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tline3open  Early souvenir spoon

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Author Topic:   Early souvenir spoon
Paul Lemieux

Posts: 1792
Registered: Apr 2000

iconnumber posted 01-23-2007 01:03 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Paul Lemieux     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
[07-0556] [26-2201]

I think this is the earliest souvenir spoon I have seen. It shows two putti around a plaque that reads "FRIEDE / D 30 MAI / 1814", or "Freedom, May 30 1814."

Taken from Wikipedia:

quote:
The 1814 Treaty of Paris, signed on May 30, 1814, ended the war between France and the Sixth Coalition of the United Kingdom, Russia, Austria, Sweden and Prussia. It also enforced the abdication of Napoleon I. France's borders were restored to those of 1792 but there was little punitive action against France, except that the Seychelles were ceded to the United Kingdom. The greater territorial reshaping of Europe was reserved for the Congress of Vienna.

So, this spoon, though unmarked, is presumably Austrian or Prussian produced as a commemorative of the signing of the 1814 Treaty of Paris. Also it is silver, not plated. I do feel that it is from 1814, based on the form, lettering style on the front, and style of monogram on the reverse.

The construction of the spoon is interesting. The handle is actually hollow; the decorative part is a fairly thin die-stamping, the back of the handle is a flat backing to the die-stamped front (think of the construction of Unger Brothers brooches). To warrant cutting a die for the design, I suspect the spoon was, if not mass-produced, at least made in some quantity. However, because of the flimsy construction, probably many did not survive. Mine actually has either a repair or a later-added piece of reinforcing silver on the handle.


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agphile

Posts: 798
Registered: Apr 2008

iconnumber posted 02-07-2009 09:32 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for agphile     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Just an update on translation in case this thread gets transferred to a new souvenir spoon forum. Friede is the German for peace,just as appropriate if not more so for what is being commemorated. Freedom would be Freiheit.

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Brent

Posts: 1507
Registered: May 99

iconnumber posted 02-07-2009 10:26 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Brent     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great spoon! No marks, I assume?

It certainly could date from the period.

Brent

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Scott Martin
Forum Master

Posts: 11520
Registered: Apr 93

iconnumber posted 10-05-2011 09:21 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Scott Martin     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
ksanger posted 10-04-2011 11:08 PM in the New Member's forum
quote:
[26-2201]

As I'm a new member I couldn't post a reply to your topic (Early souvenir spoon), hence the reason for the subject of this posting...

In answer to the questions in the yellow box:

What is your interest in silver?

General interest. I like silver.

What is it that you hope to learn from this question?

I was hoping to contribute some information in extrapolating on the original posters question.

What is your purpose in asking?

I wasn't really asking anything, just contributing. Hoping to provide more information so that someone might deduce something from this little puzzle.

Well this is exciting, I had a set of 4 of these spoons! Well, 3 now after one was tragically mangled in the garbage disposal (I still have it). To add to the mystery, the set has one putti spoons and one with a portrait of whom I presume is Empress Josephine and one with a portrait of Napoleon, at least I think that's who they are. The putti spoon is the one depicting a quiver of arrows. That was one that was mangled. frown There is a mark on the back.




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