Spoon with Arm & Hammer, "R", and eagle

[Sicc]

found this small spoon digging in my yard in Rochester, NY. House was built 1900.

Just curious on this item and found this site. I clicked though a few images of marks and didn't find anything similar.

http://i46.tinypic.com/242sqrd.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/iqlls1.jpg

[silverly]

Welcome to the forum. I believe your spoon is coin silver. The makers of many of the pseudo hallmarked items like yours are unknown, but the "R" could increase your chances of making an identification. A New York manufacturer does seem likely. Keep digging.

[mmary]

I happened to notice a remarkably similar strong arm device printed on a meeting notice of the Providence Association of Mechanics and Merchants "Providence Gazette", October 12, 1822. [It was reprinted in an article by Antiques Magazine from October 1966 about Rhode Island cabinetmakers.] I thought I'd add it to the discussion about this spoon (shouldn't it be moved to the coin silver category?) since the devices were so similar.

[mmary]

My apologies for not noticing that this discussion had been moved (I found it in the silverplate category).

[Sicc]

Awesome info thanks

doing some quick googling it sounds like the spoon is probably a few decades older than the house - pretty cool!

[Sicc]

I think I found it!

James P. Steele, Rochester NY, 1838-1878

(admin edit - see Posting Requirements )

I was totally lost without these hints. Excited to know its age and that it was made in Rochester!

[silverly]

Your information about Steele is not unlikely, but something that positively ties the mark to Steele would be nice. Do you know of any documention to go along with the information presented on the linked site?

[Traintime]

Question of this maker began here: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=7291&p=198509&sid=01abc9c9c6b7263310a84b006330fbda#p198509

[Traintime]

Additional info for this maker: Place spoon sample bears added mark of E.Cook (sans cartouche). Retailer mark, normally in cartouche and associated with Erastus Cook Rochester N.Y 1793-1864 (accorded by Thorn 1949). Should Cook prove to be a maker, then "R" might be linked to Rochester(???).