2231

Unknown Maker. Sterling Silver Spoon with Baldwin & Co. Horseman $10 Model in Bowl of Spoon. Length:

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Antiques - Silver - Souvenir Spoons Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:3,000.00 - 4,000.00 USD
Unknown Maker. Sterling Silver Spoon with Baldwin & Co. Horseman $10 Model in Bowl of Spoon. Length:
SOLD
1,500.00USD+ (262.50) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2017 Sep 16 @ 00:04UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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This interesting – and no doubt rare – spoon features a purely California mining scene. The spoon itself has an inlaid silver Baldwin & Co. $10 Horseman or Vaquero that is very true to the original obverse, though salient differences are apparent to those familiar with the issue. Students of the Pioneer Gold series will recognize the die used to strike this spoon from the so-called Baldwin Restrike $10s – it is of an earlier die state than any of these fantasy pieces, which generally show extensive die rust and reworked dentilation.
The handle has a slight curve and is adorned with various foliage and a crossed pickaxe and shovel. A jolly miner, sluice pan at his feet and leaning on a pickaxe, holds one victorious hand in the air with a huge nugget within. The back of the handle is clearly marked STERLING.
It is believed that these gold rush-inspired spoons were made for sale to attendees of the California Midwinter International Exposition, held in Golden Gate Park between January and July of 1894. Here is a relatively inexpensive way to acquire a Baldwin “Buckaroo” $10, an otherwise six-figure rarity, for your collection of California ephemera –our experience suggests that these Baldwin spoons are about ten times rarer than the scarce and popular slug spoons.