Spoon Found In A Junk Box - Silver?

[gtsatohms]

I found this old spoon in a junk box at a thrift store. I think it might be silver. It doesn’t stick to a magnet. Does anyone know how to read these codes or markings? Any idea where it might be from?

Thanks for any help. It was found in Michigan, if that gives any clues.

 

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[gtsatohms]

A few more pictures. It also seems kind of thin and lighter than normal silverware.

 

[gtsatohms]

It was all blackened so I shines it up. Hope I didn’t ruin the value by polishing it.

 

[gtsatohms]

It was all blackened so I shines it up. Hope I didn’t ruin the value by polishing it.

Shined not shines. Sorry.

 

[camichael]

I found this: Otis G. Carter, Sr. Norwalk, OH 1831-1854 and 1860-1901 I believe it is coin silver....Nice find. Shining silver does NOT effect value.

 

[RTR]

The maker might be listed in here SILVER MARKS AND HALLMARKS DIRECTORY: SITE MAP

 

[Molewacker]

You have a very good eye - yes, you have silver, but I don't have a hallmark book to help with date age.

John S Putnam c.1835, retailed O G Carter, Chicago 1850. Appears to be a Fiddle pattern.

Congrats!!!

 

[gtsatohms]

Wow. It’s that old? Where can I find more about the hallmarks? Do you think it is from overseas or from America?

 

[gtsatohms]

I found this: Otis G. Carter, Sr. Norwalk, OH 1831-1854 and 1860-1901 I believe it is coin silver....Nice find. Shining silver does NOT effect value.

Thank you. What is coin silver? Was it made from coins? That would be cool.

 

[CRUSADER]

Thank you. What is coin silver? Was it made from coins? That would be cool.

yes

 

[Digger RJ]

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[ARC]

yes

heh... well actually...the answer is no... it was not "made from coins".

The term "coin silver" is indicative of the "fineness" of the silver... which is 90% silver... which is the silver content of silver coins.

BUT... on your side of the pond Cruz... 50% AKA... .500 fine for Great Britain since 1920.

 

[Red-Coat]

Good spoon, but it has nothing to do with John S Putnam. The spoon was made for (not by) Otis G. Carter and is the work of Hotchkiss & Schreuder.

Carter was a watchmaker and jeweller active in Norwalk, Ohio from 1831-1854; Chicago, Illinois from 1854-1860; and then again in Norwalk from 1860-1901. He didn’t make spoons, but those made for him carried his name as the retailer.

Putnam was one of several silversmiths who produced for Carter, but this spoon carries the maker marks for Hotchkiss & Schreuder. The mark may look like ‘N & S’, but the first letter is a worn ‘H’.



David Hotchkiss and Andrew B. Schreuder entered into partnership as “Hotchkiss & Schreuder” in 1857 at 95 Genesee Street, Syracuse, NY, continuing until 1871 when Schreuder went solo. So that’s the timeframe for the spoon. It will undoubtedly be coin silver and .900 fine but, as AARC says, not produced from melting down actual coinage.

 

[CRUSADER]

heh... well actually...the answer is no... it was not "made from coins".

The term "coin silver" is indicative of the "fineness" of the silver... which is 90% silver... which is the silver content of silver coins.

BUT... on your side of the pond Cruz... 50% AKA... .500 fine for Great Britain since 1920.

Ok, I thought it came from the early days when they melted what they had, my mistake. (Now I know, cheers)

PS. Yeah, good old days (pre1920) when we had .925 in coins

 

[gtsatohms]

Wow. Thank you. A history lesson in the spoon. I tried to figure out the marks, but it is an endless array of variations. Too bad there isn’t a program that you could upload the picture and it would tell you when it was made and where.

I appreciate the wide range of ideas. So likely this spoon was from Chicago and made its way to Michigan. It is A LOT older than I thought. I was thinking 1920s. And silver as well? It’s a keeper.

 

[gtsatohms]

The name Merilda is also not common these days.

 

[ArfieBoy]

Very cool spoon! Thank all you people with the information! What a great place to learn. Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[Red-Coat]

Ok, I thought it came from the early days when they melted what they had, my mistake. (Now I know, cheers)

You were partly right, but a company like Hotchkiss & Schreuder wouldn't have been melting down coins to make spoons.

Silver coins minted in America after the Revolutionary War were only .892 fine, increasing to .900 in 1837, before the United States embraced the British sterling standard of .925 from around 1869 (but not for coinage). The .900 fine coinage standard was not officially designated until the National Stamping Act of 1906.

In earlier times, the term ‘coin silver’ for manufactured items generally referred to metal that was approximately 900 parts silver and 100 parts copper, with no particular guarantee that it had been assayed as such. Sometimes they were produced by melting down British, Spanish/Mexican or other coins (generally by small companies and individual workers) but not usually by larger manufacturers. Before the Sterling standard was adopted, it was a much-abused term that was almost unregulated.

 

[Argentium]

That is an excellent find ! Congrats !! (I'd use it )

 

[gtsatohms]

I think that for right now this spoon will go in my sugar bowl. It has a notch for a spoon, and this makes sense to put it back to use. What a story. 1857 is a long time ago. Thanks for the wonderful insights into coin silver. This is very interesting too.