My first sterling spoon!

Noah_D

Bronze Member
Dec 14, 2017
1,593
3,491
Illinois (prev. NE Ohio)
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Simplex+, Garrett ACE 300, Carrot
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
After hunting today for about two hours and finding a handful of wheats and clad this old spoon popped up! Previously I had only found plate spoons so this is a nice first... no silver coins today but I'll take it!
IMG_3966.jpg IMG_3965.jpg IMG_3964.jpg IMG_3964.jpg
Does anyone have any information on the hallmark or the spoon itself? Thanks for looking and HH! I'll prolly post the rest of my finds from today and yesterday later or tomorrow but there wasn't anything super special.

EDIT: I circled the marks on the back in red. It reads STERLING W[in circle] [?] D. EAFFY
 

Upvote 36

xr7ator

Gold Member
Sep 2, 2011
5,168
7,142
Denver, Colorado
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, AT Gold, ATX, MH7 (oldie!) Minelab Explorer SE Pro, EQ800
Nice find and I am with you on all the plated found over the years. I managed to find my first sterling and then one marked "coin" last year. I need to post to get Red Coat's take on the coin silver spoon and show off the heavy sterling I managed to find.
Believe it or not I think I have that same spoon that you found and it doesn't have much weight.
Grats and thanks for posting. Hopefully, you will be able to find another soon since the monkey is now off your back.
 

OP
OP
Noah_D

Noah_D

Bronze Member
Dec 14, 2017
1,593
3,491
Illinois (prev. NE Ohio)
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Simplex+, Garrett ACE 300, Carrot
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Thanks yall! I appreciate the ID Kenosha Kid, I have done a little googling after you commented and I think you nailed it!
 

Red-Coat

Gold Member
Dec 23, 2019
5,211
16,328
Surrey, UK
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Pretty spoon. Yes, that’s ‘Lily of the Valley’ pattern with the Whiting Manufacturing Company’s mark… a griffin holding a shield with the letter ‘W’:

Whiting.jpg

There seems to be a letter ‘S’ or a number ‘5’ placed sideways after it, but I wouldn’t pay much attention to that. It’s probably an internal traceability mark. Whiting didn’t date mark flatware, but the ‘Lily of the Valley’ pattern was introduced in 1885.

No idea about D. EAFFY but I would guess it’s a retailer mark. Whiting would stamp whatever a customer wanted on flatware for a small fee and it was common practice for jewellers who didn’t make cutlery to request this… even small businesses with single premises.
 

Last edited:

Truth

Gold Member
Apr 13, 2016
14,332
32,142
Abita Springs La....Born in New Orleans
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
EQUINOX 800
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
My very first silver I found was a, ”Hey diddle diddle”curved baby spoon. Somebody was born with a silver spoon in their mouth.

Congratulations on your beautifully ornat silver spoon!!
 

Red-Coat

Gold Member
Dec 23, 2019
5,211
16,328
Surrey, UK
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
From “The Jewelers' Circular and Horological Review, 1908, Vol. 56 (Part 2)”:

“The firm of David Eaffy & Co., 2 Colonial Arcade [Cleveland, Ohio], has been dissolved by mutual consent, F. B. Lewis retiring from the business. Mr. Lewis’ interests have been purchased by David Eaffy, the remaining partner, who continues the business at the old address.”

David Eaffy is described as a charter member of the “Retail Jewelers of Cleveland” organisation.

I can’t find a record of when the company was established, but the Colonial Arcade was built in 1898 and there’s no record for Eaffy’s business (at any address) in the Cleveland directory of 1894.
 

OP
OP
Noah_D

Noah_D

Bronze Member
Dec 14, 2017
1,593
3,491
Illinois (prev. NE Ohio)
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Simplex+, Garrett ACE 300, Carrot
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Thanks Red-Coat! After seeing your first comment I decided I was going to track down this D. Eaffy guy... then I scrolled down and saw you already did! The landowners will love all this information you guys have given me!
 

OP
OP
Noah_D

Noah_D

Bronze Member
Dec 14, 2017
1,593
3,491
Illinois (prev. NE Ohio)
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Simplex+, Garrett ACE 300, Carrot
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
My very first silver I found was a, ”Hey diddle diddle”curved baby spoon. Somebody was born with a silver spoon in their mouth.

Congratulations on your beautifully ornat silver spoon!!
My first silver was a gosh darn rosie (1961). Still, even after dozens of silvers and big coppers, I think that was one of my most exciting finds yet... if not the​ most exciting find.
 

Truth

Gold Member
Apr 13, 2016
14,332
32,142
Abita Springs La....Born in New Orleans
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
EQUINOX 800
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
My first silver was a gosh darn rosie (1961). Still, even after dozens of silvers and big coppers, I think that was one of my most exciting finds yet... if not the​ most exciting find.

It’s the craziest thing I too can find half dimes Spanish silver but I’ve only found four roses in the five years I’ve been the detecting
 

OP
OP
Noah_D

Noah_D

Bronze Member
Dec 14, 2017
1,593
3,491
Illinois (prev. NE Ohio)
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Simplex+, Garrett ACE 300, Carrot
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
It’s the craziest thing I too can find half dimes Spanish silver but I’ve only found four roses in the five years I’ve been the detecting
I found a few in 2019 but zero in 2020... I think my newest silver last year was a merc.
 

Wildcat1750

Gold Member
Nov 18, 2012
5,015
4,105
Western CT
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
4
Detector(s) used
AT PRO/Ace 250w8.5x11" DD Coil/
Garrett Pro-Pointer/Garrett Pro-Pointer AT/
Vibra-Tector 730/
Radio Shack Discovery 1000 (Tracker IV)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Nice looking spoon and I'm enjoying the interesting research... :icon_thumright:
 

vpone

Bronze Member
May 1, 2007
1,028
828
central pa
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800, 11" & 15" coils
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
really nice spoon!!

vp
 

pepperj

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2009
37,032
137,024
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, Deus 2, Minelab 3030, E-Trac,
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Great looking sterling spoon Noah. Congrats on the recovery.
 

Chemeng

Greenie
Dec 22, 2020
14
147
NE Ohio
Detector(s) used
Bounty Hunter Land Ranger Pro, Minelab Equinox 600, Garrett pro pointer AT
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Lily of the Valley by Whiting 1885 as others have mentioned. Good reference book on sterling spoons is Warman's Sterling Silver Flatware 2nd Edition by Phil Dreis. Online search for hallmarks at FIGURAL AND LITERAL TRADE MARKS ON AMERICAN SILVER: A-E
Good find. Hope you find more
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Discussions

Top