify outrageous markup prices that are rarely fetched. 99.999% of the time it will in no way correspond to the actual market value (what someone will buy it for) of the piece. With that said, the "replacement" value on this would be closer to $1000. I would expect your piece to command $300-$500 through open auction. 

Not bad for three bucks.

A much nicer example featuring a whale oil configuartion recently sold through ebay for $600, link attached. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/English-Sterling-Whale-Oil-Chamberstick-Matthew…

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The piece described in the link you attached was produced in 1826 or later and consequently after Matthew Boulton's death 1809. Consequently, the piece was made by his son and while beautiful, it stands to reason that it would be of lesser value at auction than the piece that I have. I appreciate your help on this.

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fishwhacker

11 years 3 months ago

Boulton died in 1809 and stopped producing works as early as the 1780s. He did not make this piece.

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fishwhacker

11 years 3 months ago

In some additional research it has become apparant exactly who made the chamberstick is in question for various reasons... I did find a dealer who has numerous examples of "Boulton" works. Contact them and let us know what you find.

 

http://www.acsilver.co.uk/shop/pc/home.asp

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