Manufavturer of souvenir spoon?

[Steve L.]

A Detroit, Michigan sterling souvenir spoon that I'd judge dates from the late 1890's. Distinctive maker's mark consisting of a flying pennant with an "H" on it, but I can't find any reference to this particular mark. Can anyone help in identifying who made this piece?

[dragonflywink]

Watson.

~Cheryl

[Steve L.]

Thank you, Cheryl. I'm a bit embarrassed, since Watson is one of the major manufacturers (another embarrassing point, my typo of that word in the post title). Anyway, once pointed in the right diection, I was able to find a picture of a Watson mark that is the same pennant motif, but with a "W" instead of the "H" that this one has - any idea why the "H" in this case? That certainly had me looking in the wrong places!

[dragonflywink]

Heh - here's a previous discussion: http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic ... +co#p42551" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

~Cheryl

[Steve L.]

Well, Cheryl, I'm starting off on this forum as something of a dunce. I can't make your link work. Can you tell me the title of the thread?

[dragonflywink]

I'm tired, probably something I did, try this one ("Mechanics Sterling Co" in the Miscellaneous Silver Subjects ‹ General Questions forum): http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic ... 61&t=18776" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And welcome to the forums!

~Cheryl

[Steve L.]

Nothing you did, I think. I went directly to that thread under General Questions, & it simply will not come up. As a test, I opened the thread preceding it, & the one after it, too. Thoe two can both be viewed just fine - but not that one right in between them! I have no idea why this should be - possibly an administrative issue?

[Steve L.]

In going through my very modest collection of souvenir spoons, I found one other, a California pattern, with the same "H" pennant mark, so although I hadn't seen (in the source materials I have been able to check) this particular mark listed as a Watson variation, I guess it's not too uncommon.

[dragonflywink]

Steve ~ Not sure why you can't view the thread, very odd.....The basics were that we really had no idea why an "H", and it's very common, when I checked my Watson pieces, the twenty-one I found with the pennant all had an "H" (with four variations), found none with a "W", though I have seen it many times before. The H-pennant appears as a trademark for Watson, Newell Co./Mechanics Sterling in the 1890s Jewelers' Circular Trade-Mark Directory and a 1903 Watson & Newell catalog clearly shows an H-pennant on the cover. My personal off-the-cuff theory was that some Harvard alum in the company decided to honor their school, but that didn't appear to be the case.....Silverly and the administrator found that they occupied the "Hayward's Building" in the late 1880s-early 1890s, so that was another possibility. Suspect we may never really know.

~Cheryl