Never So Excited About a Spoon Handle

[BrianNY]

Hit a field today out on eastern Long Island. Was thrilled about my first cut coin find. Spent awhile trying to figure out what coin it may have been. (Turns out to likely be a cut Large Cent). Posted todays finds to a Facebook group and a buddy told me that little handle at the lower right of the main picture was a very old Latten Spoon handle. Started researching that term since I had never heard of it. Come to find out it's the broken end of a Baluster Seal Top Spoon handle. These apparently were made somewhere around the Mid 1500's up until 1670. I knew I was on old grounds as I've found things dating to the mid 1700's but never thought the area was even older than that. While it would have been nice to have the whole spoon, never thought I'd feel excited about a spoon handle.

 

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[CRUSADER]

Nice 17th C spoon top. In the new world if this broke, I could see them re-using it as a pipe tamper. I have no evidence of this but it would have fitted the pipe bowls of the early 18th C, so a perfect fit.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Nice !

 

[claire]

Wow! Congratulations! How exciting. Look forward to seeing more posts

 

[Pick_axe]

That's excellent!
I would be excited too!

 

[Wildcat1750]

I never knew that... Nice find and good luck with further research!

 

[CASPER-2]

Nice 17th C spoon top. In the new world if this broke, I could see them re-using it as a pipe tamper. I have no evidence of this but it would have fitted the pipe bowls of the early 18th C, so a perfect fit.

Ive been saying that for loooong time - that i believe they could be tampers - I have like 7 of them - all about the same length
friend found one they bent handle into a loop which made it look even more repurposed - plow didnt do that

 

[CASPER-2]

when I find one I get excited too - and slow my pace and try and grid more around the area
I have like 7 similar to yours and many trefid handles also latten bowls and bowl and mid handle parts from farm fields
all nice relics to me - have only found one complete Latten spoon - lucky i got it before plow did
dirt was removed from cellar from an early 1700s house and dump on top on field after harvest because it was nice soil
keep up they nice finds

 

[BrianNY]

when I find one I get excited too - and slow my pace and try and grid more around the area
I have like 7 similar to yours and many trefid handles also latten bowls and bowl and mid handle parts from farm fields
all nice relics to me - have only found one complete Latten spoon - lucky i got it before plow did
dirt was removed from cellar from an early 1700s house and dump on top on field after harvest because it was nice soil
keep up they nice finds

Nice!!! Heading back today to hit it again. Although a farm field can be difficult because things get moved around so much over time. But this field had been productive just about everywhere.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Nice 17th C spoon top. In the new world if this broke, I could see them re-using it as a pipe tamper.

Just in the New World? What would they have done with it in the "Old World?" Just thrown it in the backyard because their pearl-handled set of matching his-and-hers pipe tampers fit the hand so much better?

To the OP: very nice find and thanks for posting the supplementary info--very helpful.