Two George III tablespoons
£375
Auction: 14 August 2012 at 15:00 BST
Description
William Davie or Dempster, Edinburgh 1759, Assay Master Hugh Gordon, of Hanoverian pattern with script initials 'W/AT' to reverse of terminal; together with a tablespoon by William Dempster, Edinburgh 1759, with foliate initial 'B' to terminal (2)
Dimensions
21cm and 20cm long, 69g and 61g
Footnote
Notes: the first spoon in this lot shows what until recently was an unknown anomaly in the Assay Master to thistle marking change over in 1758. By 1759, the date of both these spoons, there was meant to be no use of an Assay Master's punch and this had been replaced by what would become a standardized thistle punch. No explanation has been forthcoming for this anomaly and appears a very rare 'mistake'. the second spoon in this lot shows the correct striking of the 1759 punches and makes a very interesting comparison. For further reading and information see 'The Finial' July 2011