Early Tsp., Unk. Maker's Pictorial Mark (Continental?)

[SilverSurfer]

No response on the American Coin Silver forum, so will try here. Below are the scans (apologize for the quality) of a small and delicate teaspoon, 14 cm long and 0.3 troy ounces in weight:



The overall shape and the maker's mark (not found in the Tardy index) have a Continental flavor to me about them, but the very light construction perhaps hints at an American origin, where I tried first. The drop has four faces, and there is a mid-ridge down the stem underside. The spoon was perhaps made from hand-hammered sheet, as evidenced by a wavy delamination line down the middle of the stem underside. As opposed to the very light overall construction, note the very thick finial tip, somewhat unique. There is an amateurishly applied, prick engraved script "D" monograph. Might anyone recognize the maker's or city's pictorial mark (a griffin on a heavy three line field?) or the spoon's regional style? TIA!

SS

[blakstone]

I kept coming back to this because I was certain I had seen it somewhere before. It took me a while, but I finally found it.

Wolfgang Scheffler's Goldschmiede Mittel- und Nordostdeutschlands (Berlin: de Gruyter, 1980) identifies the mark as that of the Polish Pomeranian city of Słupsk (German: Stolp in Pommern); see the city arms here. He records it (mark #921) on a spoon dated 1818 by Christian Gottlieb Menzel, who was working as early as 1799. Certainly the exaggerated "lancet" style handle with that pronounced "bump" on the underside is entirely in keeping with early 19th century central Europe.

Hope this helps!

[SilverSurfer]

Thank you, blakstone, for your effort on my behalf, very much appreciated. So, Polish, and not Belgian, after all. Your ability to ferret out these obscure silver facts is remarkable. Thanks again!

SS

[Hose_dk]

It is in fact not polish but "german". When it was made the city was a city in what was known as Pommern - an independent country. Today split between Poland and Germany (in Mechlenburg Vorpommern)

I know that the debate is academic, but I would consider my spoons - by nationality - at time of manufacture.
So a Königsberg spoon does not become a russian Kaleningrad spoon.
Memel, Reval etc

And I also collect Norwegian spoons and consider the danish - as Norway was part of Denmark.

Perhaps this comment should be I another section of the site - but your question made me elaborate.

[admin]

Hi,
Following Blakstone's lead, I've begun adding images of the City Arms to the German City marks pages. They are very helpful, especially in cases where a less than spectacular mark image is available. Thanks for the idea.

Tom

German Hallmarks before 1886

page 1 today, page 2 tomorrow