Kentucky reelmakers and silversmiths

[Mike N]

Collecting silver made by Kentucky reelmakers is a nice subset of our hobby. Perhaps we can get some photos posted of a few silver pieces. Here are two photos from a really comprehensive silver makers website chineseargent.com.

[Mike N]

Here are a George Snyder, Sr. silver sugar spoon and a B.F. Meek silver tablespoon from my collection. I hope we can get some additional photos posted.

[RonG]

This 1954 Book is a good reference - "The Silversmiths of Kentucky, 1785 to 1850" by Noble W. and Lucy F. Hiatt.

[Mike N]

Thanks, Ron. Great resource. When you get a minute can you also post what that 1954 book has on the Meek family as silversmiths as well as any other known reel makers who made silverware? Did JL Sage make silverware?

Mike N

[Richard Lodge]

Nice thread, Michael. My Kentucky silver collection consists of these three spoons, all marked Meek but in two different styles and two different hallmarks, as you can see. The teaspoon and soup spoon (center and right) are from the same silver set, based on the identical (and beautiful) engraving on the handles. Both are stamped B.F. Meek on the back. I bought them at the ORCA convention in Frankfort, so I'm guessing they didn't travel far from home.

The large serving spoon is a different handle design and carries the square Meek hallmark on the back.

Regards,
Richard

[Mike N]

WOW, Richard. What a great set.

I love the maker’s mark and scroll engraving. Thanks for posting those excellent examples.

Mike N

[RonG]

Here's what's in the book for the Meek and Milam names. Sage isn't included in the book since it only goes up to 1850. Sage was towards the end of the century. I didn't see any other names that I recognized as also reel makers in the list. The abbreviations for dates are b-born, d-died and w-working.

[Mike N]

Thanks, Ron.

I would love to see a photo of a piece of silver made by BC Milam. Any board member have one?

Mike N

[kyreels]

I don't know why the board would be hoarding silver, but it has always been an interest of reel collectors in Kentucky. Perhaps a more comprehensive 1980 reference book is the "Silversmiths, Jewelers, Clock and Watch Makers of Kentucky 1785-1900", by Marquis Boultinghouse.

Many reel makers are listed, including B.C. Milam. My understanding from this book is that B.C. Milam would have been under Meek and Milam until 1880, after which it would have been under BF Meek mark. But I certainly am no expert, and my opinion is wholly derived from these pages. Note also the Medley mark.



My personal BF Meek Louisville spoon has somewhat later marks, shown here:

[Mike N]

Matt- thanks for that informative post. I have seen Meek spoons with those extra hallmarks (medley mark) and always assumed it was a silver grade, or, as I read, a dating mechanism using the initials of the US president in office at the time.

Interesting how all of us have posted spoons, as opposed to forks and knives. Even on the cover of Vernon & Stewart’s 1992 classic, it’s a Meek spoon.

I agree the Boultinghouse book is a great resource. I just noticed a copy for sale on eBay now for $60. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Silversmiths-J ... SwnLdWq8y~

Mike N

[Richard Lodge]

I was wondering about that spoon thing, too, Mike. Could it be there were more spoons made than knives and forks? Or that more people filched spoons when they went to hotels and restaurants?

[Mike N]

I was wondering about that spoon thing, too, Mike. Could it be there were more spoons made than knives and forks? Or that more people filched spoons when they went to hotels and restaurants?

Richard- notice the Meek spoon I posted above has a sharp point on its end, kind of like a “spork” used as a utility utensil.

The really odd thing is that a formal place setting consists of three forks (salad, dinner and dessert) but only two spoons (teaspoon and soup spoon), so one would expect to see a surplus of forks. There are also two knives— butter and dinner.

Hmmm....sounds like we need a native Kentuckian to explain this one.

Mike N

[Richard Lodge]

Not to derail this silver spoon thread away from Kentucky too much, but I realized I have another spoon in my "collection" that has some very interesting provenance. This is from the Schooner Columbia and when I bought it the photo of Captain W. C. Sprague and his dog Ruby, and a post card of the Columbia came with it. There have been several ships with the name Columbia, but I'm pretty certain this one was built in the mid-1800s, because the photo of the captain is dated 1889 and says it was taken when he visited the West Coast. The number of masts (4 versus 2) and ship rigging also make it clear this is not the Schooner Columbia built in Essex, Mass., in 1923. This one is much earlier.

