posted 12-13-2006 04:53 PM            

Two unusual pieces by a W. P. Rogers, whom I have been unable to trace, have uniquely notched handles. They have no provenance, and resemble only a small unsigned teaspoon found in Western Pennsylvania some years ago. The ladle additionally has two pseudohallmarks, also unique.

The ladle is 6 3/4" long with a smallish round bowl 1 3/8" across and 7/16" deep, slightly smaller than similar ladles discussed in another thread

The spoon is 9 1/4" long. The maker's initials and the handle shape are the same as the name and handle on the ladle, and so undoubtedly share a common origin.

Maker's marks on both are poorly struck. Neither object is in particularly good shape, the ladle having been heavily buffed by someone and the spoon being well worn and damaged, but both are, in my experience, unique. I suspect they are Midwestern or mid southern in origin, but the name does not appear in any of my references - has anyone else seen it? The notched handle may be regionally characteristic, as are the shield-shaped handles on Louisville spoons, or it may be idiosyncratic, characteristic only of this maker.

posted 01-13-2007 11:30 PM            

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I have a couple of spoons with similarly notched handles, which I posted about in this thread last year. What's with the notches?

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So you did - and better made, too. I suspect some Scottish influence in this design, drawn from the characteristic earlier Scottish fiddles, which have somewhat deeper notches. Perhaps some Scottish immigrants or descendants of immigrants attempted to describe to the silversmith what they wanted when they placed their orders, and this is what they got??? And the Scottish fiddles may in turn have been drawn from Scandinavian forms.

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And this thread may also be relevant:
WM Rodgers

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The currrent thread was generated in response to points in another thread on ladles. If my memory were better, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble by using the photo from the earlier thread, but it was buried in another longer thread which was hard to find; besides, the later photos show more details. The link I had put in your thread when it was fresh in my mind must have helped you find it. Having a thread all of its own might help draw more attention and find someone who knows the maker.

posted 01-14-2007 02:30 PM            

I have also seen another by Stollenwerck of identical form, but nearly an inch shorter and an unmarked pair with acorn shaped bowls.