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Souvenir Spoons -- forum or not?

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Author	Topic: Souvenir Spoons -- forum or not?
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 10-26-2008 05:52 PM Attention all SSF Members, I was wondering how many of our members have souvenir spoons or an interest in souvenir spoons. From time to time I find myself picking up souvenir spoons... I am sure June & I have a couple tucked away. Several of our members are also member's of NSCG, a souvenir spoon club, and they have gotten the SSF permission to post an interesting article, Rulers of the world, which appeared in their souvenir spoon newsletter. Before I do the article post, I'd like to know how much interest SSF members have about souvenir spoons. If there is a large enough response then I will start a new Souvenir Spoon Forum. Otherwise I will do the post in the General Forum. Thanks for your feed back. IP: Logged
dragonflywink Posts: 993 Registered: Dec 2002	posted 10-26-2008 06:18 PM Count me as in interested party - have collected them for over 25 years, find many are wonderfully designed and enjoy researching the symbolism relating to the place, person, event, etc. ~Cheryl IP: Logged
adelapt Posts: 418 Registered: May 2003	posted 10-26-2008 07:51 PM Not my "main line" but I do find them interesting, and it's scary to think that the main flush of them was something like a century ago! IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 10-27-2008 06:11 AM Here is a prior thread on an interesting souvenir spoon. German mystery spoon IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 10-28-2008 09:55 AM I went through a couple forums looking for posts/threads that might find their way into the proposed Souvenir Forum. Souviner Spoon I U In Acorns Sterling Trademark Type of spoon? Mercury , Hermes Design engraving and souvenir spoons Russo-Japanese? US Silver Company Court trial souvenir? af towle silver spoon pattern ID Hipp & Coburn Chicago Sterling CFS Spoon Is it a spoon, a plane or ? Plains, Montana Souvenir Spoon Modjeska souvenir spoon How old are souvenir spoons? Spoons with Houses Nursery Rhyme Spoon Shreve, Treat & Eacret Bon Bon Tiffany souvenir of New York. Interesting Gorham nut pick ebay and souvenir spoons Early Souvenirs Shiebler Mystery Spoon Mystery Gorham Cast Spoon Historical sugar spoon BRUCE STERLING Chas. M. Robbins, Attleboro Massachusetts resources IP: Logged
Dale Posts: 2132 Registered: Nov 2002	posted 10-28-2008 11:12 PM What has always intrigued me about souvenier spoons is the role they played in training engravers and chasers. Received wisdom is that apprentices were taught their trade by producing souvenir spoons of local points of interest. Many of these are one of a kind items. I handled one that was the only record of a certain church's existance. Transfering the lines of the local Methodist church to a curved surface without distorting perspective is an art form. IP: Logged
bascall Posts: 1629 Registered: Nov 99	posted 10-29-2008 09:30 PM Hope the souvenir spooon forum works out in some fashion. I just bought a few really nice ones in excellent condition. IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 11-01-2008 11:55 AM So far the feedback about starting a new Souvenir Spoon Forum has been positive. Starting a new forum requires a fair amount of effort and since we haven't heard from a preponderance of members or from anyone wanting to moderated the new forum, I have decided to wait until there is a clear sizable audience that would appreciate a separate forum. I will continue to support this idea by posting the three part article from NSCG in the General Forum. Once it is determined that we need a Souvenir Spoons Forum then I will move all relevant posts to the new forum. See: RULERS OF THE WORLD, VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIII, Pope Pius X, Pope Pius XI and Pope John Paul II IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 11-03-2008 12:12 PM Any other opinions (pro or con) about starting a Souvenir Spoon Forum? I have figured out a way to make starting a Souvenir Spoon Forum less of an effort. And we have heard from a long time participating member (with a collection) would has volunteered to take a stab at moderating. What would be helpful if we knew there was more interest. IP: Logged
doc Posts: 728 Registered: Jul 2003	posted 11-03-2008 02:05 PM I would be interested in souvenir spoons as a separate forum; not something I have much of or deal with, but I do find them fascinating. I've learned a great deal already with the postings. Thank you to whoever has stepped up to agree to be the moderator! IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 11-10-2008 02:16 PM What does anyone/everyone think about the three part article Souvenir Spoons - Rulers of the World - Part I IP: Logged