Not Kentucky silver, but an interesting sporting link, yes?

[sdlehr]

Interesting, Richard, what are those four letters prior to "Columbia" in the engraving? There's a similarity to my last name....

[wrong99]

"Schr", for "schooner".

[Richard Lodge]

Schr. which is short for Schooner.

[Mike N]

Schooner YACHT Columbia. I would hazard a guess that a yacht from the New York Yacht Club that raced in America’s Cup might have such fine engraved silver. Nice find, Richard! Link to purchase c.1874 photo reproduction: https://www.amazon.com/Photo-Schooner-C ... B0096SS432

[Richard Lodge]

That's a beautiful yacht but I don't think it's my Schooner Columbia, Mike. If you see the photo that came with my spoon and the pic of the captain, it's a four-masted ship, not the two-masted schooner in your image. Several different ships named Columbia, I think.

[Mike N]

It’s been about a year of searching since this thread was first started.

I would still love to see a photo of a Milam piece of silverware or silver other than sugar spoons, table spoons with a sharp point or soup/gravy ladles.

Any vintage Kentucky forks or knives out there linked to our beloved reelmakers?

Thanks

Mike N

[kyreels]

I have been doing some research on hallmarks of Ky Silversmiths, and ran across some interesting information which may answer some questions posed by Mike as to why so few forks or knives are found made in Ky. Forks did no appear until after 1820, while spoons are prevalent from 1780 onwards. Tea drinking and punch drinking popular on the eastern seaboard was virtually non-existent in Kentucky prior to 1810. So you don't see the elaborate tea sets and the ladles were probably used for soup. Teaspoons, table spoons, salt spoons, and the occasional stuffing spoon and ladle were predominant.

The silver beaker is known in Kentucky as the julep cup, and since the Derby is approaching in less than 8 weeks, we can turn our attention to the possibility that there is a Kentucky reel maker that made a mint julep cup, a venerable art form that makes the mouth water. If anyone finds a marked cup, that would be a real find, and one that we could all enjoy. Few in Kentucky are known prior to 1815.

I am trying to decipher some hallmarks related to identifying the year that something was produced in Kentucky, and alas have gone down many rabbit holes and websites. It seems that every maker used their own year codes, since there was no official govt standard. If anyone can decipher these marks, I would appreciate the info. I hope to write up what I have found.

[Mike N]

This looks very similar:




As for the small “beehive” mark, compare this trademark from the NY silver maker, Adelphi:




So, did B.F. Meek’s silver find its way to an upstate New York retailer, or, as the thread below reasons, did Meek add his stamp to a spoon made in New York?

[Mike N]

See this old thread started by Richard Lodge in 2013:

viewtopic.php?t=14610

The dates below look right:

David Hotchkiss (1796-1874) was a silversmith active in Palmira (New York) c. 1840.
From 1854 to 1857 Hotchkiss was partner in Syracuse NY of Norton, Seymour & Co with Benjamin R. Norton and Joseph Seymour.
In 1853 Andrew B. Schreuder entered in partnership with Francis A, Bunnelle as Bunnelle & Schreuder, manufacturers of solid silver flatware.
In 1857 David Hotchkiss and Andrew B. Schreuder created a new partnership Hotchkiss & Schreuder, silver wholesale manufacturers at 95 Genesee Street, Syracuse, NY continuing the production of some of the patterns manufactured by Bunnelle & Schreuder. The partnership lasted until 1871 and Andrew B. Schreuder continued in business alone.
In 1895 the business was sold to Syracuse Silver Manufacturing Co, an organization formed by the partners of A. Lesser's Sons, whoìesale jewelers, for the manufacture of sterling silver novelties.
In 1897 was formed Lesser & Rheinauer. The business was closed in 1898.

CHRONOLOGY
Norton, Seymour & Co 1853 - 1857
Bunnelle & Schreuder 1853 - 1857

Hotchkiss & Schreuder 1857 - 1871

A.B. Schreuder 1871 - 1895
Syracuse Silver Mfg Co 1895 - 1897
Lesser & Rheinauer 1897 - 1898

Source, silvercollection.it

[kyreels]

Thanks for the references! That solves at least part of the mystery for me.