Typical midwest pinched-waist fiddle handles, pointed shoulders, feathered script mono JMcA on one pair, BNA on the other pair. Length is 7-3/8", weight is 4.5 Troy oz. Condition is near mint, extended bowl tips unworn.

Pinched-waist fiddle handle, pointed shoulders, script mono on front; 8-1/8" in length. Condition is fine. Mitchell is not listed in any of the books dedicated to Missouri silver. However, the 1860 census lists George Mitchell, age 41, as a jeweller, with a wife and 2 sons. Further, spoons have been collected which show both Mitchell's mark and his home town of Hannibal. Probably by this time, Sam Clemens would have moved east.

Downturned fiddle handle, no shoulders, long drop on bowl back, reverse tipt; 9" in length, 57 grams in weight, just short of 2 T oz. Condition is near-mint, extended bowl tip unworn, Warner's DW mark is described in Deerfield Silver and shown on-line, which can be reached by googling American Silversmiths.

Pinched-waist fiddle handle, pointed shoulders, script mono J L on front; 5-11/16" long, 3 Troy oz. One of the handles appears to have been chewed on, otherwise condition is excellent, extended tips unworn.

Oval-end handle, 11-lobe shell drop on bowl back, light reverse rib, block mono H over W*R on front; 4-7/16" long. Four little pinpricks on back of bowl, otherwise condition is excellent. Mark and mono still crisp.

Downturned fiddle handle, flared shoulders, drop on bowl back, reverse tipt, feathered script mono CAO on front; 5-1/2" in length, 2 Troy oz in weight. Maybe a touch of tipwear, otherwise excellent.

Mustard ladle, c1810-20 -- This is a 4-3/4"-long piece with an extraordinarily long (2-1/2") fiddle; it has square shoulders and a tiny (3/4") oval bowl. Mono, as shown, is T E C in feathered script. One would think that a smith, or a partnership of smithies, with a 3-letter mark would be easy to find. Not so. We went thru the B's in Kovel and other silver books to no avail. Then we did the same with the A's, thinking it might be a 3-person partnership. Still no luck. Shame, that...

Pinched-waist fiddle handle, c1850 -- pointed shoulders, feathered script mono S J L on front; 8-5/8" long, each weighs 50 grams. Condition of both is excellent.

Shaped fiddle arms, cast claw nips, script mono J E B on bend. Length is 6-1/4". Weight is 1-1/2 Troy oz. Condition is near-mint.

Marked PITMAN in serrated rectangle, one of the marks used by Saunders Pitman of Providence. Yet Saunders died in 1804 - he couldn't have made this spoon. Then who? His son, John K. Pitman, who was trained by his dad, worked with his pop, and simply continued to use the "family punch." Son Pitman is listed in the Flynt & Fales tome on New England silversmiths, but no mark is attributed to him. This is it! Plus, probably, all the other marks attributed to Saunders...

Long tapering handle, c1810 -- incised pointed arch drop, reverse rib, feathered script mono LT on front; 7-3/8" in length. Overall condition is excellent.

Downturned fiddle handles, c1835 - pointed shoulders, drop on bowl back, feathered script C A L on front; 7-1/4" in length. Excellent condition on both.