[Rarebooks] FS: 1932 New York Farmers Antique Silver Collection Catalog - 1 of 85 Copies

[Joslin Hall Rare Books]

"A Descriptive Catalogue of Various Pieces of Silver Plate Forming the 
Collection of the New York Farmers”

Privately printed in 1932 by At the Sign of the Golden Head for the New 
York Farmers.
Edition limited to 85 numbered copies.

A fine example of one of the scarcest American silver collection books, 
published to showcase the fine small collection of the New York Farmers 
benevolent club on the occasion of their 50th Anniversary.

The idea to form a silver collection came at a club dinner in 1918, and 
a pair of candelabra, a tray and loving cup were subsequently purchased 
for $2,500. Club members were so pleased that they then voted to forgo 
flowers and table decorations at future dinners, and to put the unused 
$100 per dinner aside in a fund to pay for the silver. Additional pieces 
were donated from time to time, and by 1932 the Farmers had 16 fine 
pieces or sets, a mix of new and antique, including the pair of new 
candelabra by Dominick and Haff, a 1793 London flagon, a 1748 London 
tankard, an 1833 London waiter, an 1809 tureen by William Eley, several 
19th century loving cups, a 1780 Newcastle goblet, and a set of 66 
dinner plates made in London in 1773, 1800 and 1801. The story of the 
dinner plates is especially interesting- 48 of them were placed at the 
table for a December 20th, 1927 dinner, and it was announced that these 
plates had been presented by the King of England to the House of Commons 
in 1801. The estate of the Speaker of the House at that time had come up 
for sale and the plates were purchased in memory of former members of 
the Farmers, now deceased, and each plate would be inscribed in memory 
of a member, to be donated and paid for by a current member. Eighteen 
additional plates were later purchased and also donated.

This finely printed catalog has fine full-page gravure plates, with each 
item given a thumbnail description and a note of its inscription. 
Interestingly, the new pieces of silver they bought were American, and 
all the antique pieces English.

Hardcover. 8.5"x11", 2 [1] [1] pages of text, plus 19 b/w plates with 25 
pages of descriptive text, [1]; bound in coarse linen, as issued, with a 
red leather cover label and spine label, gilt titles. Title page with 
the Farmer's engraved emblem. A handsome piece of printing. Covers with 
soil and wear, linen split along the rear outer hinge (please see the 
photo).  Ex-library, with spine number, and several small institutional 
marks, plates stamped on the rear.  Hinges just a bit wobbly. $150 net.

Some Photos =>
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JOSLIN HALL RARE BOOKS, ABAA
Fine books of the 16th-20th centuries
on the decorative and fine arts & design

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