Rare antique silver collection discovered in attic

A collection of antique silver has been discovered in the attic of a townhouse in Edinburgh having been packed away for almost a century.

More than 100 silver items, dating from the early 1700s to the early 1900s, are expected to fetch up to £23,000 when they are offered for sale at Elmwood's auctioneers in London on Friday.

The objects vary from a Victorian travelling shaving brush by pioneering silversmith Frances Douglas to an Imperial Russian tankard and an Edwardian jewellery box.

Carefully packed inside several dust-covered wooden chests and wrapped in old newspapers and linen, the collection remained untouched and forgotten for generations.

The auction house said the collection includes tea services, candlesticks, salvers and presentation pieces.

It also has a number of objects that showcase both the artistry and ingenuity of the period's master silversmiths.

These include an early 20th Century silver spy glass, signed by Ramsden of London, an Imperial Russian silver tankard by the Moscow silversmith Nikolai Pavlov, dating from between 1882 and 1898, and an Edwardian silver jewellery box, crafted in Chester in 1908.

Joe Kendrick, the head of sales at Elmwood's auctioneers, said: "It is exceptionally rare to discover a collection of this quality and scale that has remained untouched for so many years.

"The pieces are remarkably well preserved, having spent decades protected from light and handling in the attic.

"Discoveries like this offer an extraordinary snapshot of over 200 years of silversmithing, from elegant Georgian tableware to unusual Victorian novelty pieces that rarely appear on the market."

A spokesperson for the family who own the house where the silver was found said: "We discovered the collection completely by accident while clearing out our mother's home, which has been in our family for generations but is now being sold.

"Finding the old chests and unwrapping each piece felt like uncovering a forgotten chapter of our family's history.

"It has been a real delight to go through this remarkable treasure trove together and we're thrilled that these beautiful objects will now be appreciated by a wider audience."