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Antique Questions Forum / Can you identify this antique brass serving spoon?

« on: January 17, 2005, 01:53:51 am »

Hello,

I have an unusual brass serving spoon, likely from a ship wreck, I found while beachcombing in New Smyrna Beach, FL mid 80's. I found this just as a severe beach eroding NE gale had subsided. Initially it was highly corroded (gray-green but only on the surface). I cleaned it up, and now the original brass designs show well. There is only minimal wear of the basic designs. The ladle appears to have an image of Buddha, with other less definite oriental looking fillagree next several inches below the Buddha. No designs on the spoon itself.

While I lived in Fla., I got two opinions regarding the spoon's origin. The St. Augustine, FL Histirorical Museum though it may have come from the wreck of a late 1800's yacht off the NE FL coast...I noted it also looked fairly close in appearance to some silver ware savaged from shipwrecks (over 15 vessels sunk) during a 1715 hurricane that sank Spanish treasure fleet ships from nearby Cape Canaveral down to south of Sebastian Inlet. A lot of gold and silver has been salvaged from those wrecks over many years, as well as lower valued items.

Anybody have an idea of what I found or it's possible value? In particular, I'm perplexed at the Oriental designs on a very old spoon appearing on a Florida Beach...Any suggestions for additional research will be appreciated.