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 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 American Silver before sterling
 Boring Spoon, Very Interesting Mark
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| Author | Topic: Boring Spoon, Very Interesting Mark |
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Brent Posts: 1507 |
posted 03-19-2003 01:32 PM
  
 Hello all, Here is a piece that raises a lot of questions. It is clearly a late coin or possibly early sterling silver spoon, "Oval Tipped", thin and wholly unremarkable. I was made and marked by A.F. Towle & Son, an under-researched company that began with the buyout of the last of the Moulton family silversmiths in 1873. A.F. Towle himself was in business as early as 1855 as Towle & Jones, but if we believe Rainwater this mark should not predate 1873. Anyway, the really in interesting bit is the other mark, which reads "N.P. SILV. MINE". I expect this refers to a silver mine, but why stamp it on a piece of silver? Several people have tried to help me identify a silver mine with the initials N.P., but without luck. Could this be a sample piece? The spoon is initialled "T"; perhaps it belonged to the Towle family, and maybe they had an interest in the silver mine? The mind wanders. Anyway, if anyone has any ideas about this piece I would certainly appreciate hearing them. Thanks! Brent IP: Logged |
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swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 |
posted 06-03-2003 11:04 PM
A spoon recently sold on ebay, made by Gale & Hayden in 1849 and retailed by McFadden in Pittsburgh, was also marked "CLIFF MINE SILVER." The seller stated, without attribution, that it was the name of the mine from which the silver came. He may have been guessing, but it seems reasonable. Was there a New Providence Silver Mine? Seems to ring a bell. IP: Logged |
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nihontochicken Posts: 289 |
posted 06-04-2003 10:57 AM
I did a quick web search, but didn't come up with much. A Nino Perdido silver mine did show up for Oaxaca, Mexico, but that is an unlikely parent. The age of the spoon and the stamping would might likely correspond to the Nevada Comstock Lode, discovered in 1859 and mined until about 1880, but I could find no "NP" mines listed for it. Sorry! NC IP: Logged |
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FredZ Posts: 1070 |
posted 06-04-2003 03:42 PM
I am not currently near my reference library. I have a manuscript on the history of towle and I recall some mention of a silvermine. I will get back to you if I find that information. Fred IP: Logged |
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FredZ Posts: 1070 |
posted 06-05-2003 02:56 PM
In 1875 silver ore was discovered at the Chipman Mines near Newburyport and it was said to have drastically changed the city. Towle advertised making misc. flatware with Chipman silver. Many were marked with N.P.S. for NewburyPort Silver. This was extracted from a manuscript by G. Doyle on Silversmiithing in Newburyport. Does anyone know who G. Doyle is. I do not beleive this information has been published. The information about the Chipman mine was reported in the "Colorado Daily News" of 1875. [This message has been edited by FredZ (edited 06-05-2003).] [This message has been edited by FredZ (edited 06-11-2003).] IP: Logged |
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