Colonial silver spoon just found

[smokeythecat]

I went with a buddy to a very old house site. One of those places that the colonial house is still standing and there is a ton of aluminum in the yard. After digging probably 25 aluminum signals, I moved to where an older house apparently was. The old garden bed of daffodils and snow drop flowers were still trying to come up this spring, lots of times old houses can be located by isolated flowers in the woods. We weren't there too long but went down the road to another colonial spot, but before we gave up on the aluminum breeding ground I found a high tone and came up with this rolled up early silver spoon. Looks like I'm going to be busy trying to straighten it out pretty soon! This is the AFTER picture. The before picture is apparently corrupted. Oh, well.

 

[dirtlooter]

very cool

 

[smokeythecat]

Thanks. It's an oldie. It was made in England, there is one mark on the back but the others were cut off this piece. I couldn't find the other half of it.

 

[Scrappy]

Any evidence of a touch mark on that spoon? If so could we see it

 

[BLK HOLE]

Smokey I swear you could find Jimmy Hoffa!!! I am always amazed at the quality and variety of your finds!

 

[smokeythecat]

Variety is true. I go lots of places and dig several days a week. time invested = relics. And some research, all that stuff. Backmark has a lion facing left, and standing, a standard British mark. Rest of it is gone. I MAY have it restored and mated to another teaspoon of the era but that would probably be a huge waste of money. I hate broken silver.

 

[Roundness]

Wish my back yard was littered with colonial stuff... Congrats..

 

[DirtStalker]

Can you post a pic of the back with the British Mark on it for those of us that are unfamiliar with it.

 

[thrifty76now]

Well your "after" picture gave us a hint on that spoon. And you are very correct in the information about old flower beds where old homesteads once were.

 

[smokeythecat]

A few of the forlorn snowdrops now live in my flower bed. They were in the wild in the trash pit, so they wanted a new home. Just a few. Here's the maker's mark.

 

[Truth]

Great old relic smokey as usual

 

[smokeythecat]

Thanks all. Actually, in my REAL back yard I found a few pieces of colonial, Civil War and stuff all the way through last year. I'm not going to have the spoon restored. I would have to take another silver spoon and cut it in half to supply the silversmith with a piece to mate it to, then I'd have another half of a spoon. Too bad I don't know how to work metals.

 

[romeo-1]

Love the old silver!

 

[smokeythecat]

Blk hole, I buried all the bodies around here. No Hoffas, just a couple gerbils and such.

 

[basque-man]

Aluminum =

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

A few of the forlorn snowdrops now live in my flower bed. They were in the wild in the trash pit, so they wanted a new home. Just a few. View attachment 1557319 Here's the maker's mark.

That's called a lion passant hallmark, and it's been used on British sterling silver from 1720 onward. Too bad some of the other marks are missing, especially the date letter which could provide a precise time of manufacture. You could've used the chart at the following link to do that: London Date Letter Chart - Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks Cool find!

 

[smokeythecat]

Yeah, tell me about it Bill. Still thinking about putting a handle on it. Not very likely though. It looks ok in the case with the other items from the farm. There was a large colonial settlement going back to late 17th century, that by the 18th went for miles and miles and miles.

 

[washingtonian]

Wow, what a dig! Not sure I would've had the patience to chase it after 25 aluminum signals. Nice perseverance!

 

[smokeythecat]

There were another 100 aluminum signals I bypassed. There is colonial stuff there, plus an ancient wall. Plus an old roadbed. Potential if you want to spend a year or two digging aluminum.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Nice find, congratulations!