Age of this complete pewter rat tail spoon?

[testing123]

Got this a couple days ago at a muddy saltwater area. Now, the oldest find that can be dated previously is a later-date large cent (1841 or 1851, I forget). I don't know when the area first began use, but the surrounding towns were established in the 1600s and 1700s. Someone suggested it could date from the 1720s to 1740s. Is that an accurate date span? I read that these "trifid" spoons can date to the 1600s? Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

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[DownNDirty]

Looks like a trifid spoon; they were made during the latter half of the 17th century. Very hard to find a complete pewter spoon in that condition-well done!

 

[OWK]

I was the one who suggested the style dates to the 1720's to 40's.

I also stated that it is a dognose spoon (and not a trifid spoon).

The style does in fact date to the period I specified.

(although I would still maintain as I stated before, that the condition suggests either that it was not lost contemporaneously, or that it is a reproduction.) It is in too good a condition to have been in the ground for so long.

Also, If it were a period piece, it is likely that it would be marked by the pewtersmith (check the inside of the bowl, near the handle-join)

While pewter spoons are not my area of expertise (silver spoons are)... I still know quite a bit about them.

 

[Isaac]

Very tough to find them complete!!! Huge congrats!!! I'd love to find one of those!!!

 

[testing123]

I checked the bowl, but there is some corrosion/bubbling, which would obscure anything that's there. However, on the back of the handle near the top is what looks like something that someone hand-etched into there. Maybe initials? Not really sure what it could be, but it does look more intentional than damage would be.

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

These style spoons are not 17th century trifids, but early- to-mid 1700s rat tails. These were generally produced from around 1710 to about 1740/1750. Rat tails can be more specifically dated based on the length of the rat tail - the longer the older the spoon. Yours appears to be middle-of-road which should date in in the 1720-40 range which is the same as indicated by another poster. If you heat yours up you should be able to straighten it out nicely.

 

[testing123]

Thanks Bill D and OWK! Guess my 13 minutes of research wasn't quite sufficient, haha. Thank you both for the clarification and information on it. If I couldn't even ID it correctly, I'm hesitant to heat it up to straighten it because it probably wouldn't end up well.

So far it seems stable, but is it worth putting some coating like Renaissance wax on it? Or leave as-it and try to find someone skilled enough to try straightening it?