Mystery Spoon - AB and LR?

[bstaunto]

Hi guys,

Posting this for a friend. An interesting Old English Pattern Dessert spoon. I thought the conjoined letters were a bit different. I thought maybe Canadian? But I couldn't find anything similar in Langdon.




Any thoughts?

Cheers, Ben.

[dognose]

Hi Ben,

I know I've seen the mark before, but I just cannot remember where. It does indeed have a Canadian feel about it.

'AB' could be an abbreviation for Alberta.

Trev.

[davidross]

It seems very unlikely to me that "AB" would here denote "Alberta," simply because the region was only acquired by the Dominion of Canada in 1870 and remained largely unsettled until after the 1885 North West Rebellion was put down. The name "Alberta" was merely one district of the Northwest Territories until the Province of Alberta was established in 1905. The marks on the spoon would seem to predate the establishment of Alberta.

I wonder if the "AB" here is not the "AR" of Adam Ross. Trev has posted several variations of Adam Ross' touchmarks in the Contributors' Notes. See:

viewtopic.php?f=38&t=31885

Among the many marks Adam Ross used, I see at least a strikingly similar AR and the rather distinctive lion passant, although not used in the same combination as on this spoon. That said, I cannot account for the conjoined LR or RL mark. This is pure fancy on my part, but I wonder if it might be the mark of either a retailer or a successor to his business, perhaps a descendant of first name beginning with L.

None of what I have written is conclusive, of course, but hopefully these musings will point someone else toward a definite attribution.

Regards

David R

[bstaunto]

So interestingly, here is another example that has turned up of the LR or RL conjoined.

This time on a pair of plain sugar tongs. And also with a different pair of punches. On this piece, there is a LM and a lion passant (which looks quite different from the lion on the previous spoon).

This could support David's idea it is a retailler's mark, or perhaps some unofficial town mark (or even country)...although I can't think of any examples of places for LR or RL.

Any thoughts on the LM of this set of marks?

Cheers, Ben.