Early spoon with tiny incuse marks
Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 12:41 pm
This is a small spoon, just 9 centimetres long. It looks early in style, perhaps circa 1600. On a recent visit to the London Assay Office I had the opportunity for it to be checked quickly on one of their x-ray machines. It proves to be made of a high grade silver/copper alloy (over 94% silver) with traces of lead (Pb) in the alloy. The lead would confirm an early date because it is not present in more modern alloys.
The stem has a hexagonal cross-section like English spoons of the period but does not match known English spoons in its detail. The initial W is incised on the top of the stem. There are three tiny, incuse marks. The one in the bowl looks like a fleur-de-lis to the naked eye but rather less like one when magnified. The two towards the top of the stem are a cross and what may be an animal figure or may be something completely different. They do not match any English provincial marks that I can trace.
Can anybody place this style of spoon? And does anybody recognise the marks, perhaps from somewhere known to have used a higher silver standard than sterling?