Pre civil war southern coin silver NEWP
asheland
Posts: 23,765 ✭✭✭✭✭
This is slightly off topic, but not entirely. As a few of you know, from the mid 19th century and back, most all silver wares were made with melted coins, and sometimes other older silver wares….
The coin silver from the southern states prior to the civil war can be tough to find, and some makers can be next to impossible to find! This is one of those makers.
About two years ago I set my eBay app to alert me to any listing from this maker. Exactly a week ago today, I get an email from eBay, it’s a hit! The listing offered BIN or best offer…
Normally I’d try for a better deal, but given the extreme rarity of this shop, I figured I better not push my luck. Two hours after it was listed there were already 3 watchers! I immediately pulled the trigger! 
So here it is, Foster & Purple from Columbus Georgia. Made between October of 1844 and December of 1845:
@wev should appreciate this one. 
@Weiss too.
Comments
That's very cool, @asheland . Good job researching and striking when you found it!
--Severian the Lame
Thanks @Weiss!
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@asheland.... Nice find, and good thing you moved quickly. Cheers, RickO
cool on the trigger pull (haste makes waste at times)
Thanks guys. 👍
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Never heard the last name Purple before.
Excellent site here:
https://www.americansilversmiths.org/makers/silversmiths/97349.htm
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Try finding the original owner "M". It may just be possible. Search for the names of wealthy families in that county and in that period with a family name starting with "M".
I have some earlier spoons from Mobile, AL that are engraved with a distinct name, I (believe) it's Cuyler? I haven't seen the spoons in a few years I think those would be possible to research.
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@asheland great find and cool history.
Thank you! 👍
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Very,VERY cool 😎 😎
Thank you @asheland for the mention of my little project above.
Not to diminish at all, but it is likely that both Samuel B. Purple and William Foster were basically fancy goods merchants, rather than active silversmiths, though either may have been trained to the trade. Both are listed as jewelers (living next door to each other) in the 1850 US census at Columbus and advertised as such. During their years, it was far more cost effective, living in a populated city, to buy silver goods from northern wholesale manufacturers. At least a dozen firms had regular traveling agents supplying jewelers and other merchants all across the south with flatware goods. That said, the firm was an important contributor to the city and its appetite for fashionable things, so deserves remembrance.
As an aside, given my interests, I have watched the parade of American silver goods on ebay pretty much constantly since 1998 (which is also why I have around 1200 spoons). There has been a true spike in the offerings of "Southern" silver lately. I have seen more listed in the last 6 months than the last 6 years. I think many of the collectors are aging out and their children have little or no interest. Good for those of us left that do.
@wev very interesting information! And your contributions to the silversmiths marks project is excellent!
Thanks for your post! 👍
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