That sounds like a set of marks on coin silver. If your ladles were sterling they would be stamped .925 or sterling. The star and lion are often called pseudo marks and were used by some New York State silversmiths.
Some say they can attribute certain sets of pseudo marks to a particular silversmith. Other's believe that many different silversmiths used the same pseudo marks, so you can't pin the marks down to one maker. My own view is you can count on one hand how many pseudo marks can be directly linked to just one silversmith.
That said, Dorothy Rainwater's "Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturer's" attributes that set of marks to John Lawson Westervelt, Newburgh, New York (mid 1800's). I'm not sure this is correct, just offering you a lead to research.

Regards,
Pat.
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