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tline3open  Basket of Flowers Coin Tea Spoon by A. Dikeman and K&C

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Author Topic:   Basket of Flowers Coin Tea Spoon by A. Dikeman and K&C
MBJ

Posts: 26
Registered: Oct 2008

iconnumber posted 02-13-2009 02:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MBJ     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
[26-1802 19-1309]

I found this basket of flowers tea spoon with a shell drop on the back of the bowl a while ago.

I am from Sweden and fancy searching for facts about old things, especially silver. I do like these sort of forums where I can get help when my available literature fails and I hope offer help.

What I know about Dikeman is from William Erik Voss' "Silversmiths and related Craftsmen" on the web.

Aaron Dikeman, born 3 Jan 1796 in Norwalk, CT, and died 1882 in Grand Rapids, MI.
He apprenticed in 1811 to David Smith in Lansingburgh, NY, and worked from 1824 to 1837 as a silversmith and jeweler in New York, NY and from circa 1837 to 1867 as a silversmith and jeweler in Grand Rapids, MI. He was listed in the 1863 Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory.

I have read about the basket of flowers pattern in previous threads with great interest and I was quite thrilled of the serving spoon made by J. Henrik Frodell in Stockholm, Sweden as early as 1804 Basket of Flowers pattern because I have never seen this pattern in Sweden before I bought this spoon.

If this was a German spoon with the full name A. Dikeman and the initials K&C, I would be rather sure about that it was made by K&C and retailed by the jeweler/retailer A. Dikeman. But now when it is American coin, I do not know. I have searched for K&C, but I am not able to find it.I hope you have the answer and I am most thankful for your help.

Best regards/MBJ

Tea spoon Length 5,94 (15.1 cm), Weight 0.58 oz (18 gram)

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swarter
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Posts: 2920
Registered: May 2003

iconnumber posted 02-13-2009 07:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for swarter     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Your spoon is American. As you say, Aaron Dikeman worked in New York at least from 1824-1837, before moving to Grand Rapids. A possibility would be that the K&C could be for Kidney and Cann, who were at one time (1863-68) in a partnership of Kidney, Cann & Johnson in New York. WEV lists an intervening partnership between Kidney and Cann in 1864-65, just before Dikemann ceased working in 1867. Even though Dikeman was no longer in New York at the time, he could have obtained the spoon from them. This is all speculative, of course.

[This message has been edited by swarter (edited 02-13-2009).]

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wev
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Posts: 4121
Registered: Apr 99

iconnumber posted 02-13-2009 07:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for wev     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Edmund Kidney and John Cann remained in partnership for a year or so (c 1864-1865) as Kidney & Cann, after Samuel Johnson left the former firm of Kidney, Cann & Johnson. When Johnson returned, the old firm re-formed.

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bascall

Posts: 1629
Registered: Nov 99

iconnumber posted 02-13-2009 08:30 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for bascall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It may even be that the K & C equates to K & Co.

Of no help of course, but it may be worth mentioning here that Aaron Dikeman's son Edmund B was also a jeweler.

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MBJ

Posts: 26
Registered: Oct 2008

iconnumber posted 02-17-2009 06:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for MBJ     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thank you for your prompt responses swarter, wev and bascall!

I have continued to search and now I know that there are at least four Dikeman marks or combinations.

I. Two tablespoons (basket of flowers), Yale University Art Gallery

II. See above

III. A pair of sugar tongs (The same A. DIKEMAN mark in combination with pseudomarks anchor, star and head), described c. 1830 (Commercial site)

IV. Incised A. DIKEMAN mark and round mark with deep indents
(found on a site of a collector)

I would appreciate your opinions and comments concerning these new found marks.

Best regards JAKJO

WEV you are of course allowed to use the photos of the marks. I would be honored...

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Polly

Posts: 1970
Registered: Nov 2004

iconnumber posted 08-23-2019 03:57 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Polly     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Interestingly (well, interestingly to me), I just bought a silver coin purse belonging to the Dikeman family. The seller told me it had belonged to the wife of Aaron Dikeman, but I think it was the wife of his son Edmund B. Dikeman, who inherited the jewelry shop (and was mayor of Grand Rapids, MI, in 1882 and again in 1886-7).

link

It's a bit beat up, but very well made, and it retains traces of gilding on the straps and cartouches. It's marked only STERLING 8 F (the F might be engraved). What do you think--did Aaron (or Edmund, who I believe had taken over the store by then) make this purse? Or did he buy it from a larger manufacturer to sell in his shop? It reminds me of a similar purse I have, with Whiting's marks (here they both are, with a pen and a penny for scale).

[This message has been edited by Scott Martin (edited 08-23-2019).]

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