Superb Elkington Silverplate Victorian Tea Coffee Set- 1877-78 (w/ modern tray)

Description

Wow- here is a fantastic silverplate tea set by the prestigious silver manufacturer Elkington & Co. It includes:
-1 teapot (6.75 in. (17 cm) tall)
-1 coffee pot (8.5 in. (22 cm) tall)
-1 open sugar bowl (4 in. (10 cm) tall)
-1 creamer/milk jug (5 in. (13 cm) tall)
-1 rectangular footed tray* (24x13.5 in. (61x34 cm)
All the pieces feature hand-engraved patterns of symmetrical flowers, leaves, ribbons, and swirls on both sides. The teapot and coffee pot also have swirl designs engraved around the lids and necks as well as relief flowers and leaves carved on the spouts and wonderful fruit and leaf removable finials on top. Additionally, the sugar bowl and creamer have high relief carved leaves on the handles along with gilded interiors. All the engraving and carving is very precise and expertly done. The bottoms of the pieces are all clearly marked with E&Co. in Gothic letters, with the company’s logo- a crowned E&Co. within a shield, and also ELKINGTON & Co. along with the company’s date letters- R for the year 1877 (on the teapot, coffee pot, and sugar bowl) and S for 1878 (on the creamer).
All the pieces are in excellent condition- especially considering their age of almost 150 years old. They have no major dents, chips, cracks, bends, gouges nor other damage (only very light surface scratching here and there that is typical with old silver- nothing noticeable). The only minor issue to note is that the handle of the coffee pot wiggles a bit- the handle itself is fine- the wiggle is just due to the heat insulator bands being old and loose (these seem to be original to the pot and perhaps are made of ivory). All the silver plating seems to be thick and bright- the pieces have a mirror-like shine when polished- even the guilding on the interiors of the sugar bowl and creamer is intact. See pictures (even though they don’t do the items justice).
*The footed handled tray is a much more modern piece by Oneida (probably mid-century- from 1960s or so), but its size and floral design do complement the set very well. It is also in great condition with just 1 small split in the rim (but the carving on the rim makes this difficult to see and the function and integrity of the tray are completely unaffected).
There are NO monograms, but the coffee pot, sugar bowl, and creamer have a small image of a leaping fox engraved within the central cartouche on one side only- see pictures.
This is a high-quality stunning set and would be a fabulous and rare addition to any collection.
Please ask any questions and thank you for looking!