Glossary of Sterling Souvenir Spoon Collecting Terms

Glossary of Sterling Souvenir Spoon Collecting Terms
Caution: There are many non-spoon-collectors selling spoons on the Internet who misuse these terms. Unless you know and trust the seller, do not count on the descriptions' being accurate. Copyright © 1992 - 2001 Jon Caron
800 or 850	Silver alloy that is 800 or 850 parts per thousand pure silver. Less pure silver than sterling.
925/1000	The standard for sterling; silver alloy that is 92.5% fine.
bright-cut (bc.)	Engraving done with the cutting tool at an angle, leaving bright reflecting surfaces in the cuts. In contrast, normal engraving cuts straight into the spoon, leaving a dark design. Illustration here.
bowl	The "business" end of a spoon.
cast	To form a spoon by pouring melted silver into a mold. Cast spoons aren't as crisply detailed as some embossed spoons. Gorham was a major producer of cast spoons in the 1890's. Illustration here.
champleve	A type of enamel in which the design is cut into the silver with ridges left between colors to separate them.
citrus bowl	A more or less pointed spoon bowl (to get all the way into a grapefruit wedge). Also called an orange or grapefruit bowl.
cloisonne	A type of enamel in which thin strips of metal separate the colored enamel segments.
coin silver	892 or 900 parts pure silver per 1000; this standard was replaced by STERLING [925/1000] after the Civil War.
collector spoon	A spoon made in recent times of various metals, usually not sterling.
cut-out	A spoon handle with its borders intact but an area cut out to highlight an embossed feature.
embossed (emb.)	A raised pattern formed by stamping a spoon in a die. Illustration here.
enamel (enam.)	A baked-on colored glossy finish.
engraved (engr.)	A design cut into a spoon. Illustration here.
etched	A design that is imparted to a spoon with acid, producing shallow relief. Illustration here.
finial	A cut-around shape at the tip of a spoon handle.
full figure (FF)	A cut-around, full-length figure occupying most of the handle.
full figure (ff)	A cut-around, full-length figure occupying a minor portion of the handle.
gold washed (gw.)	A coating of gold that is applied to a spoon or part of a spoon. Illustration here.
hallmark	A multi-part marking on English silver indicating purity, date and maker. American souvenir spoons do not have hallmarks, but most have maker's marks.
handle (h.)	The long portion of a spoon.
manufacturer (m.)	The company that actually made the spoon, frequently from a design that was copyrighted or patented by someone else. Many, but not all, spoons carry a mark identifying the manufacturer.
maker's mark	A single or multi-part mark on an American spoon indicating its manufacturer. It does not indicate the date or the silver content.
marriage	A spoon that appears to have been made from parts of two other spoons.
mule	A spoon with mis-matched subject matter on the handle and bowl; the Statue of Liberty in the bowl of a Kansas state handle spoon, for example.
new	A spoon made long after World War One, sometimes from a die that was made before the war.
niello	An engraved design filled with a black alloy.
obverse (obv.)	The side of the spoon that is seen when one eats with the spoon; the "front" of the spoon.
old	A spoon made before World War One.
orange	A spoon bowl shape that is pointed rather than round. Also called "citrus" or "grapefruit".
plain bowl	A bowl with no engraving, etching or embossing.
plated	A spoon that is made with a base metal, frequently brass, then covered with a thin layer of silver.
plique-a-jour	Enamel with no metal backing, creating a stained glass window effect.
reissue	A spoon made in modern times from old dies. Companies that are known to have reissued spoons include Tiffany and Mayer Bros. (various successor companies).
repousse	A design that is beaten into a spoon from the reverse side.
reverse	The side of the spoon NOT seen when one eats with the spoon; the "back".
scene (scn.)	A panoramic, encompassing view of a place or thing.
skyline	A spoon handle entirely cut-around in the shape of a panoramic scene. A simple embossed scene that is not completely cut around is not a true skyline spoon.
souvenir spoon	A spoon that is cast, embossed, engraved or etched to commemorate a specific person, place, object or event. Almost all "old" souvenir spoons were made of sterling silver or silver plate during a period of about thirty years, roughly the last decade of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th century. A few "old" souvenir spoons were made of copper or other metals. Few high-quality souvenir spoons have been produced since World War One.