The makers mark looks like âH. WHITCOMBâ to me. I could have sworn I saw this mark before but I canât find any info on it. Does anyone recognize it?
Henry Whitcomb was a jeweler, watchmaker and inventor in New York in the early 1800s. In 1827 he was granted a patent for an improvement in the method of discharging cannon and ship-guns.
These coin silver spoons aren't fancy, but it blows my mind to find 200 yr old silver spoons at garage sales and thrift stores.
Nice spoon from a fairly obscure maker that isn't commonly seen. Here's a bit more for you:
In relation to âH. Whitcombâ countermarks on silver coins, youâll see biographical information beginning with the words: "Henry Whitcomb arrived in Adams, NY in 1804 as a jeweler and watchmakerâ. That information has been perpetuated in auction catalogues (eg âThe Philadelphia Americana Saleâ of 14-16 September 2011) but itâs not completely correct since itâs a misquote from the original source.
Itâs derived from the information on p.379 of âThe Growth of a Century: as Illustrated in the History of Jefferson County ...â by John A. Haddock. The actual text reads:
"Henry Whitcomb came to Adams in 1804. He was a jeweler of great ingenuity, and few people in the vicinity cared to purchase a timepiece that had not been approved by Henry Whitcomb. He was exact to a moment in his calculation of time, and for many years he regulated the time of the Rome and Watertown Railroad with great precision. He married Miss Clarinda Holley, and resided in Adams over sixty years. He died in Detroit in 1886."
So, he did come to Adams, NY in 1804 but he wasnât a jeweler at that time. He was, at most, 5 years old, having been born in 1799/1800 in Massachusetts. Census records from 1830 onwards show him residing in Adams with his wife Clarinda plus children Elizabeth and Edward. He also appears in the 1859 & 1882 New York state business directory as a âdealer in watches & jewelryâ in Adams. The information that he was granted a patent on 25 October 1827 for an improvement in the method of discharging cannon and ship-guns is correct.
Various âH. Whitcomb' countermarks on coins are known, sometimes followed by the location âAdamsâ and occasionally followed by a date (Iâve seen 1827 and 1831 reported). The spelling is sometimes âWhitcomâ but itâs not clear if this is an alternative spelling or the result of the end part of the punch trailing off.
How interesting the stories some of these old objects found can tell. I wonder if Whitcomb ever produced a timepiece on his own in a America? I believe timepieces that were made in this country during the late 18th and early 19th century are very rare and probably worth a lot of money in any condition.