Featured Shoe horn, Navajo or am I way off here?

Picked this up at a sale the other day. Either someone changed their minds and put it back or they found it during the sale because it wasn’t there when I walked in 5-10 mins after show time. No marks that I see. Certainly appears to be silver. Looks more coin silver than sterling but who knows. Not too sure my eyes could actually perceive 2.5% in an unmarked test of two identical objects. Looks like it was used heavily which is neat. I’m thinking Navajo here but maybe I’m way off. I hate that anything NA and old is called “Fred Harvey era” on the Bay but would this fall into that “era“? Pretty happy with this grab.

 

I think it is older, could be late 19th century. Nice find.

 

Hm, now I know something about Fred Harvey after using that phrase as a search.

I know nothing about these, but am sure that somebody will. It does look old to me, as AJ said.

 

I know photos can be very deceiving at times. . .to me the bottom edge where your heel would go looks like it has a slight lip, making it a very uncomfortable edge to have on a shoe horn.

Looks like a spoon rest to me.

Dimensions please?

 

Polish that poor puppy

 

Absolutely POLISH it. You might actually find the mark.

If it is a shoe horn instead of a spoon rest, I would guess 1940s - 60s. Everyone had shoe horns then.
Spoon rests became popular in the late 70s.

 

I can't tell if the edges of the handle are slightly lipped but could it be a cigar holder/ashtray?

 

my Birks sugar spoon has that lip......
so I'll come down on the side of spoon.....
and it's HOW big ??????????????

 

Personally, until it's polished, it's hard to see what lip on which side you all are talking about......to meeeee!!!! Shoe horn/spoon.....LOVE it just the same!!! And like Cluttered said, a siggy MAY show, once polished!!

 

To my eyes the first two pictures are of the back (orientation of the handle). So looking at the 3rd picture, I'm seeing a definite 'lip' on the bottom edge. . .so a spoon rest, a spoon, a pipe rest or? Without a size given or better pics after polishing it up those would be my guesses.

 

Looks like a Navajo shoehorn to me, would guess around 1920-'40s, .900 fineness would be typical, but could be sterling - measurements would be nice (really, should always be given), the shoehorns usually run about 4"-6"...

~Cheryl

 

Thanks for all the replies. I didn’t foresee a debate on what the item actually was. My assumption was based on a few things. One the general shape looks like a shoe horn. Two the hole in the top, many short shoe horns have a string/strap to retrieve them. Three the back where your finger would naturally rest and slide when using it as a shoe horn is heavily worn. The “bowl” where your heel would impact is worn heavily. Four the “bowl” where your heel would rest and slide down is misshapen pretty badly, presumably from weight and pressure repeatedly bending the silver. Even if not intended to be a shoe horn to my eye it seems to have been used as one. I can see the other options being a possibility too though. I wish I knew where in the home it was found, maybe that would give a clue.

I love it how it is and don’t plan to polish it. Call me crazy but I enjoy the tarnish on many silver objects. Unless it’s totally black I leave as is. If I buy an object that’s polished I enjoy that too but don’t mind the tarnish. I checked pretty carefully and don’t think there’s a hidden siggy. If it was there I think it’s worn off by now.

I guess no one is questioning the Navajo attribution?

Edit: 1.75” across widest spot

 

Well I was waiting for a couple of members here to state categorically that
" unless it's signed , anyone with a set of silver punches could have made it..."

but I'm of the mind that it's most likely Navajo and made for personal use...
and yes...now that I see it.....a shoe horn !

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I’m really glad the sale runner didn’t realize what this was other than that it was likely silver. Was able to take it home for $20.

 

I'm with komo. And I really like your shoe horn.

And then I would have gotten on my old NA silver soapbox again.
Maybe that is why no one said it. (oh no, not her and her soapbox, not again)