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 American Silver before sterling
 Another very odd birdback-HL Alligator IS
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| Author | Topic: Another very odd birdback-HL Alligator IS |
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Brent Posts: 1507 |
posted 09-16-2009 11:55 AM
  
     Hello all, Back again with another odd bird. Here is a nice little feather-edge tea, average weight, seemingly period monogram on front with date of 1803, later engraving on back and date of 1907, nice bird facing left. Now the fun part; marks of H Pellet L in a rectangle and IS in a shield, flanking what looks to be an alligator or crocodile head. I have never seen such a mark. It may be an unrecorded mark of Harvey Lewis and Joseph Smith, working in Philadelphia, but the first record of them seems to be in 1805. Can anyone offer any identification of the marks? Thanks! Brent IP: Logged |
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swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 |
posted 09-16-2009 12:07 PM
Interesting find. I don't have a better suggestion at the moment, but dollars to donuts it is not American. Somewhere in the British Empire, I would guess. IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 09-16-2009 12:21 PM
If you google the book Scottish Gold and Silver, there is information about an assay mark being required in mid eighteenth century Jamaica that looks interesting and may apply. Great spoon and nice clear marks. IP: Logged |
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Brent Posts: 1507 |
posted 09-16-2009 01:24 PM
Thank you both! I think you have hit it on the head; I found a second source noting the alligator-head assay mark from Jamaica, so I think that must be it. What a nice surprise! Brent IP: Logged |
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swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 |
posted 09-16-2009 04:27 PM
One of the initial marks would be that of the maker and the other the assay master, but neither appears in Finley's list of "usual initials" associated with the "alligator head" (there are no fresh water Alligators in the BWI, but there are - or were - salt water American Crocodiles). Such a mark with the "usual" initials is pictured in the list of unascribed marks in the second edition of Jackson, but was dropped from the last revision. Interestingly, the mark pictured on this spoon is that of a crocodile skull, (which must have been the model used by the engraver of this punch) and not the entire head! [This message has been edited by swarter (edited 09-16-2009).] IP: Logged |
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