Antique Bailey & Co. Sterling Silver Open Salt Cellar - 2.855 ozt. Often called a "salt dip" or "master salt," these rounded cauldron-shaped pieces gained immense popularity in the 19th Century. This one, embossed with floral decorations and monogramed on one side with an image of a wilderness fort on the other over four feet with dramatic shell motifs at the join to the body, is a stunning example of the company's craftsmanship and design. Marked on the underside with their Chestnut street address. 

Size: 2 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 3 in. 

Weight: 2.855 ozt. 

Bailey & Co. was a prominent Philadelphia-based jewelry house and silversmithing firm that evolved from the partnership originally founded as Bailey & Kitchen in 1832. Operating under the Bailey & Co. name from 1852 onward, the firm established itself as a premier American luxury retailer, acknowledged for pioneering the adoption of the sterling silver standard. During the Civil War era, the company famously crafted custom presentation swords for high-ranking Union generals like Ulysses S. Grant alongside exquisite hollowware and coin silver presentation pieces. Following further restructuring and leadership changes in 1878, the enterprise was formally reorganized as Bailey, Banks & Biddle. 

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