help with Irish tablespoon

[rat-tail]

Hi - would appreciate it if anyone could help with a mystery mark on an Irish old English pattern tablespoon - biggish one 22.5cm. Hibernia and the dublin marks are clear but then there is a mark which looks like it could be a rat or some sort of small animal. Could it be a makers mark. Then there is a mark right under the curl on the finial that is worn beyond recognition, that is more likely the maker's mark. Hoping someone will recognise these. The spoon came with a pair of Ely and Fearn tablespoons for london 1807 with the same monogram. So presume this spoon is about that date. - many thanks Frank

[dognose]

Hi Frank,

Try to capture an image like you did with the top three photos. I think the problem is that you are trying to get too close to the object.

Regards Trev.

[rat-tail]

Hi Trev - thanks for that. I took some pics in natural light this morning. I am not sure whether they will help. I suspect the bottom mark "the rat mark" is a date letter. Wondering if it could be the C for 1799 or G for 1803. I see that it should be pre 1807, otherwise there would be a duty mark. The only other flight of fancy I had was maybe something from the 1890 to 1915 letter sequence (I can never decypher gothic capitals - they all look the same to me) and this spoon was a later replacement to make up a set. When I say it the engraving matches is is in the same style and I suppose could be a copy. But somehow I feel this spoon is older than this.

The other interesting thing is that although the mark under the scroll back is no clearer it actually shows as two marks, one presumably a makers mark you can just see a corner of, the other, presumably a retailers mark going horizontally across the spoon. Only noticed that when I saw the picture. - Thanks Frank

[dognose]

Hi Frank,

I've looked and looked, but I guess it just a defaced dateletter mark. It would be from the series 1797-1807 as the marks are punched seperately.

Why this would have been done I have no idea.

Regards Trev.

[rat-tail]

Many thanks, Trev, think that's the most logical explanation. appreciate it. Regard Frank