Featured The new collection begins!

I think it was mostly luck that I just took my collection in for auction, but I had a wonderful hunting day today. In total I got 7 new pieces to start out my collection again. The first item I found was a sterling silver base, I haven't identified the maker. Later on in the day, I found a large spoon with a mark I hadn't seen before so I took a gamble. It tests as silver but I still haven't identified the maker. In the same store I grabbed the weighted candle holder. But the end of my day was my favorite part. I took a gamble a week ago with someone selling a big bag of plated silverware. I didn't see any of the items marked as silver, but it looked like a promising gamble. After I sorted through the pile, I found 6 gorham spoons. Enjoy the photos and I'm glad this site works again!

 

...and so it begins.

 

Nate, the spoon looks like it could be DS Spaulding:

• D.S. Spaulding (Around 1878-1917)
  
  
• Mansfield, MA

Makers of sterling holloware, novelties, and jewelry.

http://www.chineseargent.com/home/maker-s-5

 

What do you think of EHH Smith Silver Co on this page:

http://www.chineseargent.com/home/maker-s-4

 

Yes, indeed, Nate. I think that's it! (Yet another of those small companies that few of us remember!)

 

Doing more research, appears to be marseille pattern but lots of sites have it as plated. I scraped like five different times in the same place on the testing stone and it kept showing red from the acid test. I guess I’ll look some more and maybe test it again tomorrow.

 

It's the Smith mark and Marseilles (issued 1904.) It is plated and only tests as sterling because it was plated well - and with sterling sufficient to give you a positive result in testing stone. No indication in any responsible reference that they ever made items in sterling.

There is really no need to test it again - unless you get deep enough to expose the base metal - and that wouldn't be rational.

 

lol, so true great scores Mr Nate!