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This is a mark I have been researching for 30 years. I would like to hear if anyone has seen an example of it,
and if so what part of the country it was in?

Hi Francis,

This one has me stumped as well. I just took in four serving spoons with this hallmark. Each are approx 2.5oz, 9 inches long by 2.75 inches wide. two part construction, soldered. letters ILD in a rectangle

These were recovered here in New Orleans, LA. They also came in with three other similar sized spoons from the same family.
One is "DC Jaccard &Co" out of St. Louis (makes sense based on river trade)
The other is William Pendleton Burdick approx 1815-1816. Marked with the "/BURDICK " in a serrated rectangle.

::::: This may be a complete error, but based on the form alone, do you think this could be Swiss instead of American? :::::

:::::: If you look along the underneath-side of the handle, are there possibly other hallmarks that have been erased, and now they appear as a shiny, slick silvery surface? ::::::

The four that I currently have are in quote good shape. There are no other MD marks except the initials ILD. They also feature the same construction as the original poster.

There was an article by Maurice Meslans in the Nov/Dec 2017 issue ofSilver Magazine - "Mississippi Valley Silver, Part 7" - devoted to this mark where he attributes it to New Orleans silversmith Jacques LeDuff (ca.1769-1821). Most scholars of New Orleans silver - including the late Pat Bacot, Ellis Joubert and Carrie Mackie - make the same attribution.

I am a little more cautious (as I think one has to be with initial marks) but that this mark turns up almost exclusively in the New Orleans area is very supportive of the attribution.

I don't think it is Swiss. The mark doesn't appear in any Swiss reference that I know of, nor does it appear with any other city or fineness mark on any example I have ever seen.

There is unlikely ever to be definitive proof, but I think LeDuff is the best guess we have for now.

Thank you for that info. Ill have to find a copy of that article. I actually use these spoons as I love the weight and feel.

Glenn