Salt Spoon .. Can't identify hallmark

[shdelady]

Hi all,

I purchased an unusual salt spoon (see picture). I can't find out what the hallmarks are. Stearling is stamped on the back along with two other marks. Help me in idenifying these marks.

http://www.shdelady.com/hallmark/saltspoon.jpg

http://www.shdelady.com/hallmark/saltspoon_hallmark.jpg

Thanks
Judi
aka shdelady

[2209patrick]

Hi Judi.

Your middle mark is the shop mark of The White Hogan in Scottsdale Arizona.
They were active from the late 1930's to 2006.

Believe the KB mark is that of Kenneth Begay.



Pat.

[shdelady]

Thank you Pat, that helped alot. I now have more information to give my daughter.
My next question, is this a salt-spoon? or was it used for something else? It has little holes on the bottom, and I've never seen a salt spoon like that.
Thanks again

Judi

[2209patrick]

You're welcome Judi.

How long is the spoon?
I was thinking medicine spoon until you mentioned the holes.



Pat.

[dragonflywink]

It's a little shaker-type salt spoon, they're usually right around 2-1/4" long - nice little mid 20th century Modernist pieces, not particularly uncommon (White Hogan made them in a few other designs - and similar shaker salt spoons were made by several American silver manufacturers from at least the early 20th century. Feel pretty sure that Kenneth Begay designed this one, since I've run across some of his with a "Patent Pending" mark; but there were a good number made by his cousins, George and Allen Kee, who were also silversmiths at the White Hogan shop along with their brother Ivan (my Mom has had one of the George Kee spoons in her collection for years). If you look up Anthony Kee's site, it shows a lot of the Modernist designs, as well as more typical Navajo silver made by the White Hogan silversmiths.

~Cheryl

[dragonflywink]

Hehe - was just looking through some of my old pics and realized that the White Hogan image Pat showed is actually Mom's George Kee salt spoon (no wonder it looked familiar).

~Cheryl

[2209patrick]

Hi Cheryl.

Anytime I see a new mark or a better picture of one on the forum I save it.
One of these days I have to thin out my saved pictures files.
Another one of my New Years resolutions.

Pat.

[dragonflywink]

Good luck with that one, Pat! I have so darned many images and files stashed away, that even with a reasonably organized system, it's still a wonder I ever find anything I'm looking for.....

Posting the pics of Mom's spoon, shows the holes, in case anyone ends up searching for similar:





~Cheryl