In an earlier post of mine, which you can find here, I described how I found a pair teaspoons to match one I already owned. The same thing happened again to me recently. Five and a half years ago, I purchased a great pair of tablespoons from 1712 with rubbed makers marks and arms engraved to the back of the handle. Just last month, I found two more of these spoons from a different seller, which sent a wave of excitement through me. I was not successful in my bid for one of them (damn you ebay snipers!), but I did manage to get the second one. Below are photographs of the three spoons:
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| Front and back of trio of tablespoons. The newest addition is the one on the right in the right-hand photograph. |
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| Hallmarks on the tablespoons for London 1712 with rubbed maker's mark. |
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| Arms on all three spoons for Weld. |
The date letter for 1712, the lion's head erased, and Britannia are all fairly well-struck, or at least easily identifiable. The maker's marks are, however, very worn. What is visible in each mark, but not so easily visible in the photograph, is a star, and on one spoon there appear to be two stars in the maker's mark. Of course, one would hope this could be the mark for Willaume, but sadly we'll never know.
The arms to the back of the spoon handle, as far as I can tell, are for the family of Weld of Lulworth Castle in Dorset. It is my opinion the arms are original to the spoons' manufacture and the initials "MT" were added later by heirs of the original owners. There are a couple of Thomas Welds who married Marys. Or does "MT" refer to a subsequent single owner without the Weld surname?
It's always exciting to find spoons that match ones you have, and it's a reminder that silver collecting is a long game and always surprising.
Sources:
Burke, John. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. I. London: R. Bentley, 1833. Google Books. Web. 8 Feb. 2019.
