Please help with the hallmarks of the folding spoon/fork.

[SpoonLover]

Hello, please help me with the hallmarks of this folding fork/spoon and toothpick.





The spoon has such hallmarks:




Also it has such known hallmarks:





Thank you.

[oel]

Silver travelling cutlery set.

Combination of a fork and a spoon. Travelling sets can sometimes be folded around a hinge with a slide above it to secure the handle. The spoon's bowl has eyes on the bottom through which the tines of the fork are slid. This way the cutlery can be used as either a fork or a spoon. Introduced in the 17th century. In the 19th century, there was a revival of interest in this "novel" early type of utensil, plenty of replicas were/are made, some with pseudo marks.
Question is your set a replica with pseudo marks, 19th-20th century or older?
For convenience, ​(later style) the Dutch name J. Dijkstra from 1718 has been engraved in the bowl​. The marks are not convincing.

At your set we see the crowned O twice, which is unusual ;


​Crowned O
In March 1807, by order of the King of Holland, a new hallmark law on the working, importing and sale of gold and silver objects, including the levy of duty on the same was implemented. Silversmiths, retailers and silver- shop owners, and private residents could, for a few weeks, bring in their old hallmarked and previous made silver & gold objects and have those objects stamped with the crowned O, the capital letter O, the first letter for the Dutch word 'Onbelast'= duty-free; no tax duty had to be paid.

​Below some examples of the correct crowned O's used in 1807;




Pseudo town mark Harlingen or Rotterdam?




The Dolphin mark
The Dutch dolphin mark; the 1859 duty mark for new unguaranteed objects of national origin. This mark was used on all new silver objects below the legal standard of fineness, those with non-precious metal additions, and on new heavily gold or silver plated objects, as long as the average precious metal content after melting with the base metal was at least 250/1000. It was also struck on rejected objects which had been submitted at the lowest standard of fineness. In that case the maker had to choose between destruction or unguaranteed marking. This mark was sometimes also mistakenly used on old and foreign objects. Dolphin mark used from 1859-1893 and valid from 1859 till 1953.

Peter.

[SpoonLover]

Hi Peter, thank you very much for the reply and the information!

I know that in the 19th century in Holland, copies of the traveling set were created. In fact, I have two such 19th-century copies. I have compared these 19th-century sets with this one, and in my opinion, they are quite different. The bowl from this set is thinner and feels different to the touch. I also found a photo of a similar set: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... 649-3).jpg.

Do you think the spoon in the photo has the same hallmark as mine?

Thank you very much!
Elena

[SpoonLover]

Hi Peter, not sure that that link works. Just added the images of the set from wikimedia here:


And a hallmark of that spoon:


That spoon description from wikimedia: "Folding Fork And Spoon (Netherlands), early 17th century, On top of stem: swan in oval; French import mark On back of spoon bowl: "0" in oval with crown on to, two illegible marks. On back of spoon bowl: R. Bijlsma, Anno 1751 (later engraving)."

[oel]

Hi Elena,

Yes, similar style pseudo marks. Even the engraved text is in the same style: R. Bijlsma anno 1751. Look at my three examples of correct crowned O's and compare with the pseudo crowned O on both spoon bowls. Indeed both folding spoons are replicas with pseudo marks.


Peter.

Source; K. A. Citroen Valse zilvermerken in Nederland, crowned O # 261

[SpoonLover]

Hi Peter,
Thank you very much! Very appreciate for the help. Just want to add that the other spoon is in the collection of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York: https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18803649 .

Thank you,
Elena

[oel]

Hi Elena,

Yes, I know. Many museums have questionable items in their collection with incorrect descriptions.

Yet another example that pseudo marks are often not recognized and the spoon bowl is thought to be 400 years old. The master mark of Rinze Jans Spaanstra is even described BS/2 (must be RS 2). Rinze Jans Spaanstra was active 1843-till 1896
https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts ... /id/434919
See pseudo marks Groningen;
viewtopic.php?t=56948

Peter.

[SpoonLover]

Hi Peter,

Forgot to mention that this spoon also has a zig-zag mark on the hidden place.


Thank you ver much!

Elena

[SpoonLover]

I mean my spoon.

[oel]

Allow me to show you a proper Zig Zag



Peter