How to Spot Gorham Martelé Silver Before You Sell
Gorham Martelé is some of the most valuable American silver ever made, and it still turns up mixed in with ordinary sterling. A Martelé water pitcher we estimated at $3,000 to $5,000 sold for $7,000. Here is how to spot it, what drives its value, and what to avoid before you sell.
SebastianCharles Auctions
Gorham Martelé is some of the most valuable American silver ever made, and it still turns up in estates mixed in with ordinary sterling. Because it looks hand made and a little irregular, people sometimes mistake it for worn or dented silver. Here is how to spot it, what drives its value, and what to avoid before you sell.
What Martelé is
Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island introduced Martelé in the late 1890s. The name is French for hammered. William C. Codman, Gorham's chief designer from 1891 to 1914, designed the line, and Gorham's silversmiths raised each piece by hand from flat silver, then chased the decoration into the surface.
The result looks nothing like factory sterling. Martelé has soft hammer marks across the surface and flowing Art Nouveau decoration: flowers, waves, leaves, sometimes female figures. No two pieces are exactly the same.
How to spot it
Look for the word Martelé
Turn the piece over. Genuine Martelé is stamped MARTELE on the underside, usually with a spread winged eagle and Gorham's lion, anchor and G marks. You will often see letter codes and sometimes a retailer's name as well.
Look for .9584
Most Martelé is stamped .9584. That is a higher silver standard than sterling, which is .925. A .9584 stamp next to Gorham's marks is one of the clearest signs you have Martelé.
Look at the surface
Run your fingers over it. Martelé has a gently rippled, hand hammered feel. The decoration rises out of the surface rather than sitting on top of it, and the edges flow instead of following a perfect circle or line.
Know what it is not
Plenty of silver has a hammered finish. Gorham made regular sterling with hammered surfaces, and Arts and Crafts silversmiths such as the Kalo Shop in Chicago made beautiful hand hammered pieces. Those can sell very well too, but without the Martelé stamp they are not Martelé.
What drives value
- Form. Pitchers, punch bowls, tea and coffee services, centerpieces and dressing table sets sit at the top. Small pieces like spoons, cups and napkin rings are the entry point.
- Decoration. Deep, sculptural chasing with flowers or figures brings more than light decoration.
- Size and weight. Larger pieces usually bring more, and weight matters because Martelé is heavy silver.
- Condition. Dents, repairs, heavy polishing wear and removed monograms all cut value. Original monograms are fine. Collectors expect them.
At SebastianCharles, a Martelé by Gorham sterling water pitcher sold for $7,000 against an estimate of $3,000 to $5,000.
Do not scrap it, and do not polish it hard
Martelé is worth far more as Martelé than as metal. Never sell it by weight. Our post on antique sterling worth more than scrap explains why the maker matters more than the ounces.
Do not buff it with a polishing wheel or harsh polish either. Aggressive polishing softens the chasing and the hammer marks, which are exactly what collectors pay for. Light tarnish is fine. Let the buyer decide how bright they want it.
Gorham silver beyond Martelé
Gorham made a huge range of sterling, and much of it sells well above melt. A set of twelve Gorham Bluepoint seafood forks sold at SebastianCharles for $4,000, and a 73 piece Gorham Hispana flatware service brought $2,200. If you are not sure what your Gorham marks mean, read how to identify Gorham silver marks, or our longer Martelé history and guide.
Before you sell
- Photograph the underside marks clearly, plus the whole piece from the front and side.
- Weigh it if you can, but do not let anyone price it by weight alone.
- Keep fitted boxes, receipts and family history together with the silver.
- Do not remove monograms or have dents fixed before you sell.
How we can help
SebastianCharles Auctions offers fine American silver to a national and international bidder base. Send photos of your silver and its marks through our free estimate form. You can also browse our sterling silver department and recent auction highlights.