Nazi silver spoon?

[Dion]

Hey Guys,

Not sure if this is the right place to pose my question regarding the spoon below? Anyhow, I purchased this a while back and was wondering where or who this spoon could be attributed to?
Looks to me that this one could`ve been in the diplomatic circles??

Has two silver stamps on the back and 900. I`m presuming this is sterling silver and not plated.

Could anyone tell me more about this tea spoon? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry about the poor quality of pics!

Dion

[Don D.]

I think it was for the littlest Goebbel's kid......

[Br. James]

Hi Dion,

It's an interesting find you have there, the like of which I have never seen before. And having checked through Jim Yannes' recent book on TR Cutlery and Maker Marks, I note that he does not identify this piece, either. The handle is capped by a version of the M-1927 eagle and swaz -- the first such design to be utilized in a wide variety of representations -- and the maker mark is of an old (from the 19th century) silversmithing firm, though I can't identify it further. The spoon is cast in .900 solid silver, which is 9/10 in pure silver content; this is a standard German silver content, slightly less than "sterling," which is .925 pure silver.

Tableware of all sorts was created and given as gifts to big-wig Nazi leaders on birthdays, anniversaries and numerous other occasions, most often as small sets of six spoons or knives; such sets do not relate to any of the major silverware designs and were probably cast by small jewelers as one-of-a-kind presentations. it would have been very good to have secured some sort of provenance when you purchased this piece -- perhaps a story from a WWII vet who brought it back home and could have mentioned where he picked it up. Hope this is helpful to you; this is indeed a unique piece.

Br. James

[Dion]

Many thanks for the reply Yeah, it would`ve been great to have gotten a story, however, I purchased this from a shop that deals with militaria and he was unable to remember who sold it to him? Unfortunately, that`ll stay secret for ever!
I`m surprised that its not shown in any books? I suppose it is a possibility that it was either a present or alternatively, maybe even used in the German Embassy here in Johannesburg, South Africa. There have been some stuff I`ve come across, that was originally from the embassy?
Oh well, maybe in my search, I might come across another piece with the same eagle?

Dion

[Br. James]

Thanks for your reply, Dion, and I agree that the origin of your spoon may indeed "stay secret for ever!" While the specialized field of collecting and authenticating Third Reich cutlery and tableware is quite longstanding -- it goes as far back as when Allied troops plundered Europe and picked up everything they could get their hands on...all under the title of "liberation!" -- but from being interested in that field myself and reading everything I can find, it all seems to illustrate that while big-wig Nazis at every level of society enjoyed the finer things in life...such as personalized silverware and solid silver pieces...the wide variety of extant pieces today tells us that these things were mostly created as individual gifts -- for one's self or from others, often wishing to curry favor -- and that they were made in extremely small quantities. I'm sure some pieces exist as one-of-a-kind implements, while others were factored as sets of six forks or six knives or six spoons. There were certainly large quantities of certain designs produced, such as those used in the dining cars of the German National Railroad or as regimental/divisional cutlery used by officers' messes on active military duty, but when it comes to NSDAP designs as well as those pieces bearing stylized initial monograms, I think most of such pieces were created as special gifts and their histories may be lost to us forever.

Br. James

[Erich B.]

IMO it's a postwar put together piece -- an old 900 silver spoon and an eagle sawed out of a silver 2 or 5 RM coin. Has the eagle been separately attached to the spoon or is it an integral part?
I've seen these coin eagles used to make rings and pendants over the years.
Erich

[Dion]

HI Br James,

Thanks for your comment once again, and I must indeed agree with all you say. It certainly looks like the origin will indeed stay unknown until such time that more pieces like this one come to light of which the origin might be traceable. Until then, Its just a beautiful piece in my collection!

Erich B,

The Eagle is indeed an integral part of the spoon. So no, its definately NOT a postwar put together piece. Thanks for the comments though.


Dion