Dutch Apostle Spoon?

[mariok]

Hi,

I picked up this small Apostle Spoon, and having done a bit of research have concluded that it is most probably Dutch and from 1900 (I think!). It seems to have suffered some damage over the years, but what has me wondering is there does not seem to be a makers mark. Is this common?

http://imageshack.us/g/32/dsc03045qg.jpg/


Thanks in anticipation

Mario

[oel]

Hello Mariok,


Your spoon with on the bowl two Dutch hallmarks; lion rampant (1) for 1st standard 934/1000 or 93, 4% pure silver and the Gothic date letter G for the year 1891.
Normally there should be one more hallmark; the assay office mark (Minerva head) and most important the maker’s mark is missing. Strange because the spoon could only be assayed after an official maker’s mark (responsibility mark) has been applied. The marks could be spread over the complete spoon. If the maker’s mark and assay office mark are not present, those might have been lost after later alterations have been made to the spoon; the decoration of the back of the bowl may have been done at a later stage and the stem of the spoon might have been polished by machine and by doing so some marks have been polished/rubbed out completely.

Regards,

Oel

[mariok]

Hello Oel,

Many thanks for the information. Looks like I was a few years out on the date. The spoon does look as if it has suffered some serious polishing over the years, and the other marks may have disappeared. I have spotted what looks like it may have once have been a stamp of some description, at the base of the apostle, but it would be impossible to determine anything from it now.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/252/dsc03049e.jpg/

All the very best

Mario