www.925-1000.com

Hello

This fairly standard 8 3/4 inch fiddle spoon has a mark (city?) I have not been able to find in the standard books. Perhaps it is not British?

Rich

This is a "faux hallmark" on an American coin silver spoon. The mark is a lion/star/D, and is tentatively attributed to Nelson Haight, a silversmith from Newburgh, NY working from 1839-1859

While I agree it is likely a NY state pseudo, the Haight attribution is one of the more unlikely ones put forth. There is nothing in the records to indicate that he was anything more than a mildly successful retail jeweler in Newburgh. His own mark is found twinned with half a dozen pseudo marks (including this one), which are, in turn, also seen twinned with a dozen or more retailer's names across New York. Without something more concrete than a feeling or suspicion, such assertions of attribution are merely chimera and wishful thinking.

Nelson Haight died in 1852, so I am presuming the 1859 end date to be a typo.

There is a Nelson Haight who is listed in the 1860 Newburgh census as a master jeweler noteably along with his wife Cecelia and two sons that are jeweler's apprentices.

Actually, I find a Nelson Haight in New York, New York in the 1870 census. He's listed as a watchmaker, and one son is listed as a retail jewelry dealer and another is listed as a watchmaker.

There is a listing in the 1880 census for New York, New York with Cecelia Haight and three of her sons. Nelson is no longer listed at that time.

According to Dr. D. Albert Soeffing, star,lion,D is the mark of silversmith John L. Westervelt, Newburgh, NY, working ca. 1848-1904. There are a couple of articles by Dr. Soeffing on Westervelt in Silver Magazine: Sep/Oct 1992, beg. p.12, and Nov/Dec 1992, beg. p.16.