www.925-1000.com

Besides not being able to decipher the monogram -- I don't even know which way to look at the spoon to read it! -- I am confused by the marks.

On this site it says "Buttercup" was manufactured in 1899. But this spoon is stamped "PATENT 1900" (sorry I forgot to take a picture of that stamp)

Also the marks don't look quite like the 20th century example or the 1863-1890's example.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48342630@N ... 490019529/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Please let me know if different pix are needed.

Thanks for your help!

Black Letter 'p'

Great, thanks so much. That's what I thought.

Hello,
Gorham and many other manufacturers often produced patterns before the, sometimes, lengthy process of design patenting was completed, hence there is often a difference between premier and patent dates and also the reason numerous pieces can be seen with the stamp "Patent Applied For" or an abbreviated version of the same.
In actuality, the process for "Buttercup" was quite fast, the patent was filed for on June 2, 1899 and the patent was granted on June 27, 1899. Don't have a clue why your piece is stamped 1900, perhaps they made a minor design change and repatented it.
These patents were for a term of seven years so it is likely that your piece was produced within that time period.
http://www.google.com/patents?id=FDV2AA ... q=&f=false" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regards, Tom