posted 11-03-2005 12:34 AM            

Found four old serving spoons that are pretty beat up but weighing a hefty 2 troy ounces each. Found no record of an American silversmith named Lilienthal in The Book of Old Silver. Pattern seems similar to those of 1860 to 1880. Engraved initials on the underside medallion is RVWC or RIWC. Thanks in advance!

posted 11-03-2005 03:29 PM            

This forum is a place where a small number of collectors chat about silver. You only posted your question today and often people don't check the forum on a regular basis or have time to respond quickly so you should not normally expect an immediate answer. Your photos are well done, but you did not indicate why you wanted the information on these spoons. In your profile you mention that you not only collect silver but that you also sell silver which is a bit of a red flag to many people here. We are very welcoming of anyone who wants to talk about silver for their love of it and to enrich their appreciation of their collecting it, but most of us bridle at being used as a free research service for someone who is just going to use the information to help them sell their silver. That is the reason why we ask newer people to indicate why they want the information.

I believe that Wev has given you the correct answer (as he always does ) on the Lilienthal marking. Often, old flatware is marked with the name of the store that retailed it in addition to the maker's marks.

By the way, your spoons are monogrammed on the back since at that point in time a proper host or hostess would have set their table with the spoon's bowl facing down. A person coming to the table would then be able to see and appreciate the monogram since that would be the side facing up.

posted 11-03-2005 03:43 PM            

That said, I have hundreds of files of random notes gathered from here and there; no telling what might prove fruitful in future. In this case, the notes came from a friend whose own interest is in early southern photographers, but who knows of mine in silversmiths and related trades.

As for being from a Kansas City estate, I don't find anything surprising in that; they have had more than a hundred years to migrate, after all.

posted 11-15-2005 11:42 AM            

In general, tears, cracks or splits are not worth doing on flatware unless they are rare pieces or by rare makers. The repair will be visible, and it is tough to get a good repair on a spoon bowl because it takes a lot of heat to get the joint hot enough to accept solder. Also, because the joint has to be clean, you will lose most or all your patina around the repaired area.

The best way to see this, is to have a cheap piece repaired. This way, when a more valuble piece, that needs repair, comes along, you will know what to expect as a result as well as the approximate cost.

Hope this helps.