Souvenir spoon: Turkish Coin

1890-1910

Measurements

4-3/8 in x 1 in (dia) x 3/8 in

Materials

Silver with a gold-washed bowl

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, The David Wilson Mansion, Inc.

Accession Number

1971.1124

Provenance

Ex coll. Mrs. E. Tatnall (Mary Corbit) Warner

Comments

The bowl is an Egyptian coin, called a Qirsh, which is 1/100 of an Egyptian pound, minted in the 1880s and for 100 years later.  The Arabic writing on the back of the bowl indicates that this coin was minted in 1876.  The edge of the coin is ribbed or reeded, as is typical of coins.  Also, the coin shows evidence of use and wear, indicating that the year it was minted cannot be used as the time the spoon was made.

The handle is the same on the front and the back.

Bibliography

Accumulation & Display:  Mass Marketing Household Goods in America, 1880-1920 (The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, 1986), no. 183, pp. 137-138.