What is this? A scraper? A cleaner? A server?

[Attic Cleaner]

Mods, if you have the vocabulary I'm seeking then feel free to move this post where it belongs. Kinda hard to search for words I don't know.

I'm finally cleaning out a box of my long-deceased grandparent's “heirlooms”, including a rack of sterling silver souvenir spoons. We have no stories or dates or other information on how they were acquired. As far as I can tell they're from the 1880s-1920s.

Racked among the spoons is this small tool. I've never seen it before, but my brain popped up “salt scraper”. Perhaps it could be a “crumb scraper” or a “sugar cube server”. However a search of this board and Google Images didn't turn up anything like these images. It's 2¼“ long with a 1¾“ wide x ½” tall blade. The ripples on the blade's leading edge are probably caused by use/abuse, not by design.

The underside of the handle is stamped “STERLING”. I don't see this makers mark anywhere on this website, and my camera can barely capture the image on its super-macro setting let alone focus on it. The mark looks like the letter “M” or possibly two “AA”s superimposed over an arrow (arrowhead to the left, tail to the right). The letters are surrounded by an oval that has some sort of symbol on its left-hand side where it crosses the arrow shaft. I can't tell if it's a keyhole or some other dark object inside a small circle.








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[silverport]

Hello

Yours misteryous object is a baby food pusher - pattern style between 1900-1920 - by Webster Company of North Attleboro, Massachusets.

Maker's mark look: http://www.925-1000.com/americansilver_W.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Blades wavy edges maybe not company's design; but result of misuse as a screwdriver - sterling silver isn't strong enough for this kind of use.

Kind regards silverport
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[Attic Cleaner]

I'll be darned. Glad I asked-- I never would have figured that out. That fits the family history; my grandfather was born in 1904 and my grandmother a few years later.

It appears that the maker's mark is upside down next to the word "sterling"... or the word is upside down next to the mark. No wonder I was having so much trouble.

Thank you very much!
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