Help to know the age of a spoon

[JJM]

I would be very grateful if you can help me to know things about this spoon.




(admin photo edit)

Thank you

[Essexboy Fisher]

Hello, JJM this is an interesting looking spoon if much tarnished. Was it a metal detecting find as I am not sure if the spoon's bowl is a normal type flattened or was made with a flat bowl as to be like a "cake" server? I an assuming it is about 15 cms long. The marks do not tell us much but could suggest the spoon to be from the first half of the 19th century or a fraction earlier. The 2 pictorial marks on the spoon's finial, the battle axe and "squashed star" are not rare on cutlery items of that period and not definitive for a particular maker. At that time often marks were used that could cause ambiguity with solid silver hallmarks. A good commercial ploy? It is a pity you were unable to clean the other 2 marks up a little more. Did you try some warm water with detergent and a firm headed tooth brush? It is possible that after more cleaning some letters could have been confidently read. I think there is an "M" but no idea about the mark preceding it. The "M" could have suggested a surname for a maker or represent "Metal" as in the "Britannia Metal" a then commonly used alloy for spoons. I have offered a couple of ideas, have you got anymore yourself?

Fishless