Antique Battleship Maine commemorative spoon

This is an old 4-1/4" long silver plated souvenir spoon commemorating the sinking of the Battleship Maine. Embossed in the bowl is a very detailed depiction of the ship, presumably in Havana Harbor. Above are the words “ U.S. Battleship Maine”, and below, “Blown up in Havana Harbor Feb. 15, 1898". At the top of the handle is a beaded oval with the bust of “Captain Sigsbee” and his name underneath. Under that is a shield and an anchor, below which the spoon stem has a rope design extending to the bowl. The back of the stem is marked “Quaker Valley Mfg. Co.”  This delicate little spoon is old enough that it’s losing its silver plating and the underlying metal shows through in many places, giving a lovely overall appearance of coppery gilding on the designs and around the rim. We have made no attempt to clean or polish the spoon, leaving that to your discretion, since it is very thin. Considering its age, it’s in good condition. It looks old, of course, and fragile, but has no dents or dings except for four tiny fleabite pits on the back side of the spoon bowl, undoubtedly from being displayed for many decades. (Click on picture for more images.) Tell a friend.

Price: $78.00 includes s/h to anywhere in the U.S. (buyer pays insurance)

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Antique Alfonso XII commemorative spoon

This antique coin silver spoon is dated 1883 and commemorates Alfonso XII of Spain. The following short history of Alfonso is synthesized from several online sources:

Alfonso XII, November 28, 1857–November 25, 1885, was king of Spain, reigning from 1875 to 1885, after a coup restored the monarchy and ended the First Spanish Republic. When Queen Isabella, his mother, and her husband had been forced to leave Spain during the revolution of 1868, Alfonso accompanied them to Paris, where his mother abdicated in his favor in 1870 in the presence of a number of Spanish nobles who had followed the fortunes of the exiled queen. He assumed the title of Alfonso XII; for although no king of united Spain had previously borne the name, the Spanish monarchy was regarded as continuous with the more ancient monarchy, represented by the eleven kings of León and Castile also named Alfonso. In 1875, the young king returned to Spain, where he was greeted with acclamation, and in 1876 he participated in the vigorous military campaign against the Carlists (pretenders to the throne) that ended their power and established the constitutional monarchy.

This wonderful little coin silver spoon is 4-1/4" long and has the shape of a tiny ladle or jelly spoon. Its shallow 1-5/16" diameter bowl features a highly detailed profile of Alfonso XII, surrounded by “Alfonso XII - 1883 - Por La G. De Dios” (meaning “by the grace of God”), which wording comes from Spain’s 1876 Constitution (“Don Alfonso XII, by the grace of God constitutional King of Spain”). The stem is diagonally incised, resulting in a rope appearance, and the top is very ornate filigree. Superb condition considering its age. We cleaned it up a little to see if there was any marking on the back (there isn’t), but didn’t scrub off the patina that emphasizes all the detail work. No dents or dings. This is a remarkable piece of Spanish history that’s also beautiful enough to be a prized collectible even if you’re not a history buff! (Click on picture for more images.) Tell a friend.

Price: $78.00 includes s/h to anywhere in the U.S. (buyer pays insurance)

John F. Kennedy commemorative spoon

This is a beautiful silver plated collector spoon commemorating John F. Kennedy, America’s beloved 35th president, cruelly assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963. For those of us old enough to remember that dreadful Friday afternoon, we can still tell you exactly where we were and what we were doing when we first heard the news, and all those black-and-white images from the next three days of non-stop TV watching are forever burned in our minds. This spoon measures 4-3/4" in length and features an excellent life-like profile of JFK at the top of the stem, underneath which is “President” and “John F. Kennedy.” The stem is a twisted rope motif. Back is marked “Silverplated” and has a tiny circular mark that I think says “Made in Holland,” but I’m not certain because it’s too tiny to read, even under a magnifying glass. Superb condition with no dents or dings. A truly outstanding collector spoon commemorating a truly outstanding American president. (Click on picture for more images.) Tell a friend.

Price: $38.00 includes s/h to anywhere in the U.S.