17th Century Seal Top Spoon handle

[danjsargent]

This does not compare to so many things on here but its certainly my best find (so far!). First, let me say I love tnet. I posted this without knowing what it was. Quickly after someone commented and knew what it was and sent a pic to show me. What a great community we have here!!

So a little info: this is the handle of a spoon known as a latten spoon for the type of metal its made from (a copper-zinc mix). These are "seal top" because they could have a seal mark on the flat top where one could put it into melted wax to make their seal. These were popular during the mid 1600's when everyone carried their own spoon around so you wanted a fancy one! They could come in silver but if one couldnt afford that they had a latten one.

Anyways, I found this in a colonial era town in western mass on a private permission.


Here is what it would have looked like...


I cant believe its potentially from the 1600's and at most early 1700's!!! If only this could talk to tell us how it got here! I love this hobby!! Thanks for lookin.

 

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[Bill D. (VA)]

That's definitely a latten seal top spoon handle. These were made between the mid-1500s and about 1660. We find the occasional handle like yours, plus some from apostle spoons, but mostly we recover the fig-shaped bowls. Many of those contain a maker's mark in the bowl near the termination with the handle, but I don't see one in your example. For lots more info on these early spoons you can click on the following link to get a pdf copy of "Old Base Metal Spoons" by Hilton Price. Once you open the link, click on the settings icon in the upper right (looks like a gear) and download the pdf. Very nice find BTW!

https://books.google.com/books/about/Old_Base_Metal_Spoons.html?id=oBgtAAAAYAAJ

 

[danjsargent]

That's definitely a latten seal top spoon handle. These were made between the mid-1500s and about 1660. We find the occasional handle like yours, plus some from apostle spoons, but mostly we recover the fig-shaped bowls. Many of those contain a maker's mark in the bowl near the termination with the handle, but I don't see one in your example. For lots more info on these early spoons you can click on the following link to get a pdf copy of "Old Base Metal Spoons" by Hilton Price. Once you open the link, click on the settings icon in the upper right (looks like a gear) and download the pdf. Very nice find BTW!

https://books.google.com/books/about/Old_Base_Metal_Spoons.html?id=oBgtAAAAYAAJ

Thanks so much Bill! Appreciate the link! I love reading up on anything like this!!

 

[CoilyGirl]

I would be excited about it too,that is an olllld spoon!

 

[U.B.]

That's an awesome find. You can't beat diggin up history!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Fantastic find, love the old colonial sites! Your from MA, me too!

 

[CASPER-2]

the find is cool - I'm from ma. and handful of seal top handles - the find is a nice relic - nicer if you can find them complete - which is really rare
- they were dipped in a tin alloy to give them silvery finish - http://museums.fivecolleges.edu/det...st_year=>=&latest_year=1699&op-latest_year=<=
I think I gave Bill an actual copy of that book - good book to purchase if you are going to hunt colonial spots
I like finding them cause it means you could be in a really good spot and could lead to even better finds - I would search that spot good
tree coins were found in fields where I found a lot of mine

 

[danjsargent]

the find is cool - I'm from ma. and handful of seal top handles - the find is a nice relic - nicer if you can find them complete - which is really rare
- they were dipped in a tin alloy to give them silvery finish - http://museums.fivecolleges.edu/det...st_year=>=&latest_year=1699&op-latest_year=<=
I think I gave Bill an actual copy of that book - good book to purchase if you are going to hunt colonial spots
I like finding them cause it means you could be in a really good spot and could lead to even better finds - I would search that spot good
tree coins were found in fields where I found a lot of mine

Thanks for the info casper! Cant imagine pulling out a tree coin!!!

 

[Calabash Digger]

great find.