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A.F. Towle & Son spoon

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Author	Topic: A.F. Towle & Son spoon
tmockait Posts: 963 Registered: Jul 2004	posted 10-09-2005 07:29 PM [26-0698 01-2341] I just bought this spoon, which bears the A.F. Towle & Son mark. My sources indicate this company operated from 1890-1902, when it was acquired by Rogers, Lunt & Bowlen. However, this spoon is marked "1904" in script on the back of the handle. Is the number a date, and if so, did Rogers, Lunt & Bowlen continue to use the Towel mark? Does anyone know the pattern name? Thanks, Tom IP: Logged
Marc Posts: 414 Registered: Jun 2002	posted 10-09-2005 10:10 PM Once again Tom, The 1904 date was engraved on the spoon as a memento of a birth or Christmas, or some other gifty type occasion. As such, the piece may have been sitting around for a while prior to being engraved.. This type of gift was quite common. Concerning the pattern.. It is "OLD DOMINION", and it is not unusual to find old company back stamps on pieces made way after the business was sold.. Why re-engrave a dye, just to change the company name.. Better to let the dye wear out and then replace the whole thing. It is a financial thing. Happy to help. Your regular photos are pretty good.. Let me know how you take your close ups at cutche@triad.rr.com and perhaps I can help you to make them a little more clear. It might just be the camera, but I do a lot of close up work. Marc IP: Logged
tmockait Posts: 963 Registered: Jul 2004	posted 10-09-2005 11:03 PM Marc, I checked a couple replacement companies and none list "Old Dominion" as a Towle pattern. Did you mean "Old Colonial"? Tom IP: Logged
Marc Posts: 414 Registered: Jun 2002	posted 10-10-2005 10:54 AM Hi Tom, You said it yourself.. The company was purchased by LUNT... not Towle. So it is listed as a Lunt pattern. Lots of Towle companies around at one time, I believe all related to the Moultons. If you are going to be working with sterling flatware there are two books that I find necessary. The first is "STERLING FLATWARE", Revised second edition, by Tere Hagan, obtainable on Ebay. The second is "ENCYCLOPEDIA of AMERICAN SILVER MANUFACTURES" revised 4th edition or 5th edition, by Rainwater & Redfield, available through book sellers or on line. Again, happy to be of service. Marc IP: Logged
Marc Posts: 414 Registered: Jun 2002	posted 10-10-2005 11:02 AM Hi once more Tom, The mark shown on the spoon (A.F. TOWLE & SON Co.) is not the same mark as that of the TOWLE SILVERSMITHS Co. A library will usually have a copy of the "Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufactures" in a reference section. Marc IP: Logged
tmockait Posts: 963 Registered: Jul 2004	posted 10-10-2005 11:20 AM Marc, Thanks again. I usually collect European silver, so this is new territory. I know about the difference between A.F and the other Towles. So if it is a Lunt pattern with 1904 commemorative date and Lunt acquird AF Towle in 1902, my spoons was made between 1902 and 1904 when the commemorative date was etched in, right? Regards, Tom IP: Logged
dragonflywink Posts: 993 Registered: Dec 2002	posted 10-10-2005 01:09 PM Turner shows "Old Dominion" as being introduced by A.F.Towle in 1897, when Lunt acquired the company, it became their pattern. Assuming the likelihood that your spoon was engraved in 1904, it should date between 1897-1904. As Marc indicated, the engraved date wouldn't really indicate when it was made. Cheryl ;o) IP: Logged
Dale Posts: 2132 Registered: Nov 2002	posted 10-10-2005 04:05 PM It seems to have been the practice for the silver companies to do 'runs' of patterns. They would make up a large quantity of a pattern which they would sell over a long period of time. This had the drawback of tying up capital in unsold inventory. It had the strength of lowering unit costs as so many were made. Probably, it also produced a fairly uniform product, one that did not vary much. In silverplate, my understanding is that long after a pattern was active, and even after was discontinued, the makers still sold from their stockpile. IP: Logged

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