This extravagant silverplate spoon from a past QBO sale celebrates San Francisco tourist attraction Fisherman’s Warf. At 6″, it’s a full-sized teaspoon that you can actually use.
Fancy commemorative spoons were first made in Europe in the mid-1800s. Wealthy touring Americans brought them home and local silversmiths jumped on the bandwagon. Gann Bros of Washington DC made the first souvenir spoon in 1889 celebrating the 100th anniversary of George Washington’s presidency. In 1893 the collapse of the silver market coincided with the Chicago’s World Fair and launched a 30 year-long ‘golden age’ of souvenir spoon-making and rabid collecting. Spoon fever cooled in 1914 with the start of WWI, but some spoons were still being made; the “Japan” mark on the back of this one indicates it was produced for export sometime shortly after 1921. Sterling souvenir spoons can sell from $5 to $2500, while the silverplate ones can be had for less. Contemporary souvenir spoons are much smaller, cheaper and while they are made of stainless steel, they are not really intended for use.
The first state-owned Fisherman’s Wharf was build out into San Francisco Bay in 1884 as a mooring point for commercial fishing fleets. Today ‘Fisherman’s Warf’ refers to an entire S.F. neighborhood that includes shops, a park, several cable car stops and Ghirardelli Square (where Ghirardelli chocolate is made). And, fishing boats still moor along the wharf.
Starting in the spoon’s bowl, we have a cheerful pipe-smoking, boots, raincoat & Nor’easter hat-wearing fisherman. Squint and you’ll make out his fishing pole and fish, while off in the distance there’s a fishing boat. Going up the handle, we have a Dungeness crab in a net, a spiny lobster, an empty abalone shell and another Dungeness crab; all important commercial catches in the Bay Area when the spoon was made. Today neither spiny lobster nor abalone can be commercially fished in California Marine Districts 11, 12 and 13 which cover the waters around the Golden Gate. Overharvesting ended commercial abalone fishing in 1997 although individuals can take them with a fishing license, and spiny lobster is still commercially fished in Southern California. Happily, local Dungeness crab is still seasonally sold live at the wharf.
The spoon back shows (bottom to top) a grizzly bear (state animal, ironically now extinct within the state) and the Santa Barbara Mission, first built in 1787 by Spanish monks. The mission was expanded, rebuilt and restored many times, and is 330 miles south of San Francisco in Santa Barbara, the city named after it. Next is a crossed pickax and shovel behind a gold nugget-filled pan emblazoned ‘1849’, the date of the Gold Rush which occurred after GOLD was discovered 130 miles southeast of S.F. in 1848. Not coincidentally California was welcomed as the 31st state of the Union in 1850. Next is the American eagle with his shield and then the State Seal of California featuring the Greek Goddess Athena with spear and shield, a sheaf of grain, ships in the bay and a grizzly bear eating grapes (yes, there are TWO grizzlies within 2″ of each other). At the top is a California Poppy, the state flower. But did you notice something very large is missing? The Golden Gate Bridge! This is because the peak of souvenir spoon production came up short of the gorgeous bridge’s completion in 1937. You can get stainless modern spoons with the bridge, or you can sometimes find fancy old Victorian souvenir spoons emblazoned “Golden Gate” showing the empty mouth of the San Francisco Bay because that passage was called The Golden Gate long before the bridge was there. So 2 bears, 2 crabs and no bridge!
Tuesday Treasures was started by our staff member, Jeanne Lusignan. Each week she will be featuring items that have been found at our estate sales. If you would like to submit a treasure for Jeanne to feature in a future installment of “Tuesday’s Treasures”, please follow the button below and send us an email! Please attach a few photos of your treasure in a beautiful setting as well as any details you have about your item such as manufacturer, use, age, region of origin. If you don’t know about the piece, that’s okay! We still might be able to research it for you! Don’t forget to tell us what makes this item such a treasure to you!