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Spoon, 68.7% silver, bought at a thrift shop in the port village Skudeneshavn, Norway.

Three stamps;
the makers mark "H.A.M.",
fineness "11LØDIGT" (68.7% silver),
and the makers mark "H.A.M." again.

There is also a monogram "MH" and the date "16/5 - 91".

Who is the maker?
"11LØDIGT" might be norwegian or danish.

Any information would be appreciated.
idarf

Hi idarf,

please use a search engine:
Try: Stempler i dansk sølv og guld - 1890 - 2018

You can discover the name of the silversmith H.A. Meilsøe and the town Holstebro/Demmark, 1898-1948.

I found Hans Andreas Meilsøe in the book Danske guld- og sølvsmedemærke.
a)



Hans Andreas Meilsøe is the son of Christen Andreas Meilsøe, who was born in Holstebro.
b)


Source:
Danske guld- og sølvsmedemærker før 1870, 4. udgave, revideret og udvidet af Henrik Jakobsen, Odense 2022, p. 485 (b), 486 (a)

Regards
Silverstone

Hi,

Also see H.A.M:
https://www.925-1000.com/denmarkH.html


Peter.

Hi,
thank you both for the answer and the references, they are very interesting.

I must admit that I am still a bit confused, about the timing.
The date 16/5 - 91 is engraved on the back of the spoon. I suppose that makes it likely that it was made and stamped no later than 1891. If anything, the spoon and the stamps might be older than the engraving.

Hans Andreas Meilsøe "får b." (which I guess translates roughly into something like "is officially registered as a goldsmith") in Holstbro in 1896.
According to the clippings you provided and open online resources, Hans Andreas Meilsøe is believed to have been in active production from 1898 on, seven years after 16/5 - 91.

Would Hans Andreas Meilsøe be allowed to stamp his initals H.A.M. as early as 1891?

-idarf

Some commemorative spoons are plain tablespoons with an inscription.

The engraved date of 16/5.91, refers to an commemorative event, a reminder to a special occasion. The spoon itself was probably made and marked between 1896 and 1948, the working period of this silversmith.

Peter.

Thank you, a backdated enscription would explain it! Interesting, enforcement of the 1893 standardization of danish hallmarking must have been lax and/or delayed.

Hi,
To explain, modern Danish hallmarks, legislated into law in 1888, went into full legal force in 1893. Based on the system put into place, all makers of gold or silver articles were required to stamp their work with their maker's mark and the metal fineness. After being stamped with the maker's mark and metal fineness, it was voluntary for an item to be sent to the "State Guardian"(Danish assay office) for official assay. Items sent for assay would then be stamped with the assayer's or warden's mark as well as the Assay Office National Control Mark, triple tower castle in oval shape frame. Which implies a guarantee of  silver minimum 826/000, unless a higher metal fineness is indicated.
Your spoon is marked fineness 11 or 12 loth, minimum 687/000 or 750/000 and below the official Danish silver standard 826/000. I suspect the spoon was made around 1900.

Peter.
Source; World hallmarks -Vol-I- Europe page 81 Denmark.