Set of spoons, 800 mark

[sebastian4743]

I have an interesting set of spoons (length of approx. 10cm each) that I would like to know better. All of them have an inscription which I do not understand. They also bear a 800 silver mark. The shape of it I have never seen before. Maybe someone of you could help me? What country may they origin?

[oel]

Hi Sebastian,

Decorative tea spoons with Old Dutch month names, normally set of twelve;
January louwmaand (tawny-month)
February sprokkelmaand (short month)
March lentemaand (spring-month)
April grasmaand (grass-month)
May bloeimaand (bloom-month)
June zomermaand (summer-month)
July hooimaand (hay-month)
August oogstmaand (harvest-month)
September herfstmaand ( autumn-month)
October wijnmaand (wine-month)
November slachtmaand (slaughter-month)
December wintermaand (winter-month)

The spoons do not carry any hallmarks, only marked to indicate silver fineness 800, a fineness which is below Dutch legal standard.
The spoons could have been made in the Netherlands or in Belgium, 1st half of the 20th century.
Images of a complete set, no maker's mark, Dutch sword mark only.



Peter.

[sebastian4743]

Thank you Peter for your reply. This means it is only a part of set. We can only wonder why they do not have proper silver marks, especially as they could be made as you said in the Netherlands. Why would a silversmith wanted to make silver spoons below the Dutch silver standard not marked by the authorities? Was it even allowed? They was not intended for export I guess as they used the local language...

[dognose]

Could it be 835?



Trev.

[oel]

In many European countries 800 is an accepted silver standard. In the 19th century in Germany and Belgium assay offices were closed, to safe money and the standard mark / guarantee mark are self applied by the maker/ importer.

The spoons could have been made in Belgium, for the Dutch market and tourist trade.
The Belgian law of 5 June 1868 put an end to any regulation with regard to the maker's mark, when entering into force on 1 July 1869. The gold and silver smiths were not obliged to have a maker's mark and did not have to register any longer and they did not have to present their work for assaying. Marks were no longer obliged. The content and form of the company mark could be chosen by themselves and the fineness mark mostly consisted of a number showing the alloy in thousandth parts, or A with number 1 or 2 for the silver standards, 900 or 800.

The Netherlands, in 1953 marking/ tax duty was abolished. Silversmiths/factories made those spoons for the Dutch market, to save extra production costs with and without maker's mark and had those spoons assayed for small work, the sword mark. Often the factories/silversmith's name was on the box only. And for export could mark silver fineness only, minimum 800 /835 or 925.
Van Kempen en Begeer;


Peter.

[Dendriet]

Hi Trev and Oel

I have a strong suspicion that this is surely a masters Mark and not 835,
because the sword (the stem to the tray) is the standard Mark.

Moreover, these spoons have the same contours of this mark. (Schoonhoven ??)

Best regards
Dendriet

[oel]

Hi Dendriet,

Yes you are right!

the missing sword mark.
And not a fineness mark but a Schoonhoven maker's mark rectangle with cut corners, perhaps Sebastian could reveal more details, if he checks the maker's mark on all spoons?


Peter

[sebastian4743]

I have not seen the sword mark! Good eye Dendried!

I think now the maker mark could be PB6, so this would mean that it was made by P. Baardwijk Nieuwpoort, 1926-1942.

[oel]

Yes,it's possible PB6 for; P. Baardwijk, registered in Schoonhoven & Nieuwspoort. Again it shows to carefully examine the item and search for clear (hall)marks, there is a distinct difference between 800 and PB6.


Cheers,

Peter