possible silver from last weekend

[theplaneswalker]

Last weekend I went and did some huting at the yard sales and I found these two spoons for $1.00, I bought them and the metal didnt stick to a magnet and the back is clearly marked with so. am. silver, solid. So im 95% sure they are both silver, and I have no idea the weight of them but id have to guess an ounce by feeling the weight of them in one hand with an actual one ounce silver ingot in my other hand..So that was my major score last weekend (assuming they are silver which i have no real reason to doubt), here are some pics.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[creeper71]

I have never seen this hallmark before.. I am not sure what to tell you.. other then I assume s0.am. would mean south america? an it possibly is soild silver.. Only thing I could tell you to know for sure is to take it somewhere to be tested.

 

[siralanderon]

Check out replacements.com
click silver
click s
scroll down to so am
click DML2
click to enlarge picture and this looks like yours.
Replacements..... great research tool.

 

[curbdiggercarl57]

Nice silver!
Just checked that site out, thanks!
Now I have to go through my old silver and see what's what.
Carl

 

[Red-Coat]

Just doing a bit of tidying up on some older threads, mainly for the benefit of anyone searching the site for information.

It's an interesting mark, but those spoons are not silver. They're made from a base metal alloy known as 'Columbian Silver', similar to 'German Silver' (copper alloyed with nickel and zinc) as an imitation of actual silver.

David H. McConnell filed for the “SO. AM.” trademark on February 8, 1899 which was issued on 9 May 1899 and published in the ‘Jeweler’s Review’ on 17 May 1899:

In a latter to a prospective customer on 17 November 1897 (before the trademark had been granted), the South American Silver Co., of 126 Chambers St., New York, NY, had this to say:

“Dear Sir – We understand that you place your orders for table ware about the first of the year. We venture to submit to you a sample of a new line of tableware, i.e. new in your department, for your examination. We sent you a sample tea spoon yesterday, and will send you a sample knife t0-day or Monday.
We would like to have you examine this ware very carefully and note its superior qualities in every respect. In the first place, the ware is made of one solid piece of metal. Therefore its life depends entirely upon the way it is used. There is no plating to wear off, and after years of wear it will look as bright and clean as new, and when kept polished it will not tarnish any more radily than plated-ware, and will live very much longer.
We should like to have you look carefully at the knife. One particular feature in our knives, which are made from this metal, is this, they can be burnished, at any time; plated knives, or silver-plated knives cannot be burnished, and the silver will strip from the plating and they are ruined forever. Please bear this fact in mind. They are warranted never to show any signs of rust and more than solid sterling silver. This is a high-grade table ware in every respect. We are placing it with many of the largest hotels throughout the country.”

In a follow-up letter sent on 19 November 1897, signed “South American Silver Co. Per D. H. McConnell”. there is reference to “Columbian silver tableware” stating: “It is the only metal on the market we know of, outside of steel, of which a good knife can be made. It has but one competitor, that is, high-grade plated-ware, and this is better for service in every respect than the best grade of plated-ware on the market….We are very anxious to place this tableware in the state institutions. This is the first time we have made any effort to do so, but the ware has been on the market, and has been used by some of the largest hotels for two years, and we speak confidently when we say that we believe that this ware will give very much better satisfaction than any other tableware that you can secure.”

REF:
https://queenofsienna.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/david-h-mcconnell-beyond-avon/