dragonflywink Posts: 993 Registered: Dec 2002	posted 11-10-2008 03:53 PM Enjoyed the articles, nicely written and underlines how souvenir spoons can send one into historical research. Would have liked a bit more information on the marks and/or makers though, perhaps as footnotes. ~Cheryl IP: Logged
Cheryl and Richard Posts: 154 Registered: May 99	posted 11-30-2008 06:02 PM Souvenir spoons can be fascinating because they are educational. We think it is a good idea. IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 11-30-2008 07:05 PM Thanks Richard & Cheryl. I agree. We have thousands of members (most are lurkers) so hearing from only 8 members doesn't provide momentum for starting a new forum. We greatly appreciate the 8 members who have voiced an opinion. Before we start a new forum, we need to hear clearly that members have a interest in participating actively in a Souvenir Spoon Forum. June and I would like to see this move forward. IP: Logged
Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 Registered: Apr 2000	posted 01-29-2009 09:59 AM I am truly surprised more members are not responding to the idea of a souvenir spoon forum. Souvenir spoons have probably been one of the most consistently collected forms of silver for the past 120 years. So I think creating a forum for that area of collecting is a terrific idea. IP: Logged
swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 Registered: May 2003	posted 01-29-2009 12:49 PM Possibly the best way to attract those interested in the topic is to establish the forum as evidence of a commitment. It may take a while for word to get around and build up a following, but if there is no forum there is nothing to attract posters if their topics are lost among lists favoring other interests. [This message has been edited by swarter (edited 01-29-2009).] IP: Logged
FWG Posts: 845 Registered: Aug 2005	posted 01-29-2009 03:11 PM In the spirit of Field of Dreams: if a souvenir forum is built, I'll come. It's not a major area for me, but I do have a few interesting examples. And I've enjoyed some of the previous contributions scattered on other forums. IP: Logged
Sgt Silver Posts: 41 Registered: May 99	posted 02-01-2009 02:15 PM It sounds like it would be a very interesting Forum. Let's do it! IP: Logged
Marc Posts: 414 Registered: Jun 2002	posted 02-01-2009 11:49 PM Hi there, It does look look a good idea.. "History in a spoon" (or fork for that matter). And lots of fun!. Marc IP: Logged
Ulysses Dietz Moderator Posts: 1265 Registered: May 99	posted 02-03-2009 05:46 PM I love the idea of a souvenir spoon forum. My Museum has a little collection of souvenir spoons--perhaps fifty or so, ranging from a Salem "Witch" spoon to an Alaskan totem pole spoon and a San Francisco "Seal Rock" spoon...not to mention the 1916 souvenir spoons made to mark Newark's 250th anniversary. As it happens, I collect souvenir spoons myself (see my curatorial thread on the "Bertha Spoons" of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.) I also collect souvenir spoons with Grant's Tomb on them, in a small obsessive way. But, do we have a forum leader yet? It's a specialty that takes a specialist! IP: Logged
Dale Posts: 2132 Registered: Nov 2002	posted 02-04-2009 12:34 AM I am partial to the individually engraved, one of a kind souvenir spoons. And another of a lynching. Once saw one with a hanging engraved in the bowl. A large Victorian house and the legend: Grandma's House. Churches and schools in towns that no longer exist. Poor farms, prisons, jails, orphanages and lunatic asylums. Institutes for the feeble minded. There are a lot of idiosyncratic spoons out there. IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 09-01-2011 01:56 PM From the New York Times August 1898 quote: Souvenir Spoons Again. POPULAR enthusiasm for the heroes or the war has revived the souvenir spoon craze, which had practically died out . in this vicinity. Trays in the jewelry shops and in the great department stores are now heaped high with gold and silver spoons, both solid and plated, named for the naval and army officers who have gained fame in the war with Spain. Most of these spoons are small and of a cheap grade, and many are of a character to be worn as shirt-waist pins attached to tiny flags or bunches of red, white and blue ribbon. The prices of these souvenirs range from 15 cents to $5, those commanding the highest price being daintily patterned trifles of gold. The most common form of the war souvenir spoon is an after dinner coffee spoon of silver, with the head of the hero in relief at the end of the handle and his name on the slender stem or in the bowl. These spoons in sterling silver are sold at from 75 cents to $1 each, and when plated for 25. cents. When the size is that of a small tea spoon the price for sterling silver is$1.25. The favorite heroes thus far, as indicated by the demand for these souvenir spoons, are Dewey, Hobson, Schley, Sampson, Shafter