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Help with spoon info

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Author	Topic: Help with spoon info
vathek Posts: 966 Registered: Jun 99	posted 05-26-2013 11:44 AM [01-3073] This is a pretty standard salt spoon by Wakely & Wheeler 1902. I'm posting in general because I can't figure out what the decoration refers to. The crown is a monarch's crown, and the date 1902 was the year of Edward VII coronation, so I would expect the monogram to be an E. On the back is the abbreviation Exon. which stands for exoniensis, or the University of Exeter. I'm having some difficulty linking all these things together and would appreciate any thoughts. IP: Logged
jersey Posts: 1203 Registered: Feb 2005	posted 05-26-2013 04:03 PM Hi Vathek! Just a thought but the company is still in existence & has a website, Maybe you could ask them directly for info regarding your spoon. Jersey IP: Logged
Kimo Posts: 1652 Registered: Mar 2003	posted 05-26-2013 09:05 PM I'm not sure. I might add three bits of information that I am not sure will help. First the spoon was made in 1898 according to the hallmarks so it would not have been made especially for an event in 1902. The engraving would have been added afterwards. Second, 1902 was the year that Prince George, Duke of Kent was born. As he was never king, I am not sure this would mean much, but it would link the 1902, the G, and the crown. Third, another royal 'G' with a 1902 connection is that was the year that King George of Saxony ascended to his throne. There was a close connection between the royal houses in Germany and England so perhaps this might be another possibility? I don't know, I am just tossing some thoughts around. IP: Logged
vathek Posts: 966 Registered: Jun 99	posted 05-27-2013 08:28 AM Kimo: I must have been looking at Birmingham instead of London for the date letter. If it were for the birth of Prince George, I would think it more likely to show a ducal or princely crown instead of a monarchs. Perhaps the spoon was unsold stock dressed up for a new occasion? IP: Logged
swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 Registered: May 2003	posted 05-27-2013 12:17 PM This thread should be moved to the British/Irish Forum, where someone with the appropriate knowledge might see it. IP: Logged
vathek Posts: 966 Registered: Jun 99	posted 05-28-2013 09:47 AM Jersey: thanks for your suggestion. I did some poking around on the net and it does seem there is another company with that name but I"m not sure what their relationship to the original one would be. I doubt they'd know if the spoon was engraved by an owner in any case. IP: Logged
jersey Posts: 1203 Registered: Feb 2005	posted 05-28-2013 02:13 PM Hi again! The firm does say they were started in 1791 etc. I would certainly give them a try, no harm no foul to ask. All they can say is yes....or no they have no info for you. Jersey IP: Logged
agphile Posts: 798 Registered: Apr 2008	posted 06-07-2013 05:07 AM I was away on holiday while this topic was running and have only just got round to chipping in though I cannot shed any real light on the significance of the engraving. However, at the date of this spoon Exon most likely refers to the Bishop of Exeter or possibly the Mayor or City Council. Exeter University was not created until 1955 and I don’t think that its predecessor colleges would have used Exon as their descriptor. Wakeley and Wheeler have gone through various changes of ownership and location over the years. I have visited their present workshop on a couple of occasions. They still have much old Victorian stuff (dies etc.) but I am confident they won’t have the paperwork to identify an order going this far back or, as a small team of working silversmiths, the time to search even if they had some old ledgers. Given the disparity between assay and inscription dates, the engraving may well have been done by a retailer on an item from stock anyway. A passing though unlikely thought. The bells of Exeter Cathedral were restored in 1902. Might the inscription refer to some associated event? IP: Logged
vathek Posts: 966 Registered: Jun 99	posted 06-07-2013 07:10 AM agphile: thanks for your thoughts. It looks as if there may not be a common thread to the engravings on the spoon. Perhaps it's more about someones personal experiences that wouldn't make sense to someone else. IP: Logged
vathek Posts: 966 Registered: Jun 99	posted 06-07-2013 07:18 AM Here are some things that happened in Exeter in 1902: 1902 Queen Victoria dies. The Coronation of Edward VII is celebrated in Exeter in May 1902. The Theatre Royal shows its first moving film show. IP: Logged
agphile Posts: 798 Registered: Apr 2008	posted 06-07-2013 11:09 AM Well, here's a bit of speculation, though I don't really think it is the answer. Exeter has an ancient Guildhall, said to be the oldest still functioning civic building in England. It would probably have been the scene for some celebration of the 1902 coronation. Might the G stand for Guildhall, making the spoon a souvenir of the event at that location? IP: Logged

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