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 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 American Silver before sterling
 J. KNAPP ??
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| Author | Topic: J. KNAPP ?? |
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OWK Posts: 69 |
posted 05-01-2005 04:44 PM
  
I recently acquired 5 mid-19th century coin teaspoons marked "J. KNAPP" and am trying to identify the maker. Any relation to "A. KNAPP" of Mobile Alabama? Any information would be helpful. Thanks. IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2334 |
posted 05-01-2005 06:33 PM
Kovel lists J Knapp as Jesse Knapp of Boston, Mass c1825-1380. IP: Logged |
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OWK Posts: 69 |
posted 05-01-2005 06:34 PM
Thank you so much. Is Kovel's available online? IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2334 |
posted 05-02-2005 09:54 AM
I don’t think Kovels' American Siver Marks is available online. I think the book is still available, either new or on the used book market. This book just provides basic information about the silversmiths without much detail, but it does have a good bibliography. IP: Logged |
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swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 |
posted 05-02-2005 11:52 AM
Kovels' book is useful only as a compilation of previously published references. It makes little reliable effort to correct errors in earlier sources, and adds others of its own, either by omission or comission; its crude sketches of marks can be misleading. As such, it cannot be relied upon for identifications, and is mistitled. It should be used only to guide readers to the original sources, and for no other purposes, without checking the original sources. The Knapp example serves as a good illustration: (1) Jesse Knapp is listed as 1825-1830, and cites four sources: Currier, Thorne, Belden and the Heritage Foundation. The first two (early) sources list only "J.Knapp" with no location; The Heritage Foundation gives the location and 1825-1830 dates as "w.c.", apparently based only on an estimate from the style of one spoon marked "J.KNAPP" and "BOSTON." The 1975 Fredyma Directory for Boston is omitted, and would have given Jesse Knapp as 1856-60 from contemporary published sources. Belden has the most complete data, showing Jesse Knapp as working in Boston 1825-1862. So the Kovels apparently got the "Jesse" and "Boston" from Belden, but did not record the updated information provided. (2) The mark in Currier is different from that in Belden and the Heritage Foundation; neither Belden nor The Heritage Foundation cite the earlier works, and Fredyma lists both J and Jesse separately, citing the Heritage Foundation for "J. Knapp;" even though the Kovels well may be correct, there is no proof upon which they could have assigned the earlier citations to Jesse Knapp. (3) Knapp's widow was cited by Belden as listed in an 1863 business directory, and should have been included. (A question was raised in a recent post in another thread regarding widows' continuation in business.) (4) In order to determine whether your mark is the one assigned to Jesse Knapp (J.KNAPP.), the unattributed one (J pellet KNAPP), or yet another, we will need to see a photograph of the mark. [This message has been edited by swarter (edited 05-02-2005).] IP: Logged |
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