Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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Silverware Used for Metal Detector Conductivity Readout Test.
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As you probably know, I highly recommend testing your metal detector with a wide variety of types of targets so you get to know what your detector is trying to tell you. I used the five examples shown above for a simple test I'll report on today.
From top to bottom is a two-tined for that I presumed to be made of steel. Second is a spoon that is clearly marked stainless. Third is a knife marked "Robeson 'Frozen Heat'". Fourth is a fork marked "sterling" and then a marked sterling spoon.
Using the equinox the following conductivity numbers were obtained for each example, working from the top of the photo to the bottom.
Two-tined fork -5 to -2
Stainless spoon -5 to -2
Frozen Heat knife 2 - 5
Sterling fork 18 - 22
Sterling spoon 28 - 32
Of course the numbers varied a little, but the above ranges are fairly good representations. The position of the item matters, as does the shape.
I believe the sterling spoon produced higher numbers than the sterling fork because of the flat round shaped area on the spoon.
My tentative conclusion is that you can tell the difference between an steel piece of flatware and a sterling or silver piece by the conductivity numbers. The numbers for the sterling pieces was very much higher and in a relatively consistent range.
I believe that experiments like this can help you better identify buried targets in the field, although when I'm in an interesting area, unless I have time constraints or something, I'm going to dig everything anyhow.
I should have included a silver plated item or two. I might do that in the future.
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A Couple Silver Forks Marked Sterling.
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If you've been keeping up with my daily posts, you know that I've been going back and looking through some old tableware finds. You'll find a lot of tableware if you search old home sites, and you'll find some on the beaches and in the water as well. Some of it will be old, some fancy and some plain. The fanciest or oldest pieces aren't always the most valuable. With current silver prices of $15.65 per oz. or about $.50 per gram, as it was this morning, a plain piece of sterling silverware can be worth a few dollars in silver content.
The two forks shown top of this post both weigh over 1.5 ounces each. That figures to be about $20 in silver content for each - not a big treasure, yet enough to pay for some batteries.
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Sterling Silver Fork and Spoon.
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The sterling fork shown above is just over 1.5 ounces and the spoon just under 1 oz.
Of course sterling silver is not pure silver - only 92.5 percent, so you have to take that into account.
Unfortunately most tableware finds will be stainless steel or plated rather than sterling or coin silver, but the oldest or most ornate will not necessarily be worth the most. The fork and spoon shown above look plain and modern, yet have good silver content.
As for the companies, it gets confusing. Here is what Wikipedia says about the International Silver Company.
In Meriden and nearby Wallingford and Middletown, the companies that were banded together to form the International Silver Company included these companies: Meriden Britannia Company, Meriden Silver Plate Co. , Middletown Plate Company, C. Rogers & Brother, Simpson, Hall Miller and Co., Simpson Nickel Company, Watrous Manufacturing Company, and the Wilcox Silver Plate Co., In Hartford, the following silver companies also became part of the corporation: Barbour Silver Company, Rogers Cutlery and William Rogers Manufacturing Company. Other Connecticut companies that became part of the corporation also include Holmes & Edwards Silver Company in Bridgeport; Plate Silver Co. in Derby; Norwich Cutlery in Norwich; Rogers and Brothers, and Rogers and Hamilton in Waterbury.
From outside New England were Manhattan Silver Plate in Lyons, New York; and Standard Silver Company, Ltd. in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Into the 20th century, many silver designs carry either the International Silver Company brand, or the pre-existing brand continues, or both are listed as the design maker.
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A couple days ago I posted a photo of what appeared to be an old spoon showing a globe with silverware maker's mark. I asked for help identifying the mark and the readers of this blog came through.
Here is what they found.
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American Silver Company Maker's Marks
Found by Mike M. (left) and JorgeY. (right)
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Moselle Pattern Spoon
Submitted by Dan B.
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Mike and Jorge found the makers marks as shown above. Then Dan added the photo of the Moselle pattern spoon, and Alberto looked up the patent number and found the following ad for an American Silver Company sugar spoon having the same patent number as the spoon I was asking about.
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Submitted by Alberto S.
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Thanks guys! I think that nails it down. It appears to be a Moselle pattern spoon made by the American Silver Company in the early 20th century.
As I mentioned above, it can get confusing. The companies that made silverware were often bought out and changed names. The American Silver Company was the result of a buyout and then later the International Silver Company bought the American Silver Company along with other similar companies.
I haven't identified any marks telling what it is made of but I assume that it is silver plated like the item shown by Alberto. Perhaps some of the other numbers on the spoon tell that. I'll have that tested some day.
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The surf today is 2 - 4 feet with a northeast swell.
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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com
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Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net