Joseph Richardson, Jr. Coin Silver Spoon with Rare Variant Mark, c1790

Offered is a good late 18th Century Philadelphia coin silver teaspoon (measuring about 5 5/8 inches in length and weighing 17 grams) by famous silversmith Joseph Richardson, Jr. - this spoon is engraved with period script initials and is rare in that it is stuck twice with an incised rather than intaglio mark of JR. While this mark is rare enough that no example was available for "Philadelphia Silversmiths" by Hollan, there are a couple of spoons at Winterthur with this mark, such as this one: http://museumcollection.winterthur.org/single-record.php?resultsperpage=20&view=catalog&srchtype=advanced&hasImage=on&ObjObjectName=&CreOrigin=&Earliest=&Latest=&CreCreatorLocal_tab=&materialsearch=&ObjObjectID=&ObjCategory=&DesMaterial_tab=silver&DesTechnique_tab=&AccCreditLineLocal=&CreMarkSignature=&recid=1962.0240.552&srchfld=&srchtxt=Richardson&id=20be&rownum=21&version=100&src=results-imagelink-only Condition on this piece overall is fair, with moderate tip wear and the bowl slightly out of round, but with no significant dents and no splits or repairs. All in all a rare variant from the Richardson family of silversmiths!