A quick bit of history on Napier: The Napier Company was named after its president, James H. Napier, who led the company from 1920 to 1960. But the company's history can be tracked back to 1875 when it was founded as Whitney and Rice in Attleboro, Mass., manufacturing silver products. The firm changed hands and name in 1882 and became Carpenter and Bliss and shortly thereafter, E.A. Bliss and Co., Inc. After rapid expansion in the late 1880s the company moved to Meriden, CT in 1890. After WWI, the firm shifted emphasis from silver products to production of modern jewelry. James Napier became president in 1920 and the company adopted the name Napier - Bliss Co. In 1922, the name was changed to Napier Company. Like many jewelry companies Napier got into lines of art objects and other utilitarian objects like cocktail shakers. In the early to mid 1930s they started producing several cocktail shakers (most notably this 'Tells-You-How" shaker (also referred to as "Dial-a-Drink" shaker) and other pieces of barware including their well-known graduated/stepped jigger and the mechanical/valve jigger.
Maker/year: Napier, 1935
Hallmarks: "Napier" / "US Patents Pending 2013618 2013616" / "Also Foreign Patents" is embossed on the bottom of the shaker
Condition: Very good vintage condition with mild but noticeable signs of age/wear in line with a silver-plated piece that's 90 years old.
We're pretty Type A about summarizing the condition of our vintage pieces so here's a complete summary:
1) All pieces work perfectly (the cap/top fit snugly, the body spins to each recipe easily).
2) The rim of the strainer has a very minor ding (it isn't perfectly round, see photo #7) -- this does not affect the cap's fit
3) There's one very, very tiny shallow ding on the body of the shaker 1/16" in size that was impossible to capture in a photo
4) Overall the silver-plating is in good shape but there's general age and surface wear to the silver-plating exterior (inline with a silver-plated piece this age) -- surface wear can also include very light scratching/scrapes here and there
5) There's mild tarnish and some minor patina in a few places
6) There's a small scratch on the lid of the shaker that we weren't able to capture in a photo, in runs vertically and is about 1/3" in length
7) The red enamel that's on the embossed recipes/font has some fading on a number of letters
8) The interior of the shaker is in excellent shape and very clean
9) There are two very,very small "age spots" (darker in color) to the exterior silver-plating
Again, we're a bit over the top when it comes to describing every detail our vintage pieces, but in short, this antique shaker is in good vintage condition with general but noticeable wear/signs of age in line with a piece that's 90 years old. This shaker displays beautifully; truly a magical antique piece of barware. *Please note: this piece has not been polished as some buyers are very particular about "as is" condition.
**Please Also Note: we typically do not test our shakers for leakage. We offer a variety of vintage shakers (both usable as well as collectible/display only). We are happy to put our shaker through a thorough leakage test (which involves filling it with liquid and rigorously shaking it) -- please message us if you'd like us to test this particular shaker. Cheers!
Measurements: 11" tall
**On shipping: We take our packaging very seriously and carefully wrap all pieces to ensure safe delivery.
****Important to note pre-purchase: Buyers, please examine all photos carefully as we cannot accept returns due to the fragile nature (the possibility of breakage or damage when being shipped back) of our vintage/antique pieces. Our items are true vintage pieces that might have manufacturers flaws, flaws from age, or imperfections in general from being vintage. We try to explain the condition/description in an accurate and thorough manner but we ask that you please examine all photos carefully and ask all questions before purchasing an item as we are unable to accept returns due to the risk of breakage/damage.
Maker/year: Napier, 1935
Hallmarks: "Napier" / "US Patents Pending 2013618 2013616" / "Also Foreign Patents" is embossed on the bottom of the shaker
Condition: Very good vintage condition with mild but noticeable signs of age/wear in line with a silver-plated piece that's 90 years old.
We're pretty Type A about summarizing the condition of our vintage pieces so here's a complete summary:
1) All pieces work perfectly (the cap/top fit snugly, the body spins to each recipe easily).
2) The rim of the strainer has a very minor ding (it isn't perfectly round, see photo #7) -- this does not affect the cap's fit
3) There's one very, very tiny shallow ding on the body of the shaker 1/16" in size that was impossible to capture in a photo
4) Overall the silver-plating is in good shape but there's general age and surface wear to the silver-plating exterior (inline with a silver-plated piece this age) -- surface wear can also include very light scratching/scrapes here and there
5) There's mild tarnish and some minor patina in a few places
6) There's a small scratch on the lid of the shaker that we weren't able to capture in a photo, in runs vertically and is about 1/3" in length
7) The red enamel that's on the embossed recipes/font has some fading on a number of letters
8) The interior of the shaker is in excellent shape and very clean
9) There are two very,very small "age spots" (darker in color) to the exterior silver-plating
Again, we're a bit over the top when it comes to describing every detail our vintage pieces, but in short, this antique shaker is in good vintage condition with general but noticeable wear/signs of age in line with a piece that's 90 years old. This shaker displays beautifully; truly a magical antique piece of barware. *Please note: this piece has not been polished as some buyers are very particular about "as is" condition.
**Please Also Note: we typically do not test our shakers for leakage. We offer a variety of vintage shakers (both usable as well as collectible/display only). We are happy to put our shaker through a thorough leakage test (which involves filling it with liquid and rigorously shaking it) -- please message us if you'd like us to test this particular shaker. Cheers!
Measurements: 11" tall
**On shipping: We take our packaging very seriously and carefully wrap all pieces to ensure safe delivery.
****Important to note pre-purchase: Buyers, please examine all photos carefully as we cannot accept returns due to the fragile nature (the possibility of breakage or damage when being shipped back) of our vintage/antique pieces. Our items are true vintage pieces that might have manufacturers flaws, flaws from age, or imperfections in general from being vintage. We try to explain the condition/description in an accurate and thorough manner but we ask that you please examine all photos carefully and ask all questions before purchasing an item as we are unable to accept returns due to the risk of breakage/damage.