www.925-1000.com

Here is a fiddle pattern salt spoon. It has two marks, one of which is a makers mark with an R in it, the other looks like either a London mark for 1756-75 or another city mark - one side is perfectly rectangular.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg31 ... 0_0625.jpg
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg31 ... 0_0626.jpg
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg31 ... 0_0618.jpg

Any ideas who the maker is?
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The supersizing confirms to me we were seeing only part of a mark. Symmetry dictates there should be at least one and possibly two more dots over the initial(s) which could then leave room for another initial in front of the letter R.
The ornate outline of the punch also suggests to me it could well predate the 1738 Plate Act but having said all that, as far as I can see (which these days isn't as far as previously), Grimwade's London book shows nothing similar.
Over to younger eyes!

Mike
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I don't recognise the mark, but I wouldn't have thought London, or even English. English Fiddle pattern spoons are mostly a 19th century style. A 19th century, or indeed late 18th century, English spoon would normally be top marked, and either fully marked or at least include a duty mark.
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Hello David,

Your right of course that a fiddle pattern spoon is very unlikely to carry an old style UK maker's mark.
The ornamental style of the punch could well be foreign.
At last we seem to be getting somewhere.

Regards,
Mike
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Hello

During past time, but not day on, day of, I’ve searched where the letter R, in a free style contour cartouche, was in use — well, I’m interpreting the part above the letter R as a stylized crown.

In guides for France I haven’t often met such a simple Antique letter type, low crowned:
In Paris’ »Maison commune« in the year 1733; the basic of cartouche contour lined.
In Angers »Communautés« in the year 1734; the basic of cartouche straight lined.
In Rouen » Communautés « in the XVIII century; the basic of cartouche straight lined.
In Orleans a »charge« in the year 1762; the basic of cartouche straight lined.
In Amiens’ »Abbeville« in the year 1779-1780; the basic of cartouche contour lined.
In Paris’ »Maison commune« in the year 1780; the basic of cartouche contour lined.

One of the problems for assign to a town is, that the other marks on the spoon are difficult to be “read” or interpreted — the other, but maybe much easier problem is the crest of a falcon.

In Brazils Rio de Janeiro past was in use also sometimes a letter R crowned, in a free style contour cartouche.

Was the owner of the crest of a falcon maybe somewhere else, like e.g. Rio de Janeiro, settled in a commercial or diplomatic mission?

The style of the fiddle pattern, or the little spoon itself, could also been imported from some where to else where.

It seems to me that the origin town of this little salt spoon would remain unknown?

I think it should now first be searched on the crest of a falcon.

Kind regards silverport
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Hi,

Could it be perhaps an 'unattributed pseudo-mark on Hanau style silver.
Perhaps the Crest of a Falcon could be British.

Kind Regards

Oel
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