Brothers Benjamin (1824-87) and Edward (1828-87) Sebastian were metalsmiths in the rural Pennsylvania German enclave of Host, Berks County, Pa., which is just north of Womelsdorf. Their home and shop were in Tulpehocken Township, an area which remains today largely an agriculturally based economy and culturally Pennsylvania German. The family lineage is not fully understood, and many Sebastians are listed in early census records in Berks County. The parents of Benjamin and Edward were William and Margaret (Logan), who were married in 1820 at Christ Lutheran Church in Stouchsburg. The familys home congregation was Host Reformed Church. William taught both brothers blacksmithing. When William died in 1869, he left the property to his sons, where the two ran a blacksmith shop in partnership up until their deaths in 1887. What seperates the work from either Sebastian and other work of the time period is mainly the fact it is signed, which was simply not the norm. They were both highly skilled and made very fine tools and kitchenwares, such as dough scrapers, pie wheels, and utensils. Famous metalsmith Peter Derr (1793-1868) was a member of the same congregation and buried in the same cemetary. The brothers are listed in census records as mulatto (mixed race). The two both married white Pennsylvania German women. Benjamin married Matilda Garloft and Edward, Elizabeth Seigfred. On March 30, auctioneer Cathy Pennypacker sold a rare wrought-iron spatula stamped E.P. SEBASTIAN for $5,390. It came from an old collection in Womelsdorf. It had a pierced diamond shaped terminal at end of handle. Some had pierced circles at the end of the handle. On the blade were pierced circle drill holes and a central diamond. The stamp is above the blade on the lower part of the handle. Several days later, on April 3, a very similar spatula sold for $8,750 at New Haven Auctions in Connecticut. It was from the David Good Collection. A small number of these exist today, so two hitting the market within days of each other is quite unusual. Id like to thank my friend Mike Emery for assistance with this write-up.