Stamped "Sterling" and "Mermod & Jaccard." for the premier St. Louis jewelry and silver firm, this 5 3/8" long, .7 T. oz., souvenir spoon has two identifiers. One is the obvious "1838" imprinted in the gold washed bowl. The second is disguised in the reticulated design of the handle. On the surface lattice-like, the pattern actually portrays letters spelling out "Monticello." Presumably this is a reference to a small city in Illinois east of St. Louis...

Made by Weidlich, this c. 1900 sterling silver spoon measures 5" long and weighs approximately .7 T. oz. It is an attractive floral design, perhaps goldenrod, exhibiting fine die work and finishing, and has a satin gold wash over the entire piece. The front interior of the bowl reads "Cornell College Chapel," and "Cornell," for the Iowa school, and is engraved with a precisely rendered image of the chapel. The backside is engraved "Bachelor Maids" in script...

It is a logical that a West Coast firm would turn its eye toward Hawaii for souvenir spoon themes, and that is the case with this piece produced by Joseph Mayer & Brothers of Seattle, Washington. It features a full-body, frontal portraiture of "Kamehameha," the legendary king who consolidated the kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. It measures 4 1/4" long and is relatively heavy, weighing nearly .5 T. oz...

There are various threads on the internet that offer the tale of the subject of this spoon, Chief Ogontz of the Wyandotte and/or Sandusky Indians. One of his major associations was with Jay Cooke, a person who was generally credited with funding the Civil War, and who named his mansion in suburban Philadelphia after Ogontz. There is also a camp in New Hampshire that takes its name from him, and its website has biographical information...

Shiebler's "Sunny South" souvenir spoon is a time piece dating c. 1900. Made by Shiebler, it was retailed in this instance by "Greenleaf & Crosby Co." whose stamp appears on the backside along with Shiebler's emblem and the word "Sterling." This example is a 4 1/8" long coffee or demitasse spoon. It has added appeal in that the gold finished bowl is acid etched "Royal Poinciana, Palm Beach, Fla." This was a fabled resort dating from 1894 until the Depression years...

This popular souvenir spoon was originally produced by Gorham in the 1890's and reissued as late as the 1970's or 80's. The dating on this 4 1/4" long, relatively heavy .4 T. oz., example is uncertain, although it has qualities that suggest age. The handle retains a sharply defined pattern front and back sides and in the bowl of the spoon. The elements of the design are highly detailed and not murky...

General Israel Putnam was a fabled Revolutionary War figure whose name and exploits were well known in the late 19th century, the period of this piece. The specific subject of this 5 1/2" long teaspoon was his encounter with a marauding she wolf in the northeastern Connecticut town of Pomfret. The neighboring town of Putnam is named for him...