Very Rare Victorian COBURG Pattern English Antique Sterling Silver Steel Large 10.5" Table / Dinner Serving Knife - C.F.Hancock 1853

A very rare mid-19th century early Victorian antique Coburg pattern large table/dinner knife. The sterling silver handle is richly decorated in the Coburg pattern, with Rococo-inspired scrolls and shell motifs. The carbon steel blade is stamped “C.F.Hancock, Bruton Street” along with a stamp "London+Made". HALLMARKS: London, SILVER fineness 925 Charles Frederick Hancock - An Important Silversmith Charles Frederick Hancock (born Birmingham, 1807) was one of the most distinguished English silversmiths of the 19th century. Before establishing his own business, he was a partner in the renowned firm Hunt & Roskell and had close ties with Storr & Mortimer, one of London’s leading jewellers. In 1849, Hancock opened his own shop at 39 Bruton Street, London, advertising as “successors of Storr & Mortimer.” His reputation for exquisite silver and fine jewellery grew rapidly, and in 1850 he received his first Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria. Hancock’s success was further cemented when the firm exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851 at the Crystal Palace. In 1856, they achieved perhaps their most enduring distinction - the design of the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest military decoration, still awarded to this day. Over the decades, the company received further Royal Warrants: in 1861 (Queen Victoria), 1863 (the Princess of Wales, later Queen Alexandra), 1911 (King George V), and 1962 (Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother). In 1870, Charles Frederick Hancock retired permanently, passing the business to his sons Mortimer and Charles Frederick Jr., along with partners Henri Dore and Horatio Stewart. From then on, the firm traded as Hancocks & Co.