Exhibit 6
This cute little Plique-a-jour with blue, red, and green cells on a nice Art Nuevo twisty handle is engraved "Chicago, 1893".
other examples of Plique-a-jour are shown in that exhibit
Columbus,
eagle, globe (3-dimensional)
This may or may not be a Columbian Exposition Spoon. The multi-color enameled finial has pictures of sailing ships very similar to the Santa Maria with the word "Colombia" below. The cast stem features several architectural design elements, and the bowl is plain. There are no marks, but I am pretty sure it is silver. The spoon may also be associated with the country Columbia.
This silver-plated spoon is fairly common and inexpensive. It has an image of Columbus at the top and in this case the bowl is plain although sometimes it has something in the bowl.
This spoon is quite interesting for several reasons. It is both an illustration of what to look for and what can happen to even experienced spooners.
1. The spoon purports to be a sterling silver Chicago Columbian World Fair spoon. It was probably made at the time of the Chicago world fair and may have been produced for some time after the fair ended.
2. It is marked "U.S. Sterling". It is NOT sterling silver, it is silver plated. There is no company called "U.S. Sterling". The spoon is believed to have been made by the Oneida Silversmiths.
3. The bowl in this case is the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, although many other buildings or sites are also found. The spoon was often used as an advertising device, but the use of the Mormon Tabernacle is fairly rare. I have now been informed that the Mormon choir made a trip to the fair and won an award in a singing contest.
4. Note that the "S" in "World's Fair" is backwards, although variations with the "S" correctly made can also be found.
5. As a silver spoon collector, you should be aware that problems of this type exist, but thankfully they are very rare.
I suspect that this cute bonbon spoon is from the Chicago World Fair, but I can't prove it. The finial is like an art nuevo lamp, and the word "Chicago" is camoflaged in the bowl (see the enlargement). This piece was made by Gorham.
Cute handmade spoon engraved in bowl "Chicago '93"
Click to see Columbian World Fair Spoons exhibit 7