L. R. Broomall spoons

[AllSeasons]

I recently purchased a few L. R. Broomall spoons. I believe the maker is Lewis R. Broomall of Philadelphia. I guess my first question is whether this is indeed coin silver? Also, it seems this Broomall fellow was pretty interesting, having been appointed as the Chief Coiner of the US Mint by Abraham Lincoln. Can anyone tell me more about his life and accomplishments? Thank you in advance.

Here's what I was able to find on sterlingflatwarefashions.com, but there's not a lot of detail there.



Here're the images of the spoons and mark:

[wev]

He was a successful watchmaker and jeweler in Philadelphia. He had a brief partnership with Arnedee Spadone in 1851, but mainly worked on his own. He was appointed as Chief Coiner on 27 May 1861 and resigned on 30 November 1863 after being appointed Recorder of Deeds (a much more lucrative post). It is very unlikely he actually manufactured any of the goods he marked and retailed. He died in 1891.

[AllSeasons]

Thank you! Is it me, or is it a little ironic, though, that he retailed silver items made from melted down silver coins that he minted? LOL!

Also, can I safely assume that these are solid coin silver?

[wev]

Thank you! Is it me, or is it a little ironic, though, that he retailed silver items made from melted down silver coins that he minted? LOL!

Also, can I safely assume that these are solid coin silver?

In this period coins were rarely being melted down. The term "Coin" was simply advertising meant to imply that the metal used matched the purity of minted coins, ie .900. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn't.

And yes you can, though I have to wonder about this current obsession over purity level. If you can't tell in hand, you need to do more homework, practical and historical. Is it something to do with accuracy when reselling it?

[Aguest]

:::: The spoons are solid coin silver. :::: I'm so confused about this question about reselling. ::::

[AllSeasons]

Thank you for the replies. I'm really not looking to resell these, unless it's a family emergency or if things get really dicey in the world. My latest postings merely come from a beginner's fear of buying something that turns out not to be silver, as I've been burned before, even though I've only been collecting silver for a little over a year. I just recently started collecting coin silver, so this is a brand new world for me. I think the information I get back from posters is also really good just for learning about this space, the different silversmiths, and the history. So I hope this helps clear it up. I try not to post too much, so as not to overtax the forum, but any help is always very much appreciated.

Cheers!

[dognose]

I try not to post too much

Post as often as you wish, there are absolutely no limits and we enjoy reading your posts.

Trev.

[AllSeasons]

I try not to post too much

Post as often as you wish, there are absolutely no limits and we enjoy reading your posts.

Trev.

Thank you, really appreciate it!