W. Gale Coin Silver Fishnet Bowl from 1856

William Gale, coin silver, from 1856 in exquisite fishnet motif. It measures 9 1/2'' in length by 7 5/8'' in width by 3 1/8'' in height, weighs 11.4 troy ounces, and bears hallmarks and monograms as shown. 

The founder of the firm was William Gale (1799-1867) who invented and patented in 1826 a process for making spoons with ornamental patterns by cutting the ornament on rollers, both the upper and the lower rollers being cut with the pattern. This made the production of pattern spoons much less expensive than the former method of hand hammering patterns by the use of dies.

William Gale was succeeded in the business by his son William Gale Jr. (1825-1885) who, after a few years, ceded the control of the firm to H.B. Dominick & Leroy B. Haff until 1928 when the business was purchased by Reed & Barton. Some of Gale’s works belong to museum collections, such as those of the Brooklyn Museum.