Sampson Mordan
Sampson Mordan novelty silver: from the pencil to the object Sampson Mordan & Co made its name with the propelling pencil, patented in the early nineteenth century and produced in London for decades. Once that mechanism was established, the firm turned to novelty forms: the same working pencil, scent bottle or vesta case, recast as a miniature object.Most of these date from the later Victorian period. Pencils appear as soda-water bottles, champagne bottles, artillery shells, axes, golf clubs, letter boxes and similar everyday things, reduced to pocket size, often with a suspension ring. Scent bottles take vase, teardrop and other shaped forms; vesta cases carry enamel mottoes and figural decoration. Many are stamped “S. Mordan & Co” or “Sampson Mordan & Co,” sometimes with a diamond registration mark. Earlier pieces are not always fully hallmarked, so the maker’s stamp and the action count as much as the assay marks.The novelty was the point. Mordan kept the mechanism and applied it to forms that were meant to amuse as well as work. Collectors still judge them that way. The twist, slide or gravity-drop action should move cleanly; repair can cost more than the piece justifies. Sound novelty pencils commonly sit in the low to mid hundreds of pounds, with rarer forms higher. Scent bottles and vestas follow the same test: silver quality, an original form, and an intact stopper or hinge.They remain small, precisely made London silver, designed to be carried. A clear maker’s mark, a working mechanism and honest wear matter more than decoration alone.
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