tea spoon (one of a set of five)
Wilmington, Delaware
1850-1854
Maker
Alexander Patterson (1821-1856)
Measurements
6 in x 1-1/4 in x 7/8 in
Materials
Silver
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation
Accession Number
1986.7
Inscription
"AHC" in script is engraved across the front of the handle. "A. PATTERSON" and "PURE COIN" are stamped into the underside of the handle.
Provenance
The teaspoons were part of a large body of objects acquired by Winterthur in trade from Sara Corbit Reese Pryor (1932-2019), who was a direct descendant of William Corbit. Some of the objects traded were owned by him or his children; others seem to have come from collateral descendants. These tea spoons appear to be among the latter.
Comments
The tea spoons have pointed oval bowls and fiddleback handles that turn upward at the tip. The initials AHC engraved into the handle have not been identified. The maker’s mark stamped into the spoons dates them between 1850 and 1854. The individual for whom the spoons were made may have been a Corbit or may have been from another family beginning with "C" that married into the Corbit family.