|
|
|
|
| REGISTER (click here) |
How to Post Photos
|
|
 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 New members post here
 18th century (?) coin silver ID
|
 SSFFriend: Email This Page to Someone! |
next newest topic | next oldest topic |
| Author | Topic: 18th century (?) coin silver ID |
|
jasoncfry Posts: 3 |
posted 03-24-2015 12:20 PM
  
Hello good folks. I'm a writer in Brooklyn NY who's hoping your expertise can solve a genealogical mystery. This set of silver spoons has been in my family for ages. We're trying to figure out to whom they belonged. They're coin silver, 5.25 inches long. They have initials on the stem that my grandfather thought read TW but I suspect actually read JW: Where the bowl and stem meet there's a triangular design -- hard to see here but there's a zigzag stitching pattern. The maker's mark is a W.B in a rectangle with serrations around the inside of the rectangle. My ancestor who owned these definitely lived around Gettysburg, PA. If the owner is who I think it is, he would have been born in 1757. The family tradition is these spoons were made from the silver buckles he wore on his knee pants. I'm hoping to establish the following: * what the initials say -- JW, TW, or GW; and * what the maker's mark indicates about when and where they were made Any help would be greatly appreciated. My apologies if I've missed anything in search that would have answered my Qs! Thanks and best, Jason IP: Logged |
|
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 |
posted 03-24-2015 12:48 PM
For the maker see: William C. Burr IP: Logged |
|
agphile Posts: 798 |
posted 03-24-2015 01:19 PM
And yes, JW (or IW - script J and I being interchangeable) for the inscription. IP: Logged |
|
jasoncfry Posts: 3 |
posted 03-24-2015 03:31 PM
Thank you both very much! A last question, if I might: Were there any common traditions governing when a set of such spoons would have been made/presented -- christening, coming of age, marriage, etc.? I ask because I have two potential JWs. James Wilson was born in 1757, but his daughter Jane was born in 1793. William C. Burr's bio indicates the spoons were made sometime between 1792-1810. (Jane's initials when wed were also JW, but she probably wasn't married until around 1820-1.) The above suggests to me that the spoons were Jane's, maybe made in conjunction with her birth. But is that assuming the ceremonial when the answer might be utilitarian? Many thanks again! IP: Logged |
|
agphile Posts: 798 |
posted 03-24-2015 08:17 PM
I know a bit about English rather than American customs but I suspect some things make sense more widely than just in an English context. A set of teaspoons might have been acquired at any time, perhaps simply as funds allowed or, for the more affluent, to replace worn or outmoded items. However, the identification of the tea ceremony with the mistress of the house meant that a wedding was the one event most likely to occasion the purchase or gift of tea related silver. However, apart from the cases of widows or spinsters living independently, the initials on a piece of silver would generally identify the male as the owner (rather than his wife or daughter) notwithstanding the female role in the tea ceremony. In matters of inheritance, where some silver was passed specifically to a daughter rather than a son, that might be the tea related items. I think a set of teaspoons is less likely as a christening gift or as a gift at some stage before marriage, but nothing is impossible. This encourages me to guess that the spoons originally belonged to James and his wife but could have been passed on to Jane. IP: Logged |
|
jasoncfry Posts: 3 |
posted 03-24-2015 11:30 PM
Perfect. I can't thank you enough! IP: Logged |
|
Kimo Posts: 1627 |
posted 03-26-2015 08:44 PM
JW is a possibility, but so is TW, GW, or even FW. My first thought would be TW since when you look at the engraving the cross stroke at the top and the central vertical stroke are the heavy and thick ones while all of the other are thin grace strokes, but that is just a possibility and it could be one of the other possibilities. The earliest these spoons could have been made would have been about 1793 assuming Burr began his apprenticeship at age 14 since a typical apprenticeship was 7 years. I am not sure it could be dated to any specific year between then and 1810 though. As was mentioned, silver could be given at any time so it would be hard to pin to some event with any certainty. Also, out of style silver or broken or worn silver was constantly being recycled into to new objects as well which also makes dating pretty hard. IP: Logged |
|
agphile Posts: 798 |
posted 03-28-2015 05:57 AM
Sorry Kimo, but I disagree about the initials. They seem to me quite clearly to be JW or IW in typical style for the period. IP: Logged |
|
swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 |
posted 03-29-2015 02:13 PM
quote: I agree. The thickened curly "serif"(?) on the "W" as it crosses the top of the "J" seems to be the source of the confusion. IP: Logged |
All times are ET | next newest topic | next oldest topic |
  |
|
Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46a
|
1. Public Silver Forums (open Free membership) - anyone with a valid e-mail address may register. Once you have received your Silver Salon Forum password, and then if you abide by the Silver Salon Forum Guidelines, you may start a thread or post a reply in the New Members' Forum. New Members who show a continued willingness to participate, to completely read and abide by the Guidelines will be allowed to post to the Member Public Forums. 2. Private Silver Salon Forums (invitational or $ donation membership) - The Private Silver Salon Forums require registration and special authorization to view, search, start a thread or to post a reply. Special authorization can be obtained in one of several ways: by Invitation; Annual $ Donation; or via Special Limited Membership. For more details click here (under development). 3. Administrative/Special Private Forums (special membership required) - These forums are reserved for special subjects or administrative discussion. These forums are not open to the public and require special authorization to view or post. |
|
copyright © 1993 - 2022
SM Publications
All Rights Reserved. Legal & Privacy Notices |
