found underwater St. Croix, USVI spoon, bamboo motif

[snorklerox]

Hi, I have a spoon which I found snorkelling in the Frederiksted harbor, St. Croix, U.S.V.I, back in the mid-80's. I have looked in many reference books, online, and etc. but am unable to really decipher or i.d. the mark. I am not sure of the material it is made of either, my best guess is brass or an amalgam of brass, bronze, copper, etc. that was originally plated. It could be silver, but has a warmer cast. I have left on the tarnish and coloration from its years underwater, although some has worn off from handling. I would really like to know the age and what country it might originate from. It appears to be a solid casting, not hollow handled and it is approx. 4 13/16" long. It weighs approx. 0.8 oz. The handle seems to be designed to replicate a bamboo stalk. The edges of the bowl are fairly sharp, as if worn and where the neck flares in to the bowl, it is asymetrical.
The mark on the back is pretty worn, and I don't have a strong enough magnifier to see it clearly. I used to think it was all letters, but looking as close as possible, I may have been looking at the incised spaces, and should have been looking at the raised marks. In that light, the first 2 marks appear to be either a face or a letter, then another one like an animal, but could also be a C next to a K or X. Next, there is an E or could be part of a mark, then there appears to be an L after that, but it is not struck as deep as the other letters, then either a colon or a B, then a P or R, and the last letter is an O or a face or something similar. I can't determine if the mark is set in a rectangular box or it is just the shape of the letters. I left the clay residue in the mark in hope it will make it stand out better.
Thanks in advance for your assistance and I hope I can be of help to someone else.
Roxanne

[Waylander]

Roxanne

Could your markings be a word - NICKEL?

Regards

Waylander

[snorklerox]

Hi, Waylander, thanks for the suggestion. Actually, I initially thought that it said "NICKEL BRO". Then, I saw the letters BP mentioned somewhere, as Brittania Plate, I think? and thought it might be that.
I wish I had a digital camera that took better closeups. Here is the best shot I could get of the clay impress I took of the mark. (Of course the mark is reversed in the imprint.) Now that I look at it again in the clay, I agree that the first word is Nickel and the N did not mark clearly. As to the last 3 letters, now I can't tell if what I thought was a B is an 8, but I don't think the 2nd letter is P. And there is 3rd letter or mark.

Any ideas are welcome.
Any thoughts on a possible age?



Best regards,
Roxanne