Tiffany spoon from the 1800s

[Michellets]

Tiffany spoon from the 1800's

Last spring I was metal detecting in a field and I dug this signal that seemed to be bouncing around on my control panel. It made a wole bunch of noise on my ace250 so I knew it had to be good, and it was. Since my mom collects Tiffany silver I called her and was told the full story from her. It seems that this was an early Tiffany design from about the mid 1870's. It was in good shape considering that it was in a plowed field, and I was very lucky. I find a lot of tableware, and have mason jars full of them, but this one was the best of the bunch! I have never found another one, but hey...ya never know.

 

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[CRUSADER]

Re: Tiffany spoon from the 1800's

Nice find.

I would have loads but I only keep the silver ones & as you point out they are normally damaged in some way by the plough. That is one lucky spoon.

 

[Moonshadow]

Re: Tiffany spoon from the 1800's

Wow....that's pretty cool. I've been tempted to hunt fields in my area, but hard to find the owners and it's just so intimidating to see all those acres!! Congrats to you!

HH,
Moon

 

[CRUSADER]

Re: Tiffany spoon from the 1800's

Wow....that's pretty cool. I've been tempted to hunt fields in my area, but hard to find the owners and it's just so intimidating to see all those acres!! Congrats to you!

HH,
Moon

If you can, get out in those fields. Start with the smaller ones, close to farms, houses, major old roads & waterways.

We normally find the owners by running into a muddy fields and jumping in front of the tractor whilst they are ploughing & such. They normally stop & are normally workers but they give you the lead & a good starting point with the farmer. ie I spoke to .....

 

[Michellets]

Re: Tiffany spoon from the 1800's

It's not just searching in a whole field, I try to look for the spot in the field where the farmer/hunter may have been having lunch or resting. These places aren't at the house, but if you get a good feel for the land and see it as it was, then you just follow up on a hunch and check the spot. The spot might be in a shded area, near a bluff, or by a river or stream. You can also notice little divets or old signs of a road or hunting path if you are really focused. I really doubt that I will ever find another piece of Tiffany silver, new or old, but that was a real find for me.. HH Michelle

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

Re: Tiffany spoon from the 1800's

I have found a few mid 1800's "coin" silver spoons (as sterling was called at the time) . All were found in heavily hunted areas. My only explanation is they were passed up as cans or other large trash. I dig every signal, so I thank all of you who leave those large can sounding tones without digging.

 

[Michellets]

Re: Tiffany spoon from the 1800's

I would agree that I think that a lot of detectorists are missing the tableware from their finds because they really do read as trash or large objects on their machines. I have found several in areas that I know other people have detected at. You just have to dig those "iffy" signals. It works the same way for the half dimes, reales, jewelry , etc.... Sometimes it's a real pain in the #$%#$, but , at other times it pays off big time. Once I found several coins in the same spot, and I couldn't get any consistent signal on my Ace250. The only thing I knew was that there was definitely something in the ground. The old timers that I know dig every signal.... even the ones that sound off as shotgun shells.