Antique Daniel Low & Co for Durgin Sterling Salem Witch Souvenir Spoon 6"

Description

Antique late 19th century Durgin sterling silver Salem Witch souvenir spoon, sold by Daniel Low & Company. This spoon sports a simple squared off handle decorated with the word Salem flnanked by three pins and a witch holding a broomstick. “On a trip to Europe in 1890, Daniel’s son Seth Low (1867-1939) noticed tourists purchasing souvenir spoons from various cities they had visited. On his return home, Seth commissioned a simple design for a sterling silver spoon with the image of a witch, three “witch pins,” and the word “Salem.” This spoon is considered the first “official” souvenir of the “Witchcraft delusion” sold in the city. According to contemporary historian George B. James in 1891, Salem was becoming a popular destination for those curious about the Witch Trials of 1692. He explained that the three witch pins on the spoon were the same as those “preserved at the Court House in Salem.” These straight pins were said to be evidence presented during the trials, used to inflict harm by the accused witches during the city’s period of hysteria.”

“Daniel Low (1842-1911), maker and retailer of sterling silver vanity items and novelties established in 1867 as a small jewelry shop in Salem.
His son Seth F. Low designed the first ""Witch spoon"", made by Durgin Division of the Gorham Mfg Co and nationwide advertised in newspapers and magazines, largely responsible of the souvenir spoon mania that swept shortly before 1900.
The business was incorporated in 1907 under the name Daniel Low & Co Inc. They published a mail-order catalog, which grew to as large as 200 pages. Their first mail order catalogue was called the Daniel Low Year Book and put out in 1892.
After the death of Daniel Low (1911) the business was managed by his son Seth Low. Later the company was run by Seth's widow Florence until the mid-1950s.
In 1955, Bill Follett bought and ran the company until it was sold, along with the building, in 1994.”

""The William B. Durgin Company (1853 - 1924) was a noted American sterling silver manufacturer based in Concord, New Hampshire, and one of the largest flatware and hollowware manufacturers in the United States. Over the period 1905-1924 it was merged into the Gorham Manufacturing Company.

The company was founded by silversmith William Butler Durgin (July 29, 1833 - May 6, 1905). Durgin was born in Campton, New Hampshire, and from 1849-1853 apprenticed to Boston silversmith Newell Harding. In the 1840s Durgin moved back to Concord, where he opened a small shop making spoons opposite the Free Bridge Road. He incorporated as William B. Durgin Company in 1853, in 1854 added the manufacture of silverware, and in 1866 established a large brick factory on School Street. In 1905, after the death of both Durgin and his son, George F. Durgin, the company was acquired by Gorham through a long process that culminated with an official purchase in 1924. Production was moved to Providence, Rhode Island, in 1931. Durgin became the Durgin Division of Gorham maintaining production under its name until c. 1940.""

Condition

Good Overall - Tarnish/gentle wear

Dimensions

5.75” x 1.25” / 26.1 g (Length x Width/Weight)