Hello. My name is Rance Garrison. I'm from Norton, Virginia. This item is actually in my father's possession. He's a retiree currently living in Grey, Tennessee. You can reach us by calling me at 276-220-1673 or by e-mailing me at [email protected].
My father actually traded some china he had for this item.
From what I can gather, the item appears to be an apostle's spoon, which were given as baptismal gifts to the children of aristocrats from the late 1400s until the practice went out of style in the mid nineteenth century. Given the shepard's staff that the figure on the handle is holding, this particular spoon appears to be in honor of Saint James the Greater. The back of the bowl has several markings. I'm not sure if you can see this in the images, but one the markings is the number 15, and directly opposite is the number 14. My hypothesis is that this represents the year 1514. There are some other markings as well, but they are hard to make out, however they are listed in the distinguishing marks section. One appears to be a cross hatched W. From what I can gather this means it was made in an English foundry.
I was wondering if anyone could give me any indication of exactly what this might be and a rough estimate of what it might be worth.
Thank you for your time,
Rance J. Garrison
Description
Category
Silver and Silver Overlay
Medium
Silver, I think, but possibly pewter or some other silver metal.
Distinguishing marks
On the back of the bowl, there are several marks.
Clockwise, from the left, there are several letters: B, E, P
There is also a cross hatched "w"
On the left, there is a 15, on the right there is a 14. My hypothesis is that this represents the year 1514, but I could be wrong about that.
Clockwise, from the left, there are several letters: B, E, P
There is also a cross hatched "w"
On the left, there is a 15, on the right there is a 14. My hypothesis is that this represents the year 1514, but I could be wrong about that.
Condition
Good
Size and dimensions of this item
approximately 6 and 3/4 inches long by approximately 2 1/2 inches at its widest point
Date Period
The number 1514 marked on the back of the bowl. I'm not sure if this is the year it was made or not. I do know that apostle spoons were popular baptismal gifts to the children of aristocrats during this time period.
Weight
Not sure about an exact weight measurement, but I would estimate at least 2 and a half to 3 ounces, at the least, no more than six ounces.
History
We don't really know much about the history of this item. My father traded some other items for this this particular item with a neighbor who was moving and had a lot of stuff that they wanted to get rid of. The neighbor wasn't sure of the particulars, either, other than the spoon had been in his parents' attic, and they were originally from Denmark before moving to the States decades ago. The neighbor wasn't able to tell my father or me anything specific about the spoon unfortunately, other than that it had been in his family for awhile and that his family was pretty big on their family heritage.
Price Paid (If known)
$20. The spoon was purchased as part of a package buy in which my father exchanged some items that I had in my possession for the spoon and some other items from a neighbor.
For Sale?
No
Photos
