posted 09-09-2005 03:59 PM            

A very confident dealer told me today, after I had paid for a small feather edge coffee spoon, from around 1760-75 and had explained that I was interested in early American coin silver, "That spoon is NOT coin!"

"Oh?" said I.

"No, that spoon is NOT coin!"

I, feeling quite stupid then, said, "Well, then, what is it?"

"It's Sterling, of course!"

"Would you help me understand how you're so sure? I thought only pieces that were marked 'Sterling' actually were sterling, and I thought that didn't start happening until around 1860."

"No, no--there weren't any American coins until around 1820 or 1830--that's when coin silver starts; before that the colonists were melting down their English coins or English pieces and that was all sterling."

So-o-o, am I as stupid as he made me feel? I came home and read a good deal and got the impression that early American silver was a melting pot deal--coins of different realms all lumped together and no way to tell exactly what the fineness was, but rather unlikely to be 92.5%.

Please help! Thanks in advance ...

P.S.--Here is the spoon, sweet and shell-backed. Which of the possible I�B makers is it most likely to be?

posted 09-09-2005 07:08 PM            

The style of your spoon, called in England, where it originated, is "feathered Old English", and is one of the earliest of this style in America, dating to the late 1770's or '80's. It is not particularly common, perhaps due to the disruptions caused by the Revolution. As to which one of the several IB makers it is, the shape of the punch should be diagnostic, but I do not recognize it off the top of my head.

The photo is a bit fuzzy. Is it possible that there is a colon, rather than a pellet -- I:B?

Can you post an enlargement of the shell? The design does not look typical of those used here.

posted 09-09-2005 09:42 PM            

Here are a couple more photos, but I'm not sure If I've helped or hindered in trying to bring out the shell. If the mark photo is clearer, you'll see, I think, that it's definitely a pellet, not a colon, between the two letters. In looking on wev's site, I find that the John Benjamin mark is very close to this one. What do you think?

posted 09-10-2005 12:47 PM            

I have not seen this pattern of shell on a known American spoon before, although it is possible that it might be a variant of the webbed shell design used in and around Boston. I would be interested to know if anyone else has encountered it.

There are some dealers who appreciate information, but it has been my experience that many do not. Some get quite angry at being corrected. Unless it is someone you know, I'd let the matter drop and wait until I encountered that person again and casually drop it during converstaion and see how he reacts before elaborating.