David Crawford?

[mk209]

Found this perfect condition brightcut teaspoon which seems to be by David Crawford but wanted to confirm. It’s quite distinct in it’s style, there are some minor elements that would date it to 1770’s if it were a London piece.






Matt

[dognose]

Hi Matt,

I would be happy attributing this spoon to David Crawford.

Trev.

[mk209]

Thanks Trev. Here’s a picture of the back as you can see it’s quite flat, wide and has a shallow bend downwards with no pip but flat rounded top. It’s a very nicely made spoon of high quality workmanship.

[Mosley]

Hello,

For my education I just wondered why you think this Spoon is Newcastle? I cannot see the Hallmark from the posted photos.

[dognose]

Hi,

Welcome to the Forum.

It's a difficult question to wrap up in just a few lines, but the answer comes in the subtle differences in the marks and the knowledge of the style that David Crawford worked in. The hallmark, in this case there is just one, the Lion Passant, differs very slightly from those used at other assay offices, and the maker's mark, DC, is unique to David Crawford, and differs from any other 'DC' mark that was used by others around England.

The punches used, in this case, by Crawford and the Newcastle office were locally made, and though at a glance may appear the same as those used in, say, London, they are distinctly different.

With experience these differences stand out, much in the same way as a wine lover can instantly tell the difference between a Pinot noir and a Merlot (or in my case, a Big Mac and a Whopper!).

Trev.

[Mosley]

Hi Trev,

First of all thank you for the welcome.

I am a collector of Newcastle silver so I am always looking to add to my knowledge so thank you for a MasterClass. I will continue to watch and hopefully contribute in future.

Best wishes
Robert

[dognose]

Hi Robert,

We look forward to hearing a lot more from you.

Trev.