Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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Unidentified Maker's Mark.
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I've found a lot of silverware in the past, but recently found some new silverware that I researched. I recently got one big ornate spoon from very deep on the back beach. I'll get that one photographed before long, but it got me interested in going back and looking at some other finds that I hadn't yet taken the time to research. Some came from near the same area.
One that I cleaned a little and just looked at is an ornate spoon bearing the above maker's mark which I haven't yet found. I photographed it both ways because I don't know which way it is supposed to go and it appears to have numbers both above and below the mark. Between the globe and the Pat. is what appears to maybe be 1851. On the other side of the crossed silverware appears to be 4800 or A.8.00 and maybe a 9 or 6.
I'm hoping someone can help me out with this.
Here is the spoon.
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Dug Spoon.
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I cleaned it a bit and took a photo of the handle.
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Spoon Motif.
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And here is what appears to be the patent date. I cleaned it to show better.
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Spoon Patent Mark.
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It has enough good information on it. I hope someone can identify the maker's mark.
I noticed I have some other interesting ones. I'll be going through some of those, but am most interested in the big one recently dug from about two feet in old sand at the back of the beach.
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As published in: Creating a shipwreck trail: documenting the 1733 Spanish Plate Fleet wrecks, by Jennifer McKinnon.
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Here is the link.
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You might enjoy this academic article by Sean Kingsley, The Art and Archaeology of Privateering: British Fortunes and Failures in 1744. Here is the abstract.
Two shipwrecks discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration in the English Channel in 2008 are embedded in the history of the War of the Austrian Succession (1739-48) and specifically the year 1744. The First Rate Royal Navy warship HMS Victory was lost in the western English Channel on 5 October that year, while returning from escorting to sea one outgoing commercial convoy and liberating another blockaded down the River Tagus in Lisbon. The date of 1744 inscribed on the bell recovered from Site 33c in the same part of the Channel, alongside the name La Marquise de Tourny, revealed that Odyssey had also discovered the wreck of a Bordeaux corsair launched in the year when France joined the war. Both ships actively participated in the protection of trade and the art of privateering. This article contextualizes both wrecks by examining the objectives, character, structure and scales of privateering and securing prizes during the War of the Austrian Succession before discussing the few comparable wrecks to assess whether it is realistic to refer to an archaeology of privateering.
© Odyssey Marine Exploration, 2010
© Odyssey Marine Exploration, 2010
Here is the link.
And if you didn't look at the article on near-shore shipwrecks, I posted a link for that yesterday. I think you'll find it interesting.
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I saw a few minutes of the Palm Beach County Commission meeting yesterday and I'd bet they are about to open the beaches. Their medical person seemed to be in favor of it.
I get word that Sebastian Inlet State park is open with limitations. You can go on the beach. I think most of the Indian River County beaches are now open 7AM to 7PM except for Seagrape Trail. The stairs at the Seagrape access are broken.
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The surf will be smooth today with some pretty big tides. At low tide you should be able to get pretty far out on the beach today.
Tomorrow the surf will begin to increase again, reaching four to six feet in a few days.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net