Solid Sterling Silver Royal Iraqi Monarchy Fork — Saddam Hussein “Successor” Artifact (1925)

Description

This is a rare and heavy-gauge silver standard table fork (slightly wider than modern eating forks) with a pedigree that spans the entire modern history of Iraq. Manufactured in the 1920s/30s by the prestigious British silversmith Roberts & Belk (Sheffield), this piece was originally part of a luxury commission for the Hashemite Monarchy of Iraq.

The handle features an exquisite Art Deco shell pattern—a signature of the 1920s elite—and is deeply engraved with the Eagle of Saladin. This engraving represents the item’s “second life”: after the 1958 fall of the monarchy, this royal silver was seized and eventually used in the palaces of Saddam Hussein, who had the Republican eagle added to the older royal pieces to symbolize the Ba’athist takeover of the state’s legacy.

Condition & Provenance: This fork is a true “Spoil of War,” showing visible surface scratches and signs of use across multiple decades and regimes. It was recovered from the Baghdad markets following the 2003 conflict and carries the same provenance as the Arshad Yassin frame, linking it to the highest levels of the Tikriti inner circle.

“Ultra-rare solid .925 sterling silver fork (Sheffield, 1925) originally commissioned for the Hashemite Iraqi Monarchy. Later appropriated and deeply engraved with the Eagle of Saladin by the Saddam Hussein regime as a symbol of his ‘Successor’ status. This is not standard silver plate; it is a heavy-gauge, hallmark-guaranteed solid silver artifact from the inner circle of the Republican Palace.”