Nutmeg grater Chester – 1773

An extraordinarily rare Chester hallmarked George III Silver Nutmeg Grater of rectangular form, with a plain body and beaded thumbpiece. It has a hinged cover and base with an interior steel grater. The nutmeg grater bears the Chester hallmark for 1773 and is marked on both the lid and the base in the correct fashion. The grater was made by the partnership of John Wyke and Thomas Green who were working in Liverpool in Dale Street. There is a blue plaque referencing John Wyke who lived and worked there 1720-1787. It is in superb condition and is only the second eighteenth-century Chester hallmarked nutmeg grater we have handled in over forty years; the other one was of the tubular form of a similar period by Richard Richardson. This is clearly the nutmeg grater referenced in Maurice Ridgway Chester silver book (1727-1837)-and is almost certainly the nutmeg grater sold at Sotheby’s in July 1981 (see in pictures). Dimensions, length 3.75 cm, width 2.6 cm, height 2.1 cm. Weight, 1.15 troy oz including the steel grille.