I have souvinir spoons...a lot..25? 30? More....but none are of this quality...well maybe one or 2 LOL!
Your spoons are the best of the best as far as souvinir spoons are concerned.
That said...the Dominic and Haff and the next are most likely citrus spoons.
Linda C....enjoying the show.

Thanks, Linda. I'm saving all the comments and information I've been given here so that my granddaughter will have it when she inherits my grandmother's spoons. Here's more.....

This one is engraved London 1889.

Here's the mark:

This spoon looks so graceful to me. Something about the bowl and the flow of the pattern. The reverse side and mark follow.

A very detailed little spoon from the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893. I photographed what I think must be the mark. I haven't a clue what it is.

Four to go.......back tomorrow.

What a fantastic collection your grandmother left! Most seem to be made from blanks that I assume they used to customize for the various occasions, but here is the little information that I have:

The spoon marked 'London' has English Hallmarks for Sheffield 1888-89. HH stands for Harrison Bros & Howson.

I really like the citrus spoon in the 1st picture. If it's shorter than a regular teaspoon, it might be an orange spoon. That beautifully shaped bowl looks too small for grapefruit, but I'm not seeing it 'in person'.

Columbian Exposition - Not a clue what the mark is.

The dainty little spoon, next to last, was made by Whiting. The mark is a lion (sometimes it looks more like a griffin) with his paw on a ball & his tail in the air.

I thought for sure that the demi with the Queen's head was made from Whiting's Twist or Reverse Twist pattern, but I don't recognize the mark.

Thanks for sharing,
Hester

Thanks, Hester. That last mark is going to bug me . . .

Here's the last of my grandmother's spoons.

This looks like Washington, DC, to me. You think? No mark of any kind that I can find. I wonder about the design at the end of the handle.

Canada (Kingston), engraved 1902. Marked Sterling Reg. 1902.

Engraved Brussels July 20th 89. It has two marks I didn't see when I photographed it. One is a triangular depression with three five-pointed stars inside. The other is something written in a square. I'll have to take a closeup picture--can't read it.

And finally, what I assume is a butterfly pattern. This spoon is the least appealing of the bunch (to me, anyway) and appears very fragile. Like the first one I posted above, it's longer than the demis but smaller than a teaspoon. It's marked Sterling. The center section of the handle is openwork, and something has broken off beneath each of the "wings."

Sorry, I don't have anything on the last batch. The 'capitol' soon is lovely & the emblem looks vaguely familiar, but I don't what know what it represents.

You must find some more silver to identify! This has been so much fun. Friends? Relatives? Start a collection? LOL!!!!

Hester

I'm so glad you had fun. I've had fun and more!

Actually, I have one more spoon to identify, and the ID is important because I'm not certain it's part of my grandmother's collection. I think it is, but it may have come from my in-law's box. I'll post a picture tomorrow.

Oh, and HesterÂI found an online source for the Raynox closeup lens I use. I'll post that info tomorrow, too.

Susan

That's not DC, it's St. Peter's in Rome. I'd polish these, if I were you, as the tarnish is really clouding the details.

The butterfly one looks like a Mexican reworking of the original spoon.

That's not DC, it's St. Peter's in Rome.

You can tell I'm well-traveled. :-)

I'm working on the polishing and having a tough time of it. My hands don't do very well in the winter, plus these spoons are displayed on a rack and accumulate tarnish rather heavily. And many are so delicate that I hesitate to apply much pressure. I'm always open to suggestions.

Would the Mexican work have been done in the 1890s? That's when most of these spoons were collected.

Here are the marks from the Brussels spoon. If you need more clarity on the second mark I can try again.

And here's the other spoon I found. It reads Jacksonville Fla 1690.

It doesn't say Sterling anywhere, but it doesn't seem like silverplate to me. Here's the mark:

Hester, here's the closeup lens that snaps onto my camera. I found out that it's now available from this online source.

I assume it fits the newer model Panasonic camera, but if you find yourself thinking seriously about buying the camera I'll be happy to check on the compatiblity for you.

That dealer also carries the DCR-150 lens. It's a little cheaper, and I'm told it's easier to use. The magnification is less, but it might be all you need.

Susan

Hi Alisandre,
The Jacksonville spoon is Towle's 'No 38 engraved' patented in 1880, but the Brussels spoon will probably remain a mystery unless someone with European silver skills weighs in. I looked through several books on European hallmarks, but it's like looking for a needle in a haystack & even if I found the maker (or even the country), I wouldn't know the pattern that would narrow down the time period. 900 is the purity but that's all I can say with certainty. Are there symbols or letters below it? That probably id's the country, & the stamp with the stars represents the maker or the town - again, a guess!

Thanks for the camera & lense links - I think that's going to be my tax refund splurge. Hope I don't have to pay! LOL!! If I have any questions, I'll be sure to post.

Have you decided what kind of silver you're going to collect since some of us have spread the contagious silver bug your way? Once infected, you too can have a silver monkey on your back!

I forgot,
The Towle spoon is sterling; the stamp wasn't struck evenly &/or hard enough & part of the letters weren't impressed.

This has been enlightening. Thanks for all the photos.

Last spring I cleaned out my mom's apt and found quite a few spoons like yours in the back of a drawer - lots of detail on the bowls and handles, but I don't remember anything quite as elaborate as yours. Now I want to dig them out and polish 'em up. I don't think I'd display them, though, since I don't know their history. Does it hurt to leave the tarnish there forever? It's already been such a long, long time.

I've been using some of the odd ladles and serving spoons I found and am enjoying it. I feel a little guilty, though, like I may be ruining treasures.

Sherry

Sherry, Who cares if you don't know the history of your spoons? You can have instant ancestors who were spoon collectors & no one will be the wiser! Clean them up (but please don't dip them) & enjoy. As far as I know, tarnish does no harm other than being a PITA to clean off.

Don't feel like you're ruining treasurers & don't ever feel guilty about using your silver - that's what is was made for. And using it often will keep it looking lovely (don't put it in the dishwasher). Abuse aside, good sterling will probably outlast you & your children as it did your mom.

Hester

The tarnish isn't damaging, but the Cape Cod cloths are very safe, and much easier to use, and not so hard on your hands. I use my silver all the time and run it through the dishwasher.

Have you decided what kind of silver you're going to collect since some of us have spread the contagious silver bug your way?

At this point in my life (and finances), it's more a question of which pieces I'll keep rather than what I'll collect. If I could afford a hobby that involves spending money, I imagine I'd start a spoon collection like my grandmother's. This doesn't surprise me, since I've always been very much like her, and the older I get the more pronounced the "inner resemblance."

That said, it's beginning to look as though I might be keeping everything. It turns out my daughter is more interested in the old silver than I'd thought. This is good . . . as much as I like to improve my cash flow, I'd rather keep the silver in the family.

BTW, I sold a couple of pieces on eBay this week. The no-identifiable-pattern tomato server went for $10.49, and a serving fork (Stieff's Signet) brought $33.59. The auction for the Tipped spoon ends in about a half-hour, and I have a few others in progress.

Hester, I hope you get that camera!

I shouldn't have written that I wouldn't display the spoons SINCE I don't know their history, as I probably wouldn't display them in any case. And, actually, I do know that they belonged to a great-great-grandmother I never knew, so that is a little history. Perhaps I will distribute them among my children, as little family heirlooms. My kids all seem to have some interest in all the old stuff.

I am glad to know about the tarnish, as I have worried about a few pieces going too far.

As for using things, I have begun using china platters and crystal pieces from the 1880s and 1890s that belonged to ancestors, and I love doing it. My mom always treasured these things and displayed them beautifully, but I have decided they are worth more to me and my kids if we use them and appreciate them for their intended purposes. Some of the crystal has a ding or two, some of it is perfect, all of it is beautiful, and Mom remembers that most of it was in use when she was growing up in the 1920s and 30s, so I figure I should use it now. After a lifetime of treating it reverentially, though, I worry and hope I won't regret using them.

I shouldn't have written that I wouldn't display the spoons SINCE I don't know their history, as I probably wouldn't display them in any case. And, actually, I do know that they belonged to a great-great-grandmother I never knew, so that is a little history. Perhaps I will distribute them among my children, as little family heirlooms. My kids all seem to have some interest in all the old stuff.

I am glad to know about the tarnish, as I have worried about a few pieces going too far.

As for using things, I have begun using china platters and crystal pieces from the 1880s and 1890s that belonged to ancestors, and I love doing it. My mom always treasured these things and displayed them beautifully, but I have decided they are worth more to me and my kids if we use them and appreciate them for their intended purposes. Some of the crystal has a ding or two, some of it is perfect, all of it is beautiful, and Mom remembers that most of it was in use when she was growing up in the 1920s and 30s, so I figure I should use it now. After a lifetime of treating it reverentially, though, I worry and hope I won't regret using them.

Sherry