and Lee. Lieut. Hobson's visit to this city caused his spoons to enjoy" a boom in the department stores; several hundred of them were sold in one Sixth Ave. store in a single forenoon. The Dewey spoon, however, has a large and steadysale, and silversmiths down town say that the demand for spoons with Dewey's head and name easily leads all others. Next to Dewey comes Hobson, and close to the hero of the Merrimac is Commodore Schley. There is a good demand for Sampson and Shafter spoons, and Fitzhugh Lee and Gen. Wheeler spoons are frequently called for. There is a Rough Rider spoon also which is very popular. Some of these have Col. Roosevelt's head on the handle, and others simply have the words Rough Riders imprinted thereon. Tiny gold or silver spoons with the Dewey. Hobson, or Rough Rider imprint are very popular with young women, who wear them as pins. IP: Logged
Kimo Posts: 1627 Registered: Mar 2003	posted 09-01-2011 06:24 PM I don't think I would visit such a forum regularly, but I would definitely visit it from time to time. I have a few souvenir spoons and I think they are interesting little works of art. I am saddened by their no longer being around anymore - not really. Yes you do see souvenir spoons for sale at tourist traps these days but they are not silver and they are really poorly made. I like the old ones. IP: Logged
Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 Registered: Apr 2000	posted 09-02-2011 10:41 AM a souvenir spoon may attract lurkers or other collectors out there, as swarter said. i have often made unsuccessful attempts to research fascinating souvenir spoons online, i'm sure others have too. souvenir silver extends far beyond spoons. perhaps if we started a new forum, it could also encompass other antique souvenir silver: forks, hollowware, accessories, jewelry. (suggested title: silver souvenir spoons, subtitle: and other souvenir silver). all we have to do is agree on a definition of souvenir (e.g., made to commemorate a person, place, or event). a moderator could weed out non-souvenir posts and redirect them to the proper forum. imo, the more specific forums we have, the better. i find the more generalized ones to be fairly cluttered and incoherent. i'm sure there are enough posts scattered around to consolidate into a souvenir category and create a decent foundation. IP: Logged
Polly Posts: 1970 Registered: Nov 2004	posted 09-02-2011 09:52 PM I like the idea of souvenir silver, though I think categories could easily blur since a lot of presentation silver could be considered souvenir silver. IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 09-17-2011 05:42 PM San Francisco Call Volume 72, Number 144, 22 October 1892 The Souvenir Spoon. New York Sun. The modern souvenir spoon, which has become a burden and almost nuisance, doubtless owes its origin to the still existent Apostles’ spoons which, in sets of twelve or less. were a common Christmas gift in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Really antique Apostles’ spoons are usually in silver gilt. The modern souvenir spoon is often far more elaborate than its antique progenitor, for silver has so greatly cheapened in two centuries that to make spoons of ordinary weight really valuable the silversmith must but a vast deal of skilled labor into his products. IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 09-17-2011 05:47 PM As it regards starting a Souvenir Spoons -- forum or not? I think we are getting closer with 13-14 members expressing an interest. We need many more members to express some general interest or we need one or two Souvenir Spoon champions to be Contributing Editors and or moderator. IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 09-22-2011 01:46 PM San Francisco Call Volume 71, Number 172 21 May 1892 quote: A Petty Souvenir. A very pretty souvenir for the editors who will meet here in convention next week has been chosen by the committee of arrangements. It is a small spoon of the after-dinner coffee size. Its oval bowl is heavily gilt and shows the city's name in raised characters. The stem is a sword, fashioned as a scimitar, resting on winch a pen of the goose-quill style, symbolic of the sentiment, "The pen is mightier than the sword." The souvenir is manufactured of native silver by Colonel A. Andrews. It will presented to each of the visiting delegates and will form a very acceptable memento of their visit to this city. Sacramento Daily Union Volume 83, Number 111 29 June 1892 quote: AMUSEMENTS. Manager Jurgensen, for Gustave Frohman of The Witch Company, which is to appear here on the 5th and 6th of July, will signalize the second anniversary of the play, which happens with the engagement here, being the 430th performance, by presenting every person who holds a reserved seat with a souvenir, a silver spoon, oxidized handle, bearing the cameo of a witch, with a witch-pin, a perfect copy of the design preserved in the town house at Salem, Mass. The souvenir will not again be used until tho 250th performance is reached. San Francisco Call Volume 83, Number 21 21 December 1897 quote: Reception to Bishop Nichols. ALAMEDA, Dec. 20— The preparations for the reception to be given Bishop Nichols at Christ Church on Wednesday evening of this week have been completed and a success is assured. The Bishop will talk first of his recent visit to England, and after this an informal reception will be held in the Guild hall. A feature of this will be the presentation of a Christ Church souvenir spoon to Mrs. Nichols, who will accompany her husband to the reception. San Francisco Call Volume 110, Number 5 5 June 1911 quote: CHIFFONNIER WON REWARD FROM HUGO Presented With Copy of Book for Returning a Lost Spoon A Paris chiffonnier makes a living of a sort and he sometimes, in overhauling the dustbins, comes across a find. In this respect a Paris contemporary relates a capital story of Victor Hugo. A little silver gift souvenir spoon, which the poet valued very much, disappeared. Through the carelessness of the maid servant, it had found Its way into the ash bucket, and in due course into the hands of the chiffonnier who practiced in the district. This worthy succeeded in getting the poet to awake from his reveries and to descend from the lofty heights of Olympus, in other words his study, to receive back the lost spoon. Hugo was delighted to get back his souvenir. The author of "Hernanil" was never a prodigal, so he rewarded the chiffonnier by presenting him with a copy of his "Les Chansons des Rues et des Bols." saying: "There, my man, you will find in it is much gold as is contained in any jewel case in the world." San Francisco Call Volume 70, Number 85 24 August 1891 quote: Immense Growth of the Spoon Craze. The souvenir spoon craze has come to stay. Every town In the country is commemorated by a spoon nowadays, and there is an amusing rivalry between some of them over patent rights. The Patent Office examiners have been kept busy for the past three months to see that one does not infringe upon the rights of another in point of design. Just why the spoons should be patented I don't know, but they are, and over 8000 different applications have been sent to the Patent Office. We have to write the inventors and get permission to use the design to make spoons from. A great many people come to us for souvenir spoons of every city in every State in the country, and, of course, we have to either have them in stock or make them. The demand at present is remarkable. There are at least ten firms engaged in manufacturing them, and most of them have orders three months ahead. I know of one firm that will have to manufacture 25,000 dozen before it will c itch up with the orders it has on hand. The fad, by the way, is taking a new turn. Towns will not only be commemorated by them, but events as well. A leading comic opera in New York is to give spoons to emphasize the one hundredth performance of it. Then weddings will be commemorated in the same way. Spoons will be given as favors at germans and cotillions. Jewelers' Weekly. San Francisco Call Volume 96, Number 178 25 November 1904 quote: Not to Be Misconstrued. Within the past few weeks several cases have come before-Justice Bauder in Cleveland involving attempts by rejected suitors to get their presents back. Becoming tired of this kind of litigation, his Honor suggests that when Cleveland swains make present to maidens the following, contract should be agrreed to: "It Is hereby agreed that this(here the words bouquet, hat, diamond riny or souvenir spoon may be inserted) is for use only during the period of courtship. It is hereby agreed that said (bouquet, hat, etc.) shall be returned at once upon day of snub. Any engagement to another man to be considered as snub." Exchange. Sausalito News Volume 23, Number 10 9 March 1907 quote: Permanent Receipt. I had often heard of the literal quality of the Chinese mind and had a personally delivered sample of it one morning. I went into a jeweler's shop to buy a souvenir spoon. The selection made, I wrote upon a piece of paper the inscription "Hongkong, 1908," to have the same engraved on the bowl. \|As I started to leave the store the Chinaman called me back and asked for a deposit. I gave him 75 cents and made a note of the fact on the paper on which I had written the intended inscription. When I called for my spoon the next day it was inscribed in the bowl: "Hongkong, 1906, Paid 78 Cents." Travel Magazine IP: Logged
dragonflywink Posts: 993 Registered: Dec 2002	posted 05-13-2012 04:44 PM I have hundreds of little bits & pieces on souvenir spoons in my files, but the one below always makes me chuckle, and illustrates just how much of a craze they were. ~Cheryl A 1901 NY Times article entitled, "MANY TRYING TO SMUGGLE SPOONS.": IP: Logged

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