My first sterling spoon!

[Noah_D]

After hunting today for about two hours and finding a handful of wheats and clad this old spoon popped up! Previously I had only found plate spoons so this is a nice first... no silver coins today but I'll take it!

Does anyone have any information on the hallmark or the spoon itself? Thanks for looking and HH! I'll prolly post the rest of my finds from today and yesterday later or tomorrow but there wasn't anything super special.

EDIT: I circled the marks on the back in red. It reads STERLING W[in circle] [?] D. EAFFY

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - Grab it through Amazon!

[KY Treasure Hunter]

Nice find, don't know about the markings though

 

[xr7ator]

Nice find and I am with you on all the plated found over the years. I managed to find my first sterling and then one marked "coin" last year. I need to post to get Red Coat's take on the coin silver spoon and show off the heavy sterling I managed to find.
Believe it or not I think I have that same spoon that you found and it doesn't have much weight.
Grats and thanks for posting. Hopefully, you will be able to find another soon since the monkey is now off your back.

 

[Kenosha Kid]

Whiting is the maker, Lily of the Valley is the pattern.

don’t recall where I saw “d. eaffy” but I think it would date early 1900s (about 1910).

https://picclick.com/ANTIQUE-WHITING-MADAME-JUMEL-STERLING-SILVER-TEA-SPOON-131337179154.html

different pattern spoon but with 1909 patent and d. eaffy

 

[Noah_D]

Thanks yall! I appreciate the ID Kenosha Kid, I have done a little googling after you commented and I think you nailed it!

 

[Red-Coat]

Pretty spoon. Yes, that’s ‘Lily of the Valley’ pattern with the Whiting Manufacturing Company’s mark… a griffin holding a shield with the letter ‘W’:



There seems to be a letter ‘S’ or a number ‘5’ placed sideways after it, but I wouldn’t pay much attention to that. It’s probably an internal traceability mark. Whiting didn’t date mark flatware, but the ‘Lily of the Valley’ pattern was introduced in 1885.

No idea about D. EAFFY but I would guess it’s a retailer mark. Whiting would stamp whatever a customer wanted on flatware for a small fee and it was common practice for jewellers who didn’t make cutlery to request this… even small businesses with single premises.

 

[Tibodoe]

Beautiful spoon!

 

[Truth]

My very first silver I found was a, ”Hey diddle diddle”curved baby spoon. Somebody was born with a silver spoon in their mouth.

Congratulations on your beautifully ornat silver spoon!!

 

[Red-Coat]

From “The Jewelers' Circular and Horological Review, 1908, Vol. 56 (Part 2)”:

“The firm of David Eaffy & Co., 2 Colonial Arcade [Cleveland, Ohio], has been dissolved by mutual consent, F. B. Lewis retiring from the business. Mr. Lewis’ interests have been purchased by David Eaffy, the remaining partner, who continues the business at the old address.”

David Eaffy is described as a charter member of the “Retail Jewelers of Cleveland” organisation.

I can’t find a record of when the company was established, but the Colonial Arcade was built in 1898 and there’s no record for Eaffy’s business (at any address) in the Cleveland directory of 1894.

 

[Digger RJ]

Very Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Noah_D]

Thanks Red-Coat! After seeing your first comment I decided I was going to track down this D. Eaffy guy... then I scrolled down and saw you already did! The landowners will love all this information you guys have given me!

 

[Noah_D]

My very first silver I found was a, ”Hey diddle diddle”curved baby spoon. Somebody was born with a silver spoon in their mouth.

Congratulations on your beautifully ornat silver spoon!!

My first silver was a gosh darn rosie (1961). Still, even after dozens of silvers and big coppers, I think that was one of my most exciting finds yet... if not the​ most exciting find.

 

[Truth]

My first silver was a gosh darn rosie (1961). Still, even after dozens of silvers and big coppers, I think that was one of my most exciting finds yet... if not the​ most exciting find.

It’s the craziest thing I too can find half dimes Spanish silver but I’ve only found four roses in the five years I’ve been the detecting

 

[Noah_D]

It’s the craziest thing I too can find half dimes Spanish silver but I’ve only found four roses in the five years I’ve been the detecting

I found a few in 2019 but zero in 2020... I think my newest silver last year was a merc.

 

[Kenosha Kid]

I’ll piggy back off Red-Coat -

Looks like he owned the business from 1907-1917, when he died. His wife took over after his death. Eaffy was employed in the same business prior to opening his own.

https://books.google.com/books?id=b...onepage&q=David Eaffy Cleveland, Ohio&f=false

 

[Wildcat1750]

Nice looking spoon and I'm enjoying the interesting research...

 

[vpone]

really nice spoon!!

vp

 

[Hunk-a-lead]

great find!

 

[pepperj]

Great looking sterling spoon Noah. Congrats on the recovery.

 

[Chemeng]

Lily of the Valley by Whiting 1885 as others have mentioned. Good reference book on sterling spoons is Warman's Sterling Silver Flatware 2nd Edition by Phil Dreis. Online search for hallmarks at FIGURAL AND LITERAL TRADE MARKS ON AMERICAN SILVER: A-E
Good find. Hope you find more