Old silver - assay marks, trying to date spoons

[djm297]

I've checked again...the EF spoon date letter is 1806.

[cordley]

Thanks for helping and showing an interest.  I walk past these spoons every day and wonder whose hands held them, who was having a cuppa, what occasions they witnessed.

Pam

[MollyC]

The PP spoon is the first to show a place where it was assayed - London - denoted by the leopard's head.    The place stamp was probably omitted on the other spoons because they are small items.  All the dates given correspond to London dates, and would be not be the same in other places.  (There were ten cities with different marks, and numerous others at earlier dates.)

There is probably a maker's mark at the extreme right of PP, the only other maker's mark which may be visible is on EF.

[cordley]

Thanks for that, so interesting.  I am trying to place these spoons with people in my tree.  I do have a couple of older ones (I think older) where the marks have all been mostly worn away.

[MollyC]

I forgot to say the head on each one is the sovereign's head, the duty mark, to show tax had been paid, which was in use from 1784 to 1890, Geo III & IV, Wm IV and Victoria.

I thnk you are right about the wedding presents BB.  There was some custom about counting the teaspoons after you had them all out for a tea-party, making sure none had disappeared!

[cordley]

Thanks again for all the help, I have found this all interesting.

I have two more spoons, which I think must been even older, just singles.  They seem to have been stamped by the owner and have been handled/polished so much that hallmarks are mere shadows.

CWS  - I wonder if this was a WS Cordley; 
HG - I wonder if this was the father of Elizabeth Guy - Henry Guy 1764-1809

I wonder about the GUY family (Elizabeth is my G3 grandmother).  I have also inherited a sampler she made in 1811.  The spoons with initial EF I have assumed were hers - Elizabeth Guy, married Isaac French in 1819;  she was b 1800 and died 1832 after having six children.

Assuming the spoons were from her family, they do look the most 'refined' and better quality than the others.  Wonder if this reflects the family's status?  As far as I can find out they were farmers, tenants not land-owners.

Anyway, this is what makes genealogy so fascinating!

[ThrelfallYorky]

I've an early 19th C silver fork that is a lonely stray in my kitchen drawer - we use it for mashing up the cat's food!!! How's that for style?
TY

[Gillg]

My aunt and I both collected silver teaspoons at one time and I inherited her collection.  Now they all lie in a box in a drawer and I don't know what to do with them.  There are a very few with which I would never part for sentimental reasons, but the others could really just go somewhere else where they are appreciated.  Any suggestions, anyone?

[cordley]

I have my specials (family connections) hanging in spoon racks.  The bottom one has a door, the top one is open, the top one allows more tarnishing!!!

But you may have more if you have been collecting them.

ThrelfallYorky - Did laugh at the family silver being used to feed the cat!!