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tline3open  An interesting Illinois spoon

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Author Topic:   An interesting Illinois spoon
Brent

Posts: 1507
Registered: May 99

iconnumber posted 03-05-2001 10:46 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Brent     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote

When I first saw this spoon from the front, I immediately thought of a Lower Midwestern origin. The exaggerated pointed shoulders and the pointed lower swell of the handle are the kind of characteristics that you find on spoons made in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. On flipping it over, though, I found that although it was definitely SOLD in Illinois, it was actually MADE by Wood & Hughes of New York City. This raises an interesting question: Did the big Eastern manufacturers tailor their production to the tastes of the frontier when making silver for sale there? By the 1850's, big manufacturers were sending salesmen all over the country. Were the salesmen in Illinois supplied with spoons in the prevailing local style, while salesmen in Wisconsin or Michigan sold spoons in a different style? It makes sense to me; what do you think?

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Scott Martin
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Posts: 11520
Registered: Apr 93

iconnumber posted 03-05-2001 11:35 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Scott Martin     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
We tend to think of the "good old days" as simpler times and to think that a national manufacturer (as opposed to a regional manufacturer) made one size fits all. Sales are not just with the buyer. A good salesperson recognizes that there are two clients, the buyer as well as the manufacturer. I have always believed what makes a good salesperson is an understanding of what their customers want/need. A smart sales person would certainly make sure that they had what people in their sales area wanted. If they didn't understand these wants and then do a good job communicating these wants to manufacturer, they would certainly starve.

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bascall

Posts: 1629
Registered: Nov 99

iconnumber posted 06-14-2008 07:01 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for bascall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
J W Brown is very likely John Washington Brown who was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1832. He was a jeweler in Quincy, IL in the 1860 and 1870 U S Federal Census's. He later became a magazine editor in Chicago, IL.

[This message has been edited by bascall (edited 06-14-2008).]

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