Twisted handle coin spoon? Thanks to help ID.

[muraille]

Not quite sure I'm in the right forum, but it seemed to me this might be a coin spoon? Any comment would be appreciated. I've included the "mono" in case it helps.

Hotlinks: http://a.imagehost.org/0716/925_013.jpg
http://a.imagehost.org/0023/925_010.jpg

[silverly]

That is a very attractive spoon. However, I don't believe it is American. Hopefully, someone will recognize the marks and fill you in about it. As a rule, I think, pin pricked engraving is not an American trait.

[admin]

Hi,
Please post another image of the marks from a different angle, preferably head on with no angle.
Thanks, Tom

[silverport]

Sorry Muraille

Always the best way to get a reliable answer is to put as much information, as you have to the forum — and in between you’ve already some very positive experience for this in »925-1000« as well.

Because we haven't the object; e.g. at least one photo en face of marks and also one photo of prick engravings end part (because it's in shadow and difficult to be interpreted). Please give length dimension as well.

silverly already mention that your spoon is maybe not American — I guess it’s North European (German?). First part of prick engraving — e.g. usual in Germany’s northern part — I read: G. Hamr… (The end could be actually not interpreted by me, also if I enlarge the screen to 400 %).

In »925-1000« very often happens miracles. I hope one day comes time to understand: Input = Output.

Kind regards silverport

[muraille]

Thank you very much for your work on this item. I hope the 2 new photos help. The maker's initials are I think M.O. I can't make out the end of the mono myself. The spoon is 7.5 inches long.
Hotlinks to photos: http://a.imagehost.org/0479/925_003.jpg
http://a.imagehost.org/0066/925_006.jpg

[JAKJO]

Hi Muraille,

I read the pricked engraving as G Hamraeus, but I can be wrong.

As a Swede, the name sounds Swedish to me, but pricked engravings and twisted stems are not common in Sweden in the latter part of the 19th century. The marks, which seem to be deformed, are not Swedish, but as mentioned before Northern Europe; Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark or I believe Norway and perhaps Bergen.

Hope this helps,

Best regards/JAKJO

[silverport]

Hello

After have studied details in your photos of this twisted handle spoon I’ve got the impression that the spoon is an output of recent production in North East Europe, e.g. maybe from Estonia, for the antique market.

Dimension of spoon look like to be a soda spoon.

The prick engraved name I read: G.Hamraas — that seem to me, to be an Estonian name. The details of the pricks itself look like be recently hammered — there are no signs of wear and tear.

Marks aren’t struck nicely - maybe »pseudo marks«?:
Upper mark is an erasure — for which reason be erased?
“Maker’s” mark: MI (? a 3rd letter is missing, if you imagine a symmetrical contour of punches oval)
Third mark, is a symbol for what? (Hallmark?), e.g. an ear of corn, a fir cone, a fish … ?

That’s my impression and interpretation.

Kind regards silverport

[JAKJO]

Hi,

I am fairly convinced that the spoon is Norwegian and from Bergen, even if I had my doubts when I read Silverports "verdict".

The name is probably Hameraas (Hamerås /Hammerås).
New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 results for Hameraas
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss ... 280=Norway

The third mark is the town mark of Bergen.
Town mark of Bergen Norway

Norsk Folkemuseum has two nearly identical spoons made in Bergen.
http://www.primusweb.no

NF.1944-0619 Niels Brynildsen, Bergen

NF.1944-1097 Niels Crispinus Bakke (probably)

I leave the maker's mark to someone with better reference books!

Hope this helps

Best regards/JAKJO

[muraille]

Thank you silverport and JAKJO. Obviously, I prefer JAKJO's analysis, it is much more flattering to my purchasing acumen! I am still of the opinion that the maker's mark is M.O, because there is a dot after the M and no dot after the first half of the O which is shaped (| |) like this. Anyway, many thanks to both of you.

[Qrt.S]

Apparently the town mark is Bergen. Anyway, I can also read the initials to be a possible MD. If so, it could be Morten Dahl from Bergen born 1802 and dead 1834. He marked MD 1827-1834. (No guaranties given :-))

[silverport]

Hello Muraille

There fore I thank you that you've placed your question.

Please apologize me that I was wrong in my interpretation.

Already I had mention before: »Always the best way to get a reliable answer is to put as much information, as you have to the forum ... Because we haven't the object ...«

That is e.g. the problem in interpretation. Yes you wrote alredy in relation to possible "maker's mark": M.O.

I've enlarged again shown photos until the pixel - behind the letter M really could be a dot. Open question to me remain the next letter and then after.

Well the most experienced in »925-1000« to could read and interpret bad struck mark's (seam to me) is »buckler« - I suggest: Send him files in a high resolution.

Then after could be made a search in mark's guide of Norway.

Actually I live here already some year in exile and without my archive. Where I've searched yet for towns hallmark - there wasn't any similar mark, related to shown oval and inside details.

I wrote: »Third mark, is a symbol for what? (Hallmark?), e.g. an ear of corn, a fir cone, a fish … ?« It was for me impossible to see details better as I've interpreted.

If you count the dots on your original mark, it could be - of course - hallmark of Bergen, Norway?

Open remain also the top mark - erased? What was there before? Or isn't erased, but bad struck?

Prick engraving is tricky to. I would be iterested to know result of somebody in the forum, who would read the here shown pricked name.

Maybe in between all here collected information was already sufficient for you?

I've learned here with something now.

But I think, this was also for »925-1000« a "win - win" situation. Because now we see a town's different »hallmark for little objects«!

Thank you!

Kind regards silverport

[muraille]

To everybody who contributed to enlightening me, a heartfelt THANK YOU. To silverport especially who knows so much more than I do, it is so much better to have enough knowledge to make a comment than to be as ignorant as I am.. I can only ask questions and cannot give answers, but little by little I will get better thanks to all of